"How... is this possible?"
Slant-Eye collapsed to the ground, his face filled with disbelief.
"Even if your spell is powerful, your neurons are far too weak to keep up with the speed of thought... In the gap between you forming the thought and your body beginning to move, I have more than enough time to kill you ten times over!"
Shawell burst forward.
"Jia'er! Jia'er!"
The vicious, sinister Snake Bite Fist reached its most terrifying effect in Shawell's hands. The remaining bandits had their throats torn open in an instant, dying in the most gruesome manner.
He made it all the way to the rooftop, but Shawell could only see the silhouette of an airship receding into the distance.
"No..."
Shawell collapsed to his knees, powerless.
"I didn't expect I'd arrive a step too late!" A sigh sounded from beside him, and Shawell instinctively struck out.
His fist, carrying tremendous piercing force, was blocked. The other person continued: "I'm not your enemy—I'm here to help you!"
"You're... Crow-Eye!"
Shawell recognized the newcomer, and a trace of suspicion appeared on his face. "Why are you here?"
"I'll explain everything properly later. Right now, what we need to do is get out of here as quickly as possible. Come with me!"
Crow-Eye's expression was grave. He grabbed Shawell, and the two fled at top speed.
"What exactly is going on?"
At a street corner near Jinyanghua Elementary School, Shawell suddenly threw off Crow-Eye's hand and demanded fiercely.
"I already told you—I'm here to help you!"
Crow-Eye's expression was solemn. "Do you know the identity of the people who kidnapped your sister?"
"The Imperial Special Action Bureau!"
Shawell spat the name through gritted teeth. Once he'd learned this truth, he'd known there was no hope in calling the police or anything like that.
"Mm! That's right—they're hounds of the Special Action Bureau!"
There was a thread of hatred in Crow-Eye's tone. "Not only do they hunt down adult Scions everywhere, they love to kidnap young children for brutal brainwashing and training, turning them into fresh blood for their ranks..."
"Scions? Could it be..."
Shawell suddenly recalled the contents recorded in his family's ancient texts.
"This time I've dragged you into my mess. You'd better call your parents and tell them to leave immediately to avoid danger..." Crow-Eye's face was tinged with apology.
"Wait..."
Shawell waved his hand. The volume of information today was too much; his head was spinning.
"Who exactly are you? Why do you say you've dragged us into this?" Wariness entered Shawell's eyes. Every muscle in his body tensed, like a leopard about to pounce.
"I belong to the Scion Alliance—an organization formed by Scions to oppose the Empire... Because of our activities in Wanxiong City, we've attracted the attention of the Imperial Special Action Bureau..."
Crow-Eye spoke slowly.
"You're the one who caused all this!!!" Before he could finish, a fist trailing the phantom of a black serpent was already bearing down on him.
"Hsss..."
An identical phantom of a giant black serpent materialized behind Crow-Eye. He raised his hand, bones and tendons singing in unison, producing the ancient hiss of a primordial python.
Shawell's fist was seized firmly in Crow-Eye's grip, causing not the slightest harm.
"Snake Bite Fist?!" There was surprise in Shawell's voice.
"Only the weak resent others and abandon their true goals!"
Crow-Eye released Shawell's fist. "Also... your talent with the Snake Bite Fist has truly exceeded my expectations. Even those martial arts prodigies who've been training since childhood probably can't compare to you..."
"Who... are... you...????"
Shawell asked, nearly word by word.
"Me? My nickname is Crow-Eye, but my real name is Shawner! Shawner Deius! Does that ring a bell?"
A hint of reminiscence flickered in Crow-Eye's eyes.
"Shawner!!! The ancestor who left behind the secret technique of the Snake Bite Fist! How is that possible—in that case, wouldn't you be at least five hundred years old?!"
Shawell's first instinct was disbelief.
"There are many things in this world you don't know. Don't be so quick to judge what's true or false... Besides, I never expected you to believe me right away. So? Do you still want to save your sister?"
Crow-Eye asked with a smile.
"How do I save her? Crow... Shaw..." Shawell stammered. If what the other said was true, wouldn't this man be some ancestor several generations back?
"Just call me Crow-Eye!" Crow-Eye smiled, then his expression turned grave. "The Special Action Bureau has a base on the outskirts of Wanxiong City. All the collected young Scions are gathered there, and after another round of screening, they're shipped to various locations and the Imperial Capital... So? Do you have the guts to go in there with me?"
"Of course I'm going!"
Shawell clenched his fist and nodded with determination.
...
"Scion Alliance?"
On a nearby street, Leilin Farell strolled along at a leisurely pace, while everything happening with Shawell played out before his eyes.
