Calling for Backup

The wind on the main street carried the scent of grilled skewers and milk tea. Xie Xie's yellow hair was blown straight back as he walked half a street with his hands in his pockets, kicking pebbles along the curb and cursing under his breath. The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

"No, we can't just let this slide." Xie Xie abruptly stopped and turned around, tossing his yellow hair. "What was up with that girl Gu Yue on the arena today? She went for Yun Ying's life, but held back against Boss and even threw herself at him—broad daylight! Where's the dignity of brotherhood?"

Yun Ying leaned against a streetlamp, her brown ponytail clumped together with sweat. Her chin still ached faintly—it had smacked into the blue bricks when she fell earlier. She rolled her eyes. "You've been shouting about this the whole way. Tang Wulin didn't say anything himself, so why are you so worked up?"

"I'm not worked up!" Xie Xie's voice was loud enough to scare sparrows off the wires. "I just want to teach her a lesson. If we don't give her a warning, will she be riding on Boss's neck and patrolling the streets tomorrow?"

Yao sauntered over from behind, his Star Sword wrapped in cloth and strapped to his back. With a grin, he puckered his lips and whistled. "Brother Xie Xie, you sound like someone stole your New Year's money."

"Get lost!" Xie Xie glared at him, then suddenly leaned close to Yun Ying, his eyes gleaming. "Yun Ying, call someone."

Yun Ying froze. "Call who?"

"Anyone! We don't need to beat her. Just scare her stiff so she stops thinking Tang Wulin is easy to bully."

Yun Ying frowned. "...That doesn't seem right. Gu Yue may have double standards, but she didn't really hurt Tang Wulin. If we fight her and make too big a scene—"

"Three cups of yogurt." Xie Xie held up three fingers, his face inches from hers. "That new flavor from the place west of town—thick yogurt with yellow peach and oats. I'll pay. Three cups. One for you, one for me, and you can treat Yao's cup on my behalf."

Yun Ying swallowed. She had just finished fighting in the arena, and her throat was parched. She remembered how thick that yogurt was, thick enough for a spoon to stand in it, with chilled yellow peach chunks and a crunchy oat base...

"...Two cups aren't enough. I want three cups for myself." Yun Ying turned away.

"Fine, fine, fine! All three are yours! Just make the call now!" Xie Xie practically offered them up as tribute.

Yao laughed beside them. "Oh, Yun Ying, what integrity. Bought out by three cups of yogurt."

Yun Ying's ears reddened slightly. She pulled out her communicator, hesitated with her fingertip hovering over it, then made the call anyway.

The call connected quickly.

"...Yeah, it's Yun Ying... There's something going on. It's not a big deal, but I'd like you to come help out. Meet at the alley entrance? Okay, right away."

After hanging up, Yun Ying shoved the communicator back into her pocket, folded her arms, and leaned against the streetlamp again. "Three cups, Xie Xie. Go buy them now. I'll drink them when you get back, and only after I finish will I keep my word."

"Buying them, buying them!" Xie Xie took off toward the street corner, his yellow hair fluttering in the wind like a little flag.

Yao squatted on the steps, laughing so hard his shoulders shook. "Yun Ying, Yun Ying. You shouted 'double standards' loud enough to shake the heavens earlier, and now three cups of yogurt have recruited you."

Yun Ying sniffed and ignored him.

Less than ten minutes later, Xie Xie came running back with three fat cups in hand. Condensation beaded on the sides, and the scent of yellow peach mixed with tart milk wafted half a meter away. Yun Ying took one, tore open the seal, and narrowed her eyes with bliss after the first spoonful.

"Worth it," she mumbled through a mouthful.

Xie Xie didn't drink his own. He set down the drink carrier and rubbed his hands together. "Has our person arrived?"

The moment the words left his mouth, the light at the alley entrance dimmed.

Yao's eyes nearly popped out of his head. He lifted the hilt of his Star Sword and almost failed to hold it steady. "...You called Brother Kai? Isn't this just bullying?? Gu Yue may have double standards, but she's only an elemental control type. With Brother Kai's physique and skill set, almost no one can beat him one-on-one—"

Xie Xie widened his eyes and tossed his yellow hair. "Good. Bully her. Otherwise, some people never learn who they are. If we don't wipe that little 'faint smile' off her face today, tomorrow she'll dare sit on Tang Wulin's desk."

