Who Isn't a Herrscher

"Don't rush, 'White Night' classmate," said the petite, boyish-looking male beside him.

"Ah, I don't think I've introduced myself yet. My name is Shinomiya Amane. Please take care of me."

Shinomiya Amane introduced himself with a naive and friendly demeanor.

Luo Mio glanced at him, then turned his head back.

"Of course, I know you, Shinomiya Amane. Or rather, I know your real name, Amamiya Shion!"

"!"

The kind mask on Shinomiya Amane's—no, Amamiya Shion's—face vanished instantly.

"Don't look at me with such a serious expression. I understand your true nature better than you do yourself," Luo Mio said, his gaze fixed on Amamiya Shion.

Amamiya Shion looked at Luo Mio, feeling as if his eyes had seen through all his secrets.

"Of course, all of you here, I can see clearly the true selves you hide and conceal deep within your hearts."

"Like a certain clown hiding in a dark corner, whose actions are utterly disgusting."

Luo Mio's gaze drifted towards the person following behind, dressed and masked like a clown.

"Hee hee hee, does 'White Night' have a secret technique that can see through a person's true nature?" the Clown asked Luo Mio with a playful, mocking tone.

The other four also looked at Luo Mio with serious expressions.

Luo Mio ignored them and turned to Wallenstein, "Mr. 'One-armed Swordsman,' you haven't answered my question yet."

"Honestly, I find bratty, noisy kids like you incredibly annoying," Wallenstein said, glaring fiercely at Luo Mio.

"Really? Then I guess I'm quite successful as a bratty kid," Luo Mio replied, shrugging with a fearless smile at Wallenstein.

Wallenstein averted his gaze.

"!"

Wallenstein suddenly turned his head back to look at Luo Mio.

In Luo Mio's eyes, a red and white feather appeared in his pupils.

Then, he looked at the other six. Upon closer inspection, except for the Clown, the other five all had a red and white feather in their eyes.

No wonder Ikki and his group didn't hesitate and ran off into the distance without looking back once Luo Mio had left with them.

Luo Mio continued to smile fearlessly at Wallenstein.

"That's why I said, I hate brats like you the most!"

Wallenstein threw a swift, fierce punch that landed on Luo Mio's head.

Despite the speed and ferocity of the punch, Luo Mio didn't move, allowing Wallenstein's fist to hit his head.

There was no splatter of bright red liquid as expected.

The fist passed straight through Luo Mio's head.

"Oh my, did you notice?"

'Luo Mio' stared at Wallenstein, a mocking expression on his face as he laughed.

'Luo Mio's' body began to slowly dissipate, vanishing before their eyes like particles.

Wallenstein looked at the other six, the feathers slowly fading from their pupils.

The Clown, who had just realized what was happening, lost his usual playful tone and murmured in a low voice, looking at where Luo Mio had disappeared, "I didn't expect to be able to interfere with my vision from such a 'distance'."

Amamiya Shion looked at Wallenstein.

"Sir, what should we do now?"

Wallenstein didn't answer Amamiya Shion but quickly moved in the direction Ikki and his group had gone.

The six watched Wallenstein pursue.

"Is that mission target really that important?" asked the scantily clad foreign girl.

"That's just something you don't know, Sarah," Tadara Yui replied.

"Huh?"

"The importance of 'White Night's' true power!"

"True power..."

Meanwhile, Ikki and his group were fleeing.

"The feather's power has dissipated, Mio," Fu Hua's voice echoed in Luo Mio's mind.

It turned out that when Luo Mio had told them to stop, Fu Hua had used a portion of 'Feather of the Dust's' power to create a magical phantom and influenced the consciousness of Wallenstein and the other seven.

So, in Wallenstein's eyes, the real Luo Mio had left with them.

Luo Mio rode on Skoll, speaking to Touka, Stella, Ikki on Hati, Shizuku, and Arisugawa behind him, "They've already noticed."

It turned out that under the influence of "Feather of the Dust," Skoll and Hati hadn't returned to Luo Mio's body.

The twin wolves seen by Wallenstein's group were also an illusion created by the power of the feathers affecting their vision and consciousness.

