Death Planet.
The surface.
The River-Crossing Bridge, downtown Yujing City.
A faceless man stood on the bridge, holding an umbrella as he gazed down at the shimmering river.
A moment later.
A woman in a bright red robe appeared and stood beside him.
"The sky is full of stars, and the moonlight is beautiful, yet you're still holding an umbrella."
The woman spoke.
"What if it rains?" the man said.
Before his words had faded, dark clouds covered the sky, and thunder rumbled.
A torrential downpour began.
The woman in the bright red robe stood in the rain, letting it soak her as she said calmly:
"Since when did even ordinary rain like this frighten you? Perhaps you aren't Nine Forms at all, just the personality known as the 'Demon of Fear.'"
"It isn't fear. We should be prepared," the faceless man said.
He kept his umbrella raised and asked in a steady voice:
"You passed our class on to someone else?"
"Yes," Xiatelai said.
"That boy named Shen Ye?"
"Yes."
"...I thought he'd used some extraordinary means. Since you passed it on to him, there's no need for me to investigate."
"What are you planning to do?" Xiatelai asked.
"Kill him-for your sake, I won't let him feel any pain," the faceless man said.
Silence fell.
"This should be my decision... Have you ever considered that perhaps you're someone I imagined, and I'm the real one among us?" Xiatelai said softly.
Another silence.
"You're no match for me," the faceless man said.
"Look at the shackles on your hands, then say that again," Xiatelai sneered.
"You've already died once, Snake Woman. Killing you will merely take a little effort," the faceless man said.
He held his umbrella in one hand and aimed the other at Xiatelai from a distance.