Quasi-Spirit: Not Impressed?

"My name is Kurumi Tokisaki—" the girl in the classroom said, flashing a smile of astonishing charm before slowly adding, "I'm a Spirit."

Shiori recognized her at a glance. She was the Spirit who had been with Huanyue in the footage Shiori had watched that day, and she was somewhat surprised.

She just hadn't expected Kurumi Tokisaki to reveal her true identity so openly at the university.

Still, the other students probably just took it as Kurumi Tokisaki's unique personality.

"Miss Shiori, could you show me around the school?"

"Oh... sure."

Looking at the ground before her, which had been plowed over, Qian Huanyue gestured at the area with her hand.

[Seraph of Thousand Blades]

[Cannon Form]

The building before them had shattered, leaving behind a sizable crater.

Several wild Quasi-Spirits they had encountered on the way were also tied to the flying swords behind her.

The Quasi-Spirits stared with dull, lifeless eyes, having already given up struggling.

"How is this?" Qian Huanyue smiled at the Quasi-Spirit contestants she had tied up. "Anywhere uncomfortable? I can make some adjustments."

"But if you don't behave, there'll be punishment, you know. (Tickling.)"

In their eyes, Qian Huanyue was now synonymous with a terrifying Demon King.

She had captured them effortlessly, without even breaking a sweat.

As for resisting?

With those giant swords, she had overturned a whole layer of earth in one strike and sliced through buildings like tofu. With that kind of strength, who could even think of resisting?

They didn't dare move. They absolutely didn't dare resist!!

It was already pretty good if they could survive. Though the survival rate for those participating in this competition didn't seem very high anyway, they would try to stay alive for as long as possible.

They had all come to an understanding: if they resisted again, their end would definitely be miserable.

Seeing that they knew better than to cause trouble, Qian Huanyue nodded in satisfaction.

She shifted her gaze to the girl in Hii Hibiki's arms. She was Hibiki's friend, Yangliu Xiying.

"[Dalet]." Having replenished much of her energy, Kurumi did not hesitate to fire a shot at Yangliu Xiying.

Most of the Quasi-Spirit girls had not become completely twisted. Some of them could not bear to watch and closed their eyes.

Xiying's injuries reversed instantly, restoring her to a state as though she had never been injured. Her unfocused gaze also regained its clarity.

The Quasi-Spirits stared in astonishment.

Even in the Neighboring World, severed limbs could be restored if they were reattached and fixed with spiritual power, but it was absolutely impossible to heal someone to that extent in an instant.

Ha! They really were frightened.

Qian Huanyue mischievously exchanged a glance with Kurumi, and both saw amusement in the other's eyes.

The collaboration was a success.

"Xiying!!!" Hii Hibiki tightly hugged her dearest friend. Her face was flushed from sheer happiness and excitement.

Tears even welled from the corners of her eyes without her realizing it, leaving her red-eyed and wearing an ugly expression that was half crying, half laughing, and half foolish.

She had nearly thought she would have to say goodbye to her friend forever.

So the expression on her face now was probably tears of joy.

Xiying was always so gentle and caring. She wouldn't laugh at me over something like this.

"...Hibiki?" Regaining consciousness in an instant, Xiying immediately felt her friend's embrace. She gently returned it, wiped away the tears at Hibiki's eyes, and looked around at the situation before her in a daze.

Her opponents were tied to numerous floating giant swords.

Only then did Yangliu Xiying see Kurumi and Huanyue behind Hii Hibiki. Qian Huanyue even waved at her cutely.

"Um, may I ask who you are?"

"We're Qian Huanyue and Kurumi San-san," Qian Huanyue greeted her first.

"My, my. Don't casually repeat my name when introducing me." Though she said that, Kurumi could not help being mischievous too. "Huanyue-yue."

"Haha... Kurumi San-san sounds cute, doesn't it? Of course, Huanyue-yue is pretty interesting too."

Qian Huanyue smiled with narrowed eyes, feeling much more relaxed.

"Alright, Kurumi San-san and Huanyue-yue." Xiying naturally accepted both nicknames.

"Pfft!"

"My..."

"Um, Xiying, do you know where the 'Puppeteer' is?" Hii Hibiki said what she wanted to ask.

"'Puppeteer'..." Yangliu Xiying revealed a complicated expression. "No Quasi-Spirit can possibly win this competition, because the strongest ones inside are the Puppeteer's dolls..."

"We were all deceived. She only wanted the Quasi-Spirits participating in this competition to become her new dolls. I was injured by one of her dolls."

Qian Huanyue wore an expression that said, Just as expected.

It seemed the Puppeteer was nearby.