"What do we do?"

Arisugawa said, "With the distance we've gained in this short time, they'll catch up to us soon."

Luo Mio gritted his teeth and patted Skoll.

"That guy's target is me, so we'll split up."

"But..."

"Let him go."

"Sister Touka..."

Touka looked at Luo Mio with determination, "Remember to come back soon."

Luo Mio looked at Touka, then grinned.

"Yeah! Don't worry."

Touka watched the twin wolves and Luo Mio move away, then gritted her teeth and said to everyone, "Let's go!"

Luo Mio, having left the group, fled into the forest, heading in a clear direction: Buku Academy, located in the central part of the Far East!

The beach they were on was situated between Buku Academy and Hagun Academy, though it was slightly closer to Hagun Academy.

Not long after splitting up, Luo Mio, on Skoll, felt an astonishing surge of Magic Power coming from behind.

Looking back, he saw Wallenstein had appeared within his line of sight, and the distance between them was still shrinking.

"Yo, old man, still chasing me relentlessly!"

Luo Mio taunted.

Wallenstein glared at him darkly.

"You won't be able to talk so glibly in a moment!"

After speaking, Wallenstein used his ability to close the distance between them.

"Friction," Wallenstein's conceptual interference ability, allowed him to manipulate the friction of all things, arbitrarily increasing or weakening and eliminating it. A single weak strike, amplified to its extreme by friction, could make his attacks unstoppable. Conversely, by eliminating friction on an opponent's attack, any blow would slide off him.

Wallenstein was now using friction to boost his speed.

Wallenstein summoned his Divine Relic, a broad-bladed greatsword.

"Berg seiden!"

Wallenstein swung the heavy greatsword, slashing at Luo Mio.

The slash, capable of cleaving mountains, landed in front of Luo Mio.

"Bang—!"

The powerful strike hit the ground, cracking it open. Flying dust, dirt clods, and severed trees blocked Luo Mio's path.

"Hati!"

Luo Mio called out to the other white wolf, Hati!

On Hati's charging claws, a white phantom, like moonlight, flickered.

Six crescent-shaped beams of moonlight flashed.

The obstacles blocking Luo Mio vanished in an instant.

As Luo Mio remained wary of Wallenstein's next move, Skoll beneath him suddenly stumbled and fell to the ground.

Luo Mio got up, looked at Skoll, and then at Wallenstein walking ahead.

"So that slash earlier wasn't to block my path, but to remove the friction under Skoll's feet, wasn't it."

"Clever."

"Roar!"

Hati beside them charged at Wallenstein.

Wallenstein looked at the charging great wolf, then glanced at Luo Mio.

He rotated his wrist, striking the great wolf with the flat of his blade!

Just as he was about to hit the great wolf, its body dissolved like particles and returned to Luo Mio's body.

At the critical moment, Luo Mio had forcibly summoned Hati back into himself.

"Skoll, you come back too."

Skoll also turned into particles and returned to Luo Mio's body.

"I didn't want to use this to take you back, but it seems there's no other way now."

Wallenstein spoke, then produced something.

It was a golden shard, about the size of a grain.

"!"

As if sensing something, the Magic Power and Honkai Energy within Luo Mio surged out uncontrollably.

Desire! Need! Urgency! All sorts of emotions struck Luo Mio's mind, his body uncontrollably craving the golden shard in Wallenstein's hand.

An ominous, curse-like purple aura continuously emanated from Luo Mio's body, purple patterns appearing on his face, along with gold that complemented the purple.

"This is..."

Luo Mio struggled to control his body as he spoke.

Wallenstein smiled.

"This is power!"

"Come, 'White Night,' return to your true strength!"

Wallenstein's laughter echoed through the forest.

Chapter Sixteen: Distant Resonance and "Luo Mio"?

Wallenstein's loud declaration resonated in Luo Mio's ears.

But Luo Mio no longer had the strength to speak.

Teacher! System!

Luo Mio called out to Fu Hua and the system in his mind, but neither responded.

Receiving no response, Luo Mio had no choice but to circulate the Tai Xu Sword Art.

"Damn it!"