“Immediately analyze the Spirit Wave pattern of ‘Heavenly Judgment’! Assess its threat level to Shido! At the same time, notify Senin…”
Her words came to an abrupt halt as the surveillance footage revealed the black-haired boy—Hououin Senin.
Upon hearing the chaotic report from the communication channel and seeing A-Quan's figure in the distance, he dashed towards the department store like an arrow released from a bow!
"Brother Qianyuan! Wait!"
Kotori immediately tried to stop her through her earpiece.
"The situation has changed! 'Judgment' has appeared, and its danger level is unknown! Do not approach rashly! We will reassess..."
"Assess what?!"
As Chiin swiftly moved through the ruins, he interrupted Kotori, his voice coming through rapid breathing, carrying an unprecedented anxiety and determination.
"Kotori! Did you see that? That's 'Heavenly Judgement'! That ruthless killer from the night market! She's so close to Shido right now! Who knows what she'll do next?!"
"I can't keep hiding behind and watching!"
Chiin's voice was resolute, even carrying a hint of a roar that brooked no argument.
"If something happens to Shido because of my hesitation, because I didn't show up when I should have..."
He paused, his voice lowering, yet containing an even deeper power:
"...I'll regret this for the rest of my life. Absolutely!"
After saying that, he ignored Kotori's possible attempts to persuade him through the earpiece, cut off the temporary communication, increased his speed to the limit, and fixed his gaze on the half-destroyed building in front of him.
Watching Chiin resolutely leave on the screen, and the uncertain, confrontational scene inside the building, Kotori clenched her fists, but ultimately did not try to stop him again.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, and shouted sternly at the entire crew:
"All personnel! High alert! All systems must prioritize the safety of Shido and Chiin! Analysis cannot stop! We must find a solution to 'Heavenly Judgment' as quickly as possible! Hurry!"
Fraxinus, like a machine that had been instantly overclocked, entered a state of unprecedented tension.
On the ground, Senin was relying on her willpower and speed to rush towards the center of that perilous vortex.
——————The perspective shifts back to the interior of the half-ruined department store——————
A-Quan leaned against a broken support pillar, bored out of his mind, his slender fingers twirling his silver-white hair, round and round.
Golden eyes lazily swept across the ruins, finally landing on Shido and the blue-haired elf, who were locked in an eerie silence with the puppet.
(Hmm... Why is weak Shan so slow? He was the one who frantically dragged me away from the moon training with that "My family is in danger! Come quickly!" mentality, but then he disappeared...)
She pursed her lips and decided not to wait any longer.
(Never mind him. Since I'm already here, that little blue-haired girl and her rabbit look interesting. I'll go chat with them first~☆)
Having made up her mind, A-Quan took a step forward, her high heels echoing clearly in the silent ruins, and strolled leisurely down the stairs.
Her gaze swept past Shido, who was standing there looking somewhat helpless, and landed on Yoshino, who was still locked in a stalemate.
"Yo~ We meet again, Miss Rabbit, and Yoshino too~☆"
Ah Quan greeted them with her distinctive intonation, her face beaming with an undisguised smile of curiosity and amusement.
Yoshino, who had been feeling down because of Shido's words, and the timid Yoshino behind her, seemed to be stunned for a moment when they saw that the person was Izumi. They then recognized that this was their "kin" who had shared food with them at the shrine the night before.
Yoshina relaxed slightly, responding in a much more natural tone than when she was facing Shido:
"Oh my, it's that kind Miss Quan from last night! What a coincidence!"
Although Yoshino was still shy, she nodded slightly, almost imperceptibly, as a greeting.
However, what happened next nearly made Shido and all the Fraxinus members watching on the monitors stare wide-eyed—
Izumi walked up to Yoshino very naturally, and then...
...He stretched out his arms and pulled the petite, blue-haired girl in the green coat, along with the rabbit puppet in her hand, into a tight embrace!
She even rubbed her cheek affectionately against Yoshino's soft, fluffy blue curly hair, as if hugging a large doll or pillow, making a satisfied murmur:
"Mmm~ So soft and cuddly, it's really comfortable to hug~☆"
"Ugh...!"
Yoshino's face instantly turned bright red, steam practically billowed from her head, her body stiffened like a piece of wood, and her azure eyes were filled with bewilderment and extreme shyness, making her look like she was about to faint from the overwhelming embarrassment.
"Wait, wait a minute! Miss Quan!"
Yoshina, however, realized what was happening. The puppet's mouth opened and closed, uttering a slightly flustered but not truly resistant retort.
"Although Yoshino and the others are very grateful for your hospitality yesterday, it's too sudden to hug Yoshino like this! Yoshino will break!"
Ah Quan seemed to hug her even more enthusiastically, and even subconsciously blurted out, "Hmph~ I can hug you whenever I want..."
But halfway through her sentence, she seemed to suddenly remember something, and a very subtle look flashed in her golden eyes.
She paused, then actually let go of her arm and carefully placed Yoshino, whose eyes were almost like mosquito coils, back on the ground. She even tidied Yoshino's clothes and hair, which she had messed up.
Okay, okay, I won't tease you anymore~☆
Her tone remained relaxed, but the previous self-reference of "this king" did not reappear.
"Shido... this... is this the same person shown in the data?"
Through the headphones, Kotori's voice came through, slightly stuttering from shock.
Shido himself was also petrified, his mouth agape, unable to utter a word for a long time.
The dangerous elf they had anticipated, the "Celestial Judge" who had caused a bloody massacre in the night market, was now acting like an ordinary girl who liked cute things, hugging another elf and rubbing her face against it.
The difference between their public personas is just too huge!