Yun Ying's spoon paused halfway to her mouth. She looked at Kai and said softly, "...Just don't hit her face."

Kai said nothing. He merely tipped his chin at them, his gaze passing over the group to settle on Gu Yue across the street. She had just stepped out of a shop, the tear in her plain dress still swaying as she looked down at the bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts in her hands.

Gu Yue seemed to sense something. Her purple eyes lifted and swept over Xie Xie, then Yun Ying, then Kai. One brow moved ever so slightly before she looked away and continued peeling chestnuts.

Xie Xie immediately sprang out, pointing at Gu Yue as he shouted, "Gu Yue! You little brat! What happened in the arena yesterday isn't over! I brought someone to 'spar' with you. If you don't dare accept, just admit you're scared and we'll leave right away!"

Gu Yue didn't look up, her voice calm. "You can stay if you want. Just don't disturb me while I peel chestnuts."

"You—!" Xie Xie was so angry his yellow hair stood on end.

Without a word, Kai stepped into the alley. Gu Yue finally folded the paper bag and put it into her pocket. Her purple eyes turned toward the alley, and she paused for two breaths, seeming to assess something. She had no interest in indulging a child's farce like Xie Xie's, but the person Xie Xie had called... was a little beyond the scope of a "child's farce." If she simply turned and left, Xie Xie would chase her down three streets barking like a dog. And if the yellow-haired boy found someone to back him up, he would call people to bother her every few days. That would be more annoying than elemental backlash.

"Fine." Gu Yue stepped forward, the tear in her plain dress fluttering in the wind as she entered the alley. "Make it quick. I need to go back."

The alley was narrow. The two stood facing each other seven steps apart. Broken glass, puddles, and old cardboard boxes were piled against the walls, while a sliver of daylight cut down from above.

Xie Xie, Yun Ying, and Yao crowded at the alley entrance. Yao even craned his neck inside. "They're really fighting? Should I call Brother Tang over—"

"Shut up." Xie Xie and Yun Ying spoke in unison.

Gu Yue came to a stop, her arms hanging loosely at her sides. A faint elemental glow gathered in her palms as she looked coolly at the person opposite her. "Begin."

A dark gold glint flashed in Kai's eyes.

"Begin."

—The third skill, Undying Demon Body, exploded into action.

Red-black energy surged backward like a tidal wave, instantly swallowing the sound of wind at both ends of the alley. A phantom light tore open behind Kai. A miniature planet was devoured by darkness and transformed into a blazing Eclipse. The Six-Winged Underworld Sovereign True Form burst forth through the light, its winged afterimages blotting out the alley walls. A shockwave slammed into the ground, shaking broken glass and puddles half a foot into the air. The dark gold Eclipse flashed, and a blade condensed from the void, wrapped in smoldering black flames that hissed as their tongues licked the wall bricks.

Gu Yue's pupils shrank. The elemental circuits in her purple eyes had only turned halfway before she sensed something wrong. Her heel tapped the ground as she tried to retreat—

Kai raised his hand and unleashed Returning Blade.

Annihilating Galaxy shot forth wrapped around a ball of dark energy, scattering starlight as it flew. Moss in the cracks of the alley walls was scraped into dust by the blast. The instant the energy ball struck Gu Yue in the chest, its glow swelled violently. The tear in her plain dress rippled from the impact, black hair flying around her shoulder as though she had been struck solidly by a stellar orbit. Her feet halted, even her thoughts seeming to lock up. Her purple eyes lost focus for an instant, and she staggered half a step back until her back hit the wall.

Before she could reassemble her elements, Extreme Blade Storm charged in.

The first slash carved through the wind with a wing-shaped red-black lightning trail, sending every puddle in the alley spiraling into mist. The second slash rose upward—within Eclipse, the devoured planet was drawn out by the sword's force and hurled skyward along its edge. Gu Yue was lifted completely off the ground, her back slamming into the alley wall. A chill brushed her throat as Kai's blade stopped half an inch before it, the residual warmth of its black flames curling the strands of hair beneath her jaw.

