Who Isn't a Herrscher?

"Don't be so hasty, White Night." The petite boy who looked remarkably like a girl spoke from the side.

"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 innocent friendliness.

Luo Mio glanced at him before turning back around.

"Of course I know you, Shinomiya Amane. Or should I call you by your real name, Amamiya Shion?"

"!"

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

"Don't look at me so seriously. I understand the essence hidden within you even better than you understand yourself." Luo Mio stared straight at Amamiya Shion.

Looking into Luo Mio's eyes, Amamiya Shion felt as though those eyes had already seen through every secret in his body.

"Of course, that goes for everyone here. I can see clearly the true selves you hide and conceal deep within your hearts."

"For example, a certain disgusting clown lurking in some dark corner."

Luo Mio's gaze drifted toward the person trailing behind them, dressed like a clown and wearing a clown-like mask.

"Hehehe, does White Night's ability include some secret technique for seeing through a person's true nature?"

The clown asked Luo Mio in a giggling tone.

The other four also watched Luo Mio with grave expressions.

Luo Mio ignored them and instead continued questioning Wallenstein. "Mr. One-armed Swordsman, I don't believe you've answered my question yet."

"To be honest, I hate noisy little brats like you." Wallenstein glared fiercely at Luo Mio.

"Really? Then I guess I'm doing a pretty good job as a little brat."

Luo Mio smiled and shrugged at Wallenstein without the slightest fear.

Wallenstein withdrew his gaze.

"!"

Wallenstein suddenly turned to look at Luo Mio.

In Luo Mio's eyes, he saw a red-and-white feather appear within his pupils.

He then looked at the other six more closely. Aside from the clown, whose eyes he could not make out, the other five all had a red-and-white feather in their eyes.

No wonder that after Luo Mio followed them away, Ikki and the others had fled into the distance without the slightest hesitation or regret.

Luo Mio continued smiling fearlessly at Wallenstein.

"That's exactly why I hate little brats like you the most!"

Wallenstein threw a swift punch at Luo Mio's head.

Despite the punch's speed and ferocity, Luo Mio did not move at all, simply allowing Wallenstein's fist to strike his head.

No crimson liquid splattered as expected.

The fist passed straight through Luo Mio's brain.

"Oh? You noticed?"

"Luo Mio" stared at Wallenstein with a mocking expression and laughed.

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

Wallenstein looked at the other six as the feathers gradually faded from their pupils.

Having realized what had happened, the clown lost his usual giggling tone. Looking toward where Luo Mio had vanished, he muttered softly, "I never expected someone to interfere with my vision from such a great 'distance.'"

Amamiya Shion looked at Wallenstein.

"Sir, what should we do now?"

Wallenstein did not answer Amamiya Shion. Instead, he swiftly moved in the direction Ikki's group had gone.

The six watched Wallenstein pursue them.

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

"You just don't know, Sarah," Tadara Yui answered.

"Huh?"

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

"True power..."

Meanwhile, Ikki and the others were fleeing.

"The power of the feather has dispersed, Mio." Fu Hua's voice sounded within Luo Mio's mind.

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

Thus, in Wallenstein's eyes, the real Luo Mio had already gone with them.

Riding Skoll, Luo Mio said to Touka and Stella behind him, as well as Ikki, Shizuku, and Arisugawa riding Hati, "They've figured it out."

Under Feather of the Dust's influence, Skoll and Hati had not returned to Luo Mio's body.

The twin wolves Wallenstein's group had seen were likewise illusions formed in their visual consciousness by the feather's power.

"What do we do?"

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

Luo Mio gritted his teeth, then patted Skoll.

"That guy's target is me. We'll split up."

"But..."

"Let him go."

"Touka..."

Touka looked at Luo Mio firmly. "Remember to come back early."

Luo Mio looked at Touka, then grinned.

"Yeah! Don't worry."

Watching the twin wolves and Luo Mio head away, Touka gritted her teeth and said to the others, "Go!"

After leaving the others, Luo Mio fled into the forest. His destination was clear: Buku Academy, located in the central region of the Far East!

The beach where they had been was located between Buku Academy and Hagun Academy, though it was slightly closer to Hagun Academy.

Not long after they split up, Luo Mio, riding Skoll, sensed astonishing magical power coming from behind him.

Looking back, he saw Wallenstein had already entered his field of vision, and the distance between them was constantly shrinking.

"Yo, old man, you're really chasing me relentlessly!"

Luo Mio mocked.

Wallenstein looked at him gloomily.

"Soon, you won't have that sharp tongue anymore!"

After saying that, Wallenstein used his ability to shorten the distance between them.

"Friction," Wallenstein's conceptual interference ability, allowed him to manipulate the friction of all things in the world, freely increasing, weakening, or eliminating it. Even a weak blow could become unstoppable if its friction was amplified to the extreme. Conversely, if he eliminated the friction from someone else's attack, no matter what it was, it would simply slide over him.

And now, Wallenstein was using friction to increase his own speed.

Wallenstein summoned his Device: a massive broadsword.

"Berg seiden!"

Wallenstein swung the heavy greatsword down at Luo Mio.

The slash, powerful enough to cleave a mountain apart in one strike, came down before Luo Mio.

"Boom—!"

The powerful blow struck the ground, instantly cracking the earth. Flying dust, chunks of soil, and severed trees blocked Luo Mio's path.

"Hati!"

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

Moonlight-white phantoms flickered around Hati's racing claws.

Six crescent-shaped streaks of moon-white light flashed past.

The obstacles blocking Luo Mio vanished in an instant.

Just as Luo Mio remained wary of Wallenstein's next move, Skoll suddenly lost its balance beneath him and fell to the ground.

Luo Mio got up, looked at Skoll, then turned toward Wallenstein, who was walking toward him.

"So that slash just now wasn't meant to block my path. You cut away the friction beneath Skoll's feet, didn't you?"

"Smart."

"Awooo!"

Hati charged at Wallenstein from the side.

Wallenstein watched the giant wolf rushing toward him, then glanced at Luo Mio.

He twisted his wrist and swung the blade toward the giant wolf!

Just before it struck the wolf, the giant wolf's body dissipated like particles and returned to Luo Mio's body.

At the critical moment, Luo Mio had forcibly recalled Hati into his body.

"Skoll, you too. Come back."

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

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

As Wallenstein spoke, he took something out.

A golden shard of stone, no larger than a grain.

"!"

As though he had sensed something, the magic power and Honkai Energy within Luo Mio began surging madly out of control.

Desire! Need! Urgency! All sorts of emotions battered Luo Mio's mind, and his body craved the golden shard in Wallenstein's hand as though beyond his control.

A sinister purple aura, ominous like a curse, continuously poured from Luo Mio's body. Purple markings appeared across his face, accompanied by a golden glow 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 power!"

Wallenstein's laughter echoed through the forest.

Resonance from Afar and "Luo Mio"?

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

But Luo Mio no longer had any strength left to speak.

Teacher! System!

No matter how Luo Mio called Fu Hua and the system's names in his heart, neither gave any response.

With no response, Luo Mio could only helplessly circulate the Tai Xu Sword Art.

"Damn it!"