Chapter 148

"I surrender..."

The gap is too obvious; there's simply no chance of winning.

217. Sour

The duel between Efnir and Anilas resulted in Efnir defeating Anilas, thus declaring victory. Combined with the duel between Canary and Herul, the score was now 2-0.

With both the captain and vice-captain of the Agent Squad defeated, there's no point in continuing.

In other words, the outcome is already decided.

Masaki Hina was not surprised at all by this result.

Leaving aside Efnir, she was the most outstanding agent Masaki Hina had ever seen. Those who reached her position were no longer affected by differences in weapons.

As for Canary, she and Ayse have come a long way under the tutelage of Efnir and Flying Swallow. As the second-ranked agent among the existing agents in Xijing City, it is reasonable for her to take down Herul even though her injuries have not yet fully healed.

Masaki Hina smiled and squinted at Kusei Maki.

"How about that? They're pretty good, aren't they? She's even injured. Come to think of it, your men actually got the better deal."

Kusei Maki didn't speak, she just pursed her lips.

The difference between Canary and Herul is not actually significant. If both of them go all out without considering whether the other will get hurt, it's really hard to say who will win.

But in the battle between Efnir and Anilas, it was clear to anyone with eyes that Efnir had an overwhelming advantage.

This is a gap that cannot be bridged by luck or awareness alone.

Even Kusei Maki couldn't deny that Efnir was far stronger than Anilas. To defeat Efnir, it would probably require the entire Agent Squad to attack.

"But even a powerful agent like Efnir was wounded in the battle against the Apostle... Do you understand what I mean? -- The enemy is far more powerful than we imagined. You in the Central Province, raised on complacent training, never having been bathed in blood, it's only natural that you can't defeat her. You... haven't even seen what hell looks like, have you?"

Masaki Hina's eyes were sharp. Without waiting for Kusei Maki's reply, she chuckled and strode towards Efnir.

Only Kusei Maki remained standing there, her gaze rippled with emotion.

"What does hell look like...? Ha..."

Hell is different in everyone's eyes.

Efnir and Anilas returned to the rest area.

Herul and the others greeted and shook hands with Canary and the others one by one; the agents from Xijing City and the members of the Agent Squad had exchanged greetings.

Although they had already fought twice, it was all because of Kusei Maki. They were both agents, and would be comrades-in-arms and colleagues in the future, so there was not much resentment between them.

Instead, the impressive fighting skills displayed by Canary and Efnir made the Agent Squad members look at them with new respect.

People are always naturally inclined to admire those who are more powerful than themselves; this principle applies everywhere.

Moreover, Anilas, the captain of the Agent Squad, is a fan of Efnir. At this moment, Anilas excitedly ran to Efnir, holding a card in both hands, and asked for her autograph, Efnir gladly accepted. They were just fighting on the training field, and now they were having an offline meeting between their idol and her fan. This scene felt particularly incongruous to everyone present, including Masaki Hina had just walked over.

Herul, in particular, opened her mouth several times, but hesitated to speak, her expression extremely strange.

Her most admired captain Anilas, had never shown this side of herself to her before. The mature and elegant captain now looked like a little girl who had received a beloved doll.

Yukina pouted, her gaze never leaving Efnir; she hadn't been able to smile for quite some time.

"Efnir, it seems I've arrived at the wrong time?"

Masaki Hina's voice appeared as she walked, and Efnir cast a glance at her.

Today, Masaki Hina was dressed as usual, wearing an ill-fitting, oversized military uniform and a military cap worn at an angle, but the insignia symbolizing her as the commander of the Orderkeepers Organization was no longer on her collar.

"Good morning, Chufei, Nami."

Efnir greeted her.

Shinomiyami Nami behind Masaki Hina, Nami Yono also nodded to Efnir as a greeting.

"Ahem... Efnir..." Masaki Hina coughed lightly, stealing a glance at Yukina, whose face was clouded with gloom. "I must say, you really are popular with girls..."

"No, to be honest, I was quite surprised too."

"Yeah, I'm surprised too. Naoko has never given me an autograph in person before!"

Yukina pouted sourly and said meaningfully.

One sentence struck a chord with Efnir, causing Efnir to stammer and hurriedly explain, "That... that's because..."

"He's even hugging and kissing pretty girls in public; it's truly enviable."

Even Canary and Ayse could clearly sense the sour undertone in Yukina's words.

Efnir inwardly groaned, her face contorting in a grimace.

She was clearly just testing her contortion skills with Anilas... and Anilas who initiated the conflict, so she had to retaliate, didn't she?

But this scene was quite interesting to Masaki Hina and Canary, among others. To be honest, it was rare to see Efnir suffer such a setback. Usually, Efnir gave people the impression of being somewhat rigid, strict, and serious, and was a very composed person.

But in front of Yukina, Efnir immediately transformed, from a friendly older sister to a sweet little sister. "Cute" and "weak" were actually very fitting descriptions of her.

Efnir only showed this side of herself to her sister.

Such a sisterly relationship is the envy of many.

Anilas looked at Efnir and Yukina with some curiosity, her eyes flickering as she lowered her brows in thought.

"Speaking of which, Efnir, could I borrow you for two minutes?"

"Hmm, what is it?"

"I just have something to tell you."

Masaki Hina giggled and looked at Yukina.