The alley entrance fell deathly silent.

Xie Xie's mouth hung open, his raised yellow hair forgotten; Yun Ying crushed her yogurt cup, yellow peach chunks dripping onto her shoes; Yao held the hilt of his Star Sword against his chin, his eyes frozen wide.

When Tang Wulin turned in from the street corner, this was what he saw—Gu Yue pressed against the wall, her lips slightly pale, Kai's sword pointed at her throat, while Xie Xie stood nearby with his hands on his hips as if he had won the entire world.

Tang Wulin's golden eyes darkened. He rushed into the alley in three quick strides, but instead of shouting, he first reached out to support Gu Yue's arm and pulled her half a step behind him. He looked her over from head to toe: torn dress, messy hair, a red mark near her shoulder, but no blood.

"Don't hurt her!" Tang Wulin kept his voice low, but the alley was narrow, and every word slammed into their eardrums.

He turned around, his golden eyes sweeping over Xie Xie, Yun Ying, and Yao.

"Why are you bullying a classmate?" It was not a question, but a statement.

Xie Xie swallowed, his yellow hair drooping. "B-Boss, we just... wanted to give her a warning. She had double standards in the arena—"

"Even so, you can't just attack a classmate. That's very rude." Tang Wulin's tone was not harsh, but every word seemed tempered in gold. "Yun Ying, when you were beaten down, I asked whether you wanted a rematch, and you said to forget it. Now you called someone over for three cups of yogurt? Xie Xie, you keep talking about the dignity of brotherhood. Is dignity finding outside help to scare a female classmate? Yao, you egged them on from beginning to end."

Yao rubbed the back of his head. He wasn't smiling anymore, his lips pressed together as he quietly shifted his Star Sword behind his back.

Kai sheathed his sword, and the demon body faded. He looked at Tang Wulin, his voice steady. "They said it was a 'spar.' I held back. She isn't hurt."

"You held back?" Tang Wulin's knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists. "Do you think this is a black market arena? If that had truly struck her internal organs, all the rare metals and meal money I saved would have been for nothing!"

Kai was silent for two breaths. Then he stepped half a pace aside and nodded to Gu Yue. "They came to me, and I didn't ask why. That was my oversight."

Gu Yue straightened from the wall, her purple eyes resting on him. The faint curve at her lips was as slight as the edge of a note cut by sword wind. She said nothing.

Xie Xie finally forced out, "Boss, we were just upset about how she treated you..."

"How did she treat me?" Tang Wulin cut him off. "How she treats me is between classmates. We should help each other. You bought Yun Ying off with yogurt and used brotherhood to pressure her—three cups of yogurt, one ambush, and you threw away your dignity in an alley for stray cats to eat."

Gu Yue stopped smiling too. She seemed to realize that Tang Wulin only regarded her as an ordinary classmate. What he had done just now was simply standing up for someone in passing.

Gu Yue had hinted at it many times in the arena, but Tang Wulin's bizarre train of thought never even considered that sort of relationship between friends. Even Xie Xie had noticed it long ago. Yet Tang Wulin...

Yun Ying lowered her head to look at her crushed yogurt cup, her ears burning red as she spoke softly. "...Tang Wulin, I was wrong. I shouldn't have called anyone."

Yao nodded as well, unusually without a joke. "Brother Tang, I was wrong to just egg them on instead of stopping them."

Xie Xie's yellow hair drooped completely. He kicked a broken bottle in the corner. "...Gu Yue, sorry. I have a filthy mouth. But stop treating Boss like that all the time... Forget it, I can't argue with him." He glanced at Tang Wulin's expression and shut up.

Gu Yue adjusted the tear in her plain dress. Her purple eyes swept over the three of them before finally settling on Xie Xie. Calmly, she said, "I accept your apology. If you call people again next time, I'll freeze this entire alley—yogurt and yellow hair included."

Xie Xie shrank his neck.