"According to what Shawner said, this organization should be the one that gathers the most Scions in the Shadow World... Those ancient Rule Beings—now their descendants are on the brink of extinction. It's truly pitiable..."
Leilin shook his head.
"Handsome, want to chat?" At that moment, a sweet voice came from the side.
Leilin turned to look—a young girl, a silver earring at her ear reflecting bright sunlight under the sun.
Something crossed his mind, and a mysterious smile bloomed on Leilin's face. "Sure!"
Moments later, the two were sitting hand in hand inside a couple's café.
This café's service and facilities were quite high-end. The couple's private rooms in particular had excellent soundproofing. After setting down the coffee and various animal-shaped pastries, the waiter promptly withdrew, carefully closing the door behind him.
Leilin waved his hand, and a layer of blood-red light enveloped the surrounding walls.
Only then did he turn back to face the pretty girl before him: "Wanshe! You actually still dare to come find me? Aren't you afraid the Night Lady will discover you?"
The moment they'd met, Leilin had sensed the fluctuation of possession on the girl's body.
And in the Shadow World, this kind of cross-spatial connection was extremely easy for the Arcane Web to detect.
"It doesn't matter... Right now I'm using a fragment of the Urn Ghost's true body to contact you..."
The girl smiled, and a phantom of a broken pottery shard materialized in her hand. A power of law emerged.
"The ancient Urn Ghost was an existence on the same level as me. Its true body, in particular, was innately inscribed with the law of concealment, and the clear water within the urn could instantly flow to any location in the Shadow World..."
"What a pity... now there's only a single fragment left..."
Complex emotions flickered through Wanshe's eyes.
"It seems you've realized it too? The Rule Beings of this world—perhaps only the Night Lady remains..."
Leilin spoke in a low voice. "Then... what exactly did you risk exposure to contact me for?"
"Exchange intelligence, and formulate a plan for the future!"
Although Wanshe was in a state of possession and the person before Leilin was merely a woman of passable beauty, her aura instantly elevated—even her wry smile carried a hint of allure.
"They've already eliminated all Rule Beings in the Shadow World, and with the Arcane Web they monitor everything. Their nether energy monopolizes all the world's power sources... I have no doubt that with a single thought, the entire civilization of the Shadow World could be plunged into destruction..."
Wanshe added.
After all, it was a native of the Shadow World. For Wanshe, who had seized control, having the world remain intact would naturally be ideal.
However, when it came to the final moment, it probably wouldn't hesitate to let the continent be destroyed. After all, Rule Beings all tended toward that sort of temperament.
"Let me add something..."
Leilin thought for a moment. After all, he was currently Wanshe's ally, so he shared some intelligence: "My voodoo doll has met with the Night Lady..."
"What?" A spike of tension emanated from Wanshe across the connection.
"Relax, I wasn't turned by her, nor was I seriously injured..." Leilin said bluntly, knowing what the other was thinking.
"My apologies... The Night Lady is an existence extremely skilled in persuasion. Even the Urn Ghost was once deceived by her..."
Wanshe apologized politely.
"Mm." Leilin nodded and continued. "Through that encounter, I discovered that the Night Lady who has been appearing before us doesn't seem to be her true body—just an incarnation!"
"An incarnation!!! Then where is her true body?"
This intelligence was critically important—it could well decide the outcome of the struggle for the world. Wanshe immediately pressed for more.
"I don't know..."
Leilin shook his head. Looking at the silent Wanshe, he asked: "So, what are your plans going forward?"
"I want to gather as much of the Scions' power as I can first... There are also several things I need to do..."
Wanshe bit her lip lightly, pointed a finger, and a strange symbol materialized.
"This is the Mark of the Urn. With it, you can contact me at any time... beyond the Arcane Web's surveillance..."
"Mm."
Leilin extended his right hand, allowing the rune—shaped like a double-handled clay urn—to sink into the skin on the back of his hand.
[Ding! Host has acquired "Mark of the Urn"! Effect: Unlimited communication with the bearer within the Shadow World. This effect possesses world-level priority! Description: The true body of the ancient Urn Ghost was a massive double-handled clay urn. In legend, it was the source of all water in the Shadow World, and its two handles could hear any message from anywhere in the Shadow World!]
"Regarding the gathering of Scions, I'll need your help!"
Wanshe's beautiful eyes gazed at Leilin.
"That goes without saying!" Since he'd already been keeping tabs on the Scion Alliance, Leilin agreed without hesitation.
Having received a satisfactory answer, Wanshe departed swiftly, leaving behind only an unconscious girl lying on the spot.
"Sigh... I'm the one who has to clean up the mess. What a bother..."
Leilin shook his head and snapped his fingers. The girl immediately sat up, her eyes completely devoid of life: "When you wake up, you will forget..."