"Could I borrow your sister for a while?"

"Of course, Masaki-neechan can!"

Yukina emphasized the word "older sister," and Efnir could tell that Yukina was deliberately being sarcastic.

Efnir sighed.

Masaki Hina pulled Efnir aside.

"Speaking of which, Efnir, have you become even more powerful?"

"No."

Efnir paused, glanced at Masaki Hina, sighed softly, and explained.

"I know what you want to ask. It's not entirely due to my own ability, but rather because this eye can see it."

Efnir removed her sunglasses, revealing her right eye, which gleamed with a deep purple light.

She blinked and turned her gaze to Masaki Hina.

"I can't really explain it, but from yesterday until today, my right eye vision seems to have recovered somewhat, and it has also given me something else. Thanks to this, I have been able to completely control all of Anilas's attacks."

"Eyes...?"

Masaki Hina stared at Efnir's right eye, but no matter how she looked at it, apart from sensing a glimmer of light and noticing that the eye was purple, she couldn't see anything else particularly special.

"What exactly did Qinglan bring you...?"

218. Gu

Efnir's right eye, which had gone blind due to Dregsification, miraculously showed signs of improvement yesterday.

After the battle with the girl Codename H, she regained a faint sense of light from a state of complete blindness where she could see nothing. She could vaguely capture some images, and at the same time, something very strange and intriguing appeared in her field of vision. It was a kind of energy or matter that Efnir and Nishizaki Yuki called "dust".

"Dust" reacts to the flow of the Order Force and the Corruption Energy. Through this reaction to changes in phenomena, Efnir gains a keen sense of the flow of the Order Force and the Corruption Energy.

Otherwise, Efnir wouldn't have been able to counter Anilas's attack so easily.

Masaki Hina naturally knew about this, but she didn't expect that Efnir's right eye would recover faster than she had imagined. Gone was the lifeless gray-black color after it turned into Dregsification. Now, although Efnir's right eye was a strange purple, it had regained its luster, just as Efnir had said, and looked no different from her Dregsification eye.

Furthermore, Masaki Hina was also surprised that Efnir was able to turn the changes brought about by her right eye into her own power within a single day.

Masaki Hina was thoughtful.

"It seems there have been some new changes today compared to yesterday... Did you tell Nishizaki Yuki it?"

Utilizing the changes brought about by the right eye and turning them into a part of one's power is an act that is undoubtedly full of unpredictability.

No one knows what exactly happened to Efnir's eyes, nor does anyone know what those "dust" are. Not making wild guesses about "luck" has always been Masaki Hina's guiding principle for self-reflection.

Because most things that happen in this world are unfortunate.

"Not yet."

Efnir hesitated for a moment.

"In fact, I have a strange feeling that my other injuries seem to be healing faster than usual today... I don't know if it's just my imagination."

"It's hard to say... I initially thought your condition was just a sign of the Dregsification fading... but as expected, I have a feeling things aren't that simple, and we need to observe you more closely."

Masaki Hina pondered Efnir's words.

Recovery from Dregsification is very rare but not uncommon—there are indeed precedents for removing Dregsification tissue by excising it or by using metabolism and cell renewal to clear away very small amounts of Dregsification, and only agents capable of clearing Corruption Energy can do so.

But this still cannot explain what is happening in Efnir's right eye at this moment.

"Regarding your right eye, I hope things will improve... but ultimately, none of us can be certain what exactly happened to your right eye. I'll have Nishizaki Yuki follow up on your condition, and if anything happens, be sure to communicate with Nishiki immediately."

Human power is far too insignificant in the face of Corruption Energy and the Order Force. To this day, humanity still does not understand how Corruption Energy and the Order Force are generated, let alone comprehend the series of changes brought about by these energies.

"I know some professors in the Central Province, and I will ask them for help."

"Thank you, Chufei."

"Don't worry about it. I've received a lot of help from you all along. This is something I should do, and I believe others do the same."

Masaki Hina smiled, then remained silent for a moment.

"Also, I have to leave tonight."

"So fast?"

"Since we're going to leave sooner or later anyway, we might as well just do it."

"Um..."

Efnir lowered her eyelashes slightly.

Masaki Hina added, "Don't worry, I've already made all the arrangements. It's up to Major General Jiusheng now. By the way, the strategic plans for the several operations Beyond the Boundary have been approved. Kusei Maki will be in charge of those matters, and I'll leave Canary and the others to you then."

"Canary and the others are my juniors and my friends. I will not let them get into danger."

"Kusei Maki has a somewhat extreme personality, but she is not an enemy. As a commander, she has the ability to take this position, and you can try to trust her when you can't make a decision."

"Don't worry, I'll make my own judgment."

"Yes, I can only feel at ease when I talk to you about these things."

Masaki Hina turned her gaze toward Yukina and Anilas.

"And that little girl you rescued, she's been wanting to thank you in person. Would you like to go see her?"

"You mean Futaba Erii? Hmm... I'll go to the hospital, and while I'm there, I'll visit Yuki and see how Kanade is doing."

"Oh~ Futaba Erii, so that's her name..."

Masaki Hina whispered softly.

"It seems... your relationship with her is unusual. Did you know each other for a long time?"

"She was my college classmate... but because of that incident, we haven't seen each other for almost two years. What happened?"