Nighttime Savior! Beating Up Shrek!

He closed his eyes, letting his consciousness sink into his body.

Deep within him, the Core Flame burned quietly. Golden and black flames intertwined, brighter than they had been in the Spirit Ascension Platform.

The mark of "1" flickered across the surface of the Core Flame.

The faint outline of a second mark at its edge seemed to have become a little clearer.

But what caught his attention was—

The black energy around the Core Flame was spreading outward at a slow yet unstoppable pace.

Bai Yuan opened his eyes and looked at the Black Aura still drifting from his fingertips, his brows furrowing slightly.

Black Calamity's power was beginning to awaken.

Bai Yuan closed his eyes and sensed the Black Aura that had just withdrawn into his body.

Suddenly, a chill rose from the surface of his skin. Countless icy threads stretched out from the void, weaving, winding, and covering his body.

His eyes snapped open, and he sat up.

He looked down.

Black fabric was spreading from his wrists up his arms. Its texture was heavy and silent, while dark red patterns flickered faintly along its edges.

It was not a phantom formed from Soul Power, but real fabric and armor with a clear, tangible touch.

The black robe extended from his arms to his shoulders, covered his chest from his shoulders, then spread downward over his waist, abdomen, legs, and ankles.

Bai Yuan froze.

He raised a hand and looked at the palm wrapped in a black glove.

The glove's material was unknown. It was neither leather nor metal, more like some kind of solidified darkness, gleaming dully beneath the light.

He got to his feet and walked over to the full-length mirror.

The person in the mirror made him suck in a cold breath.

A black robe draped from his shoulders to his ankles, its hem fluttering slightly despite the absence of wind.

There were no decorations on the robe, only several patterns faintly visible deep within its folds, like ancient runes.

A black mask covered most of his face.

Flame Reaver.

This was Black Calamity's attire.

Bai Yuan stood dumbly before the mirror for a long while without saying a word.

He looked down at his hands, then back up at his reflection. Only one thought remained in his mind.

Huh?

There's even a reward like this?

Then what does doing bad things have to do with me, Bai Yuan?

He tried moving his body.

The black robe did not restrict him at all. Instead, it fit every movement like a second layer of skin.

More importantly—power.

Bai Yuan clenched his fists and felt the surging energy within him.

He was faster, stronger, more responsive. Even his senses had become sharper.

It felt as though he had put on a suit of Battle Armor.

No, it fit him better and felt more natural than Battle Armor.

Because this was not an external object. This was his own power.

Bai Yuan stood before the mirror, tilting his head as he looked himself over, then could not help laughing.

The Black Calamity Set was pretty cool, all right.

The mask was just a little too edgy.

Still.

He turned, and the hem of his robe swept a black arc through the air.

It did look pretty good.

He tried sinking his consciousness into his body, wanting to find a way to control the outfit.

The Core Flame burned quietly deep inside him, golden and black flames intertwined.

He could feel that this outfit had poured forth from the Core Flame. It was part of Black Calamity's power.

He just did not know why it had manifested at this moment.

Bai Yuan thought about it, then silently said in his heart, Retract.

The black fabric began slowly dissipating from the edges, like ashes scattered by the wind.

The black robe faded upward from his ankles, the gloves vanished from his fingertips, and the mask cracked apart from its edges.

A few seconds later, he had returned to his usual appearance.

Bai Yuan looked down at himself, then at the mirror, and let out a long breath.

It could be summoned and dismissed. Not bad.

Bai Yuan had not lain down for long before turning over and sitting up again.

No, he could not hold it in.

He had just gotten this New Skin. If he did not go out and test it, he would never get to sleep tonight.

He jumped out of bed, walked to the window, and pushed it open.

The night wind rushed in. The towering outline of the Spirit Pagoda stood majestically beneath the night sky, while the distant city lights blazed like a flowing river of stars.

Bai Yuan took a deep breath and silently said in his heart.

Equip.

The black robe fell into place, the mask fitted itself over his face, and dark red patterns flickered deep within the folds.

In a matter of seconds, he had become a silent Black Robe Swordsman in the night.

Bai Yuan looked down at his hands and clenched his fists.

Power surged through his body, stronger than it had been in the room.

It was not an illusion.

At night, this outfit seemed to receive some kind of additional boost.

Black Aura seeped from the night sky, gradually absorbed by the robe on his body and transformed into an endless stream of power.

Wasn't this even more awesome than a Super Divine Artifact?

It even seemed capable of growing!

He moved, and his figure swept out through the window.

Soundlessly, he left the upper floors of the Spirit Pagoda headquarters and traced a black arc through the night sky.

Too fast.

Even Bai Yuan himself was startled.

The buildings beneath him rushed backward, and the wind howled past his ears.

He crossed street after street and leaped over building after building. The city beneath him changed from a bustling central district into quiet residential neighborhoods.

This speed was practically on par with a Mecha.

The farther he ran, the more excited he became, his steps growing lighter and quicker.

The black robe snapped in the night wind, its dark red patterns flickering in the darkness. He was like a Meteor streaking across the sky, only black.

This thing is insanely good for traveling.

Bai Yuan sighed inwardly, then another thought emerged—he wanted to see what its limit was.

He accelerated, and the power beneath his feet rose another level.

Bai Yuan sprinted wildly onward. The scenery beneath his feet changed from fields to villages, from villages to towns, and then from towns to an open expanse he had never seen before.

He did not know how far he had run or where he had reached. He simply followed his instincts south, toward the faintly glowing direction in the night.

Then he saw that city.

Shrek.

It did not possess the towering majesty of the Spirit Pagoda, piercing the clouds. Instead, it was massive and weighty, like an Ancient Beast crouching upon the earth.

Its city walls were tall and ancient, gleaming bluish-gray beneath the moonlight.

The buildings within the city were arranged in neat layers, and a huge Green School Emblem hung from the tallest tower.

Bai Yuan stopped atop a hillside, his black robe snapping in the night wind.

He narrowed his eyes at that city, and a thought suddenly surfaced in his heart.

How had he run all the way to Shrek?

The Black Calamity Set was far more absurdly fast than he had imagined.

Just as Bai Yuan was wondering whether he should turn back, he suddenly heard a burst of commotion from beneath the city wall ahead.

A rough male voice, carrying arrogance and smugness, was especially grating in the night.

"Still haven't paid this month's money?

What do you think Shrek Academy is?"

Bai Yuan paused.

He looked toward the sound. Inside a shop outside the city wall, several young people in green uniforms were surrounding a hunched old man.

The leader was a young man in his twenties with a longsword at his waist. The emblem of Shrek Academy was embroidered on his chest—the mark of an Outer Disciple.

He folded his arms and held his chin high.

The old man hunched over, his voice trembling.

"I... I already paid the Federation taxes, didn't I?

Why do I still have to pay..."

"Federation taxes are Federation taxes, and Shrek's are Shrek's!"