Shuhu

Busitu frowned but said nothing more.

"Stargazer, Wojian?" Himeko's mind went somewhat blank.

Growing up, she had listened to her father's stories of Trailblaze, and they had planted a seed of longing for the stars in her heart.

She had joined Phantasmoon Games this time only because, if she had to die, she wanted to die as close to the stars as possible.

Even Suzi was someone she had created through Imagenesis, combining elements of Wojian and Doriko with how she imagined herself as a navigator.

But...

What she had once looked up to had become an evil spirit.

Then...

Himeko tightened her grip on her spear, her eyes no longer clouded with uncertainty.

What she could do, as a successor to the Trailblaze, was lay the former navigator, Stargazer Wojian, to rest.

She had to... stop him before Finality committed greater evils in the Dual-Phase Paradise, even if it cost her life, even if she could never reach the stars.

Suzi watched Himeko's expression change and took her hand with an encouraging smile.

Sera's expression was somewhat complicated. Oh well, he would tell Himeko after they had defeated Shuhu.

"General Yaoguang, sorry for the trouble."

Sera looked at Yaoguang.

"It's no trouble. Eradicating abominations is the duty of The Hunt."

Yaoguang opened a formation, and the group saw Shuhu's location clearly.

"Isn't that... where I keep my ruler blade?!"

Feiying couldn't help exclaiming.

"He probably sensed your presence there."

Sera thought for a moment.

"After all, for Shuhu, there's no better way to recover from his injuries than to devour you, an Ambrosial Arbor spirit."

"All right, then." Feiying gritted her teeth. "Today I'll clean house."

But after saying that, Feiying fell silent.

She didn't know whether she was also one of those who needed to be cleaned out.

But... she had no doubt. Feiying passed a merciless judgment on herself: she was a monster.

And she herself was a person born from that monster's experience of Elation and her taste of the full range of human emotions.

Feiying, or rather she, had once been an envoy seeking medicine, bearing the fate of her people.

Like the Xianzhou of old, she had pursued Yaoshi in search of an endless physical lifespan.

She was the sword singer who swallowed the crimson moon, the nameless beast of love and hate. She had never fallen to another until she encountered the Xianzhou's blazing firebird and tasted defeat.

She stepped into the Lord of Longevity's mystic garden and became part of the Ambrosial Arbor, its most alluring and luxuriant branch.

Then a meddlesome Aeon plucked her out, but at the same time awakened her.

Aha taught her what Elation was. Through the Phantasmoon Games, held time and again, she glimpsed the essence of fleeting life. She... became Feiying.

Yaoguang looked at Feiying's shadowed eyes and smiled.

"Once a creation of Abundance understands the value of self-restraint, it is no longer an abomination."

"The driving force of The Hunt is restraint. Without restraint, The Hunt would be no different from The Destruction.

"So, Feifei Fox, you don't need to think too much about it. You are yourself, and you're a person too, not an abomination."

Sera also offered Feiying comfort.

"All right, thank you, White Kitty. I'm not that stubborn. And thank you too, General of the Xianzhou."

"Miss Feiying, so cute~"

"?"

"All right, Feiying, lead the way."

"Oh, I know this one!"

Feiying raised her right index finger.

"Let's take the train to Haiyuan City!"

"So... you don't have any money?"

Sera pressed a hand to his forehead, somewhat helpless.

"Hehe~ White Kitty, you know I've been busy taking care of things since I woke up. I haven't had time to work."

"How about I pay?" said Himeko, whose family had declined but was still wealthy.

"It's fine, Himeko. I was just complaining."

Sera shook his head. After paying for Feiying, he paid Busitu's fare as well.

"I knew it, White Kitty, you're the best!"

"Many thanks." Busitu nodded.

"You're working for me now, so of course I'll cover your expenses."

Yaoguang watched Sera with a smile. She seemed to have gotten a sense of his character and joked,

"Little brother, how about paying for your big sister too?"

"Sure." Sera didn't mind at all. After all, he hadn't earned these Credits himself, so he didn't feel bad spending them.

"Oh? That's a pleasant surprise. Many thanks, then."

"In that case, I'll pay for everyone."

"Huh?" Himeko had just been about to pay, but before she could react, Sera had already paid for her.

"All right, everyone, take a seat and get some rest."

Sera entered the carriage first, with the others close behind. Suzi led the still-dazed Himeko inside as well.

"All right, little dummy, time to come back to your senses."

Suzi looked gently at Himeko beside her.

"Suzi!" Himeko's cheeks reddened. She had been called a dummy in front of people she had only just met, after all.

Even a big sis like her could get embarrassed!

"So cute~"

Yaoguang teased her, smiling with narrowed eyes.

Himeko's face grew even redder.

"General Yaoguang, why are you joining in too...?"

It's actually because Yaoguang is a little troublemaker herself, Sera grumbled inwardly. Yaoguang seemed to sense something and looked at him with a half-smile.

Sera kept his expression neutral and looked back at her.

Yaoguang naturally rose to the challenge.

The two stared each other down.

"That's enough." Busitu was getting a headache.

"Are you two children or something?"

"Of course not. I was just wondering why General Yaoguang kept looking at me."

"Oh? I was also wondering if Mr. Sera was saying something about me in his head."

"Of course not."

Sera naturally denied it.

"Hehe~" Yaoguang smiled and asked no more.

Feiying looked left and right, then right and left, tilting her head in puzzlement.

Busitu suddenly felt like he was the most dependable person there.

Amid everyone's chatter and laughter, the train soon arrived in Haiyuan City.

Led by Feiying, the group arrived outside the formation.

"Are you ready?"

Sera looked at them.

"Naturally, all preparations are complete."

"Mm."

"I'm ready!"

"Of course."

"Still, be careful, Himeko."

Sera took out his own spear as well.

Yaoguang opened a small passage into the formation before the group.

"Let's go. The divination shows a favorable omen, and the timing is on our side. We shall prevail in this battle; victory is already in my sight."

"..."

Sera looked at the towering tree before him, covered in countless human faces, and felt as though something in his stomach was about to come up.

"You really are ugly, Shuhu."

"Although the divination shows that victory is certain, everyone should still take care."

Yaoguang held a talisman between her fingers, her expression turning serious. As an Emanator of The Hunt facing an Abomination of Abundance, she naturally could not take the enemy lightly.

"..."

Busitu looked at Shuhu before him, as though thinking of someone.

"Good thing I don't look like that." Feiying's expression was full of disgust.

"Otherwise, even I would want to end my own life."

Himeko and Suzi gripped their spears tightly in tension, but neither took a single step back.

The giant tree seemed to notice them.

"Become one with me. I shall guide you to longevity, and together we shall endure for eternity!"