In Styxia, the Ancient City of Dragonbone," the towering clock tower square has become a stage for despair.
Cipher, the beautiful Chrysos Heirs girl with lively cat ears, is experiencing an unprecedented predicament.
Each time she touched the ground with her toes, tiny, golden specks of light, like stardust, would explode beneath her feet—a symbol of the " Trickery " power being pushed to its limit.
Her slender figure moved so fast that it left several afterimages in the air as she frantically darted and leaped among the collapsed pillars, shattered fountain sculptures, and cracked paving stones.
If Cipher were a little more dramatic, she probably would have said something like, "Flip, Coin of Trickery!" every time she tossed the " Flipping Coin."
With a sharp cry, Cipher tossed an antique coin, engraved with cat ears and shimmering with a deep blue luster, high into the air.
The coin spun rapidly in the air, emitting a high-frequency buzzing sound, and instantly created a miniature force field that distorted space!
Swish!
With the speed boost from the " Flipping Coin," Cipher instantly appeared atop a spire that hadn't completely collapsed a hundred meters away, her speed almost like teleportation!
However, despair did not leave.
The figure in the wide black robe, clinging to her like a leech, appeared silently and like a ghost in the void less than three steps behind her the instant she landed on the top of the tower.
The shadow beneath the hood seemed to carry a hint of mockery; the jet-black straight sword wasn't even raised, but simply hung casually at his side.
Meow?!
Cipher's pupils contracted into vertical slits in horror, and the cluster of Trickery blue flames at the tip of her Tail flickered erratically with fear.
She tossed the " Flipping Coin " into the air again, her figure transforming into a golden streak, instantly reappearing on the broken wall at the other end of the square!
The figure in black robes followed closely, maintaining that despair-inducing distance.
He seemed to be enjoying the chase, relishing the prey's futile struggle.
The Flame Reaver's footsteps were light and airy, as if he were strolling in his own garden. His absolute sense of control and his frivolous, almost mocking attitude suffocated and enraged Cipher more than any direct killing.
Several times, the dark tip of the sword merely grazed her hair or the hem of her clothes, leaving a cold sensation but causing no harm whatsoever.
It was as if reminding her that all her efforts were in vain.
"What exactly do you want?!"
Cipher stopped panting on the half-fallen arm of the statue, her cat ears trembling slightly with anger and fear, and her hair under the hood disheveled.
She felt like a butterfly trapped in a glass jar, unable to escape the cold gaze of the outside world no matter how much she fluttered.
The Flame Reaver remained silent. He merely tilted his head slightly, seemingly enjoying her current predicament.
However, within this deathly silent and oppressive standoff—
The Flame Reaver's gaze, which had been fixed on Cipher and hidden in the shadow of his hood, suddenly and abruptly turned to his side without warning!
In that direction, the ancient city's majestic, scarred walls stand tall!
His movements faltered slightly, and for the first time, a crack appeared in his previously effortless sense of control.
Despite wearing masks, their expressions betrayed their utter bewilderment! Pure, undisguised bewilderment, as if they had witnessed something that should never have been there!
At the very moment the Flame Reaver turned his head—
boom--!!!!
Like a meteor falling to earth! A rainbow comet, though its light was slightly dim, still carried immense force, tearing through the frozen air above the square at a speed exceeding the speed of sound.
With a terrifying sonic boom and shockwave, it slammed heavily between Cipher and the Flame Reaver!
A violent shockwave, carrying debris and dust, spread outwards like a tsunami! The entire clock tower square seemed to tremble!
Thick smoke instantly filled the air!
The Flame Reaver's wide black robes fluttered in the strong wind. He subconsciously took a half step back, and for the first time, he truly raised his jet-black straight sword, holding it horizontally in front of him in a blocking stance.
The shadow beneath the hood rippled violently, and the initial doubt was instantly replaced by vigilance.
"Ah... is this considered a 'variable'?" Blake muttered under his mask.
Xing, what's she doing here? Shouldn't she be...?
Thick smoke billowed.
As the first wisp of smoke dissipated in the wind, the Flame Reaver only saw—
The spot where Cipher had been standing was now empty!
Only a lingering, slowly fading rainbow trail, like silk sliced by a sharp blade, shot straight from the broken wall statue towards the deep sky of the holy city.
At the end of the trajectory, a figure with dim rainbow wings could be vaguely seen, seemingly holding a small silhouette shimmering with faint golden light in its arms, disappearing from sight at an astonishing speed.
A second later, the Flame Reaver slowly lowered the black straight sword that had been held in front of him.
He stood silently in place, his wide black robe swaying slightly in the bleak wind of the square.
Beneath their feet lay a massive crater, the result of the star's impact, along with dust and debris scattered across the ground by the shockwave.
He lowered his head slightly, the shadow of his hood completely obscuring his face, leaving only the tip of his jet-black straight sword visible, lightly touching the dust at the edge of the only clearly visible rainbow trail left by Xing Fei as he flew away.
The Flame Reaver did not pursue, nor did he feel anger.
There was only a deathly silence, as if it could devour everything, and in that bottomless shadow, perhaps, an unfathomable contemplation was churning.
"She rescued the Chrysos Heirs at the crucial moment... After undergoing the baptism of ' Eternity,' she has become this strong, which is as expected."
Blake glanced in the direction where Xing and Cipher had disappeared and murmured to himself.
His character, the " Flame Reaver," is probably no longer able to defeat these Trailblazer from outer space at this moment.
In that case, he devised a perfect "farewell ceremony".