However, despite their shock, Shido and Kotori keenly grasped a crucial piece of information—from Izumi and Yoshina's conversation, they learned the name of the silver-haired elf.
"Record it," Kotori immediately ordered. "Target spirit 'Celestial Judgment' secondary personality, confirmed that its self-proclaimed real name is—A-Quan."
The situation has become even more unpredictable due to A-Quan's completely unexpected appearance and behavior.
Chapter 214 The Emperor is My Thousand Courtyard!
Just as Izumi and Yoshino were having an unexpected interaction, and Shido and the entire Fraxinus team were still in shock and confusion, the bridge's surveillance showed that Senin had rushed to the entrance of the department store like a whirlwind.
"Brother Qianyuan! Wait a minute!"
Kotori immediately connected with Senin via emergency communication, speaking rapidly.
“We’ve seen what’s going on inside! The ‘Celestial Judge’ elf, who calls himself A-Quan, is behaving very differently from the bloody behavior recorded last night. He’s currently making non-hostile contact with the ‘Hermit’!”
"We are analyzing her emotional data and behavioral logic. Please do not barge in! We will immediately generate several preliminary contact options for you. You need to..."
"No options are needed, Kotori."
Chiin's voice interrupted Kotori. He stopped at the broken entrance, slightly out of breath, but his sharp gaze pierced through the dim room, locking onto the silver-haired figure who was hugging Yoshino and rubbing her face against hers.
His tone was unusually calm, even carrying an unquestionable confidence.
"Let's leave the options to that indecisive guy, Shido."
"I have my own arrangements."
He said in a deep voice.
"If she... if she really is Chika, really a part of my sister, even if it's just a secondary personality..."
His voice carried a complex emotion, a mixture of expectation, determination, and a hint of do-or-die courage.
"Then, she can't possibly remain unresponsive to what I'm about to do!"
"Chiin-san! Wait! This is too risky!"
Kotori's voice carried obvious worry, and even a hint of barely perceptible panic.
“You are different from Shido! Shido possesses regenerative abilities enhanced by the power of the spirits, giving him a chance to recover even from severe injuries! But you are different! You are purely a mortal being!”
"If the judgment is wrong, if she really is as dangerous as the information shows... you will die! Once you die, you will have nothing left!"
Faced with Kotori's almost pleading warning, there was a moment of silence on the other end of the communication line, with only the sound of Senin's increasingly approaching footsteps and the whistling wind that could be heard.
Then, Chiin's voice rang out again, devoid of its previous teasing, replaced by a calm yet resolute determination:
"Believe me."
Before he finished speaking, he no longer hesitated. He exerted his strength and his figure shot out like an arrow, rushing straight into the ruined building where danger and the unknown coexisted, heading towards the center of the vortex that would determine the fate of him, Shido, and everyone else.
Just as Shido was worried about Izumi's unpredictable attitude, Yoshino shrank back behind Izumi in fear.
Even though she had just been hugged, Yoshina tried to ease the atmosphere by saying in a funny voice, "Oh dear, someone else has come? Today is really lively~".
Ah Quan himself wore an increasingly amused smile, his golden eyes looking with great interest towards the stairwell—
The footsteps going upstairs grew closer and clearer until finally, the newcomers stepped onto their floor.
Chiin appeared from the corner of the stairs, but his opening remarks stunned everyone.
"This is a trial, my friend."
He continued walking forward in a low, deliberately crafted, theatrical tone. The view of those upstairs was temporarily blocked by a large, load-bearing pillar.
“I have accepted the trial to overcome my past.” His voice came from behind the pillar.
"Human growth is about overcoming the immature past."
Then, to the astonishment of everyone (including the entire crew watching from the drone's camera on the Fraxinus), Chiin's figure reappeared from behind the pillar.
—He suddenly took off his school uniform jacket and the T-shirt underneath, revealing his well-developed and well-defined abs and pectoral muscles!
He stood there at the top of the stairs, arrogant yet completely at ease, as if his attire was perfectly normal for the time and place. His gaze was fixed intently on Ah Quan as he uttered that earth-shattering name:
"Yes, that's what you think too, Phoenix Inu Izumi."
The air was deathly silent.
Shido's mouth gaped open in an "O" shape, his brain completely shut down, utterly unable to comprehend the extraordinary scene unfolding before him.
Yoshino let out a soft "woof" and buried her face completely in Izumi's back, as if subconsciously she felt safer there?
Yoshina's rabbit mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out, as if its vocal system had short-circuited due to excessive shock.
An eerie silence fell over the bridge of the Fraxinus, then someone couldn't help but let out a suppressed gasp.
Kotori covered her forehead, looking like she couldn't bear to watch, and growled through gritted teeth, "That idiot...! This is his 'arrangement'?! Testing her reaction with a humiliating play?!"
Ah Quan, who was directly named, froze instantly with a playful smile.
A fleeting look of astonishment and...helplessness flashed across her golden eyes.
But this helplessness was fleeting, replaced by an offensive feeling mixed with shame and rage!
The name "Phoenix Spring" seemed to particularly irritate her.
"you……!"
A tangible rage seemed to rise from A-Quan's forehead, and unstable ripples began to appear in the space around her, with faint flashes of dark purple lightning.
"Who gave you permission to call me that name?! And what's with that shameless look on your face?! Do you want to be thrown into the imaginary space and drift forever?! You idiot, brother!!!"
She yelled in exasperation, even subconsciously using the term "idiot brother." Although she immediately realized her slip of the tongue and became even angrier, the amount of information conveyed in her words was already explosive!
The moment Chiin heard the words "idiot brother," a glint flashed in his eyes. Instead of being afraid, he revealed a smile that was a mixture of "I knew it" and complex emotions, even though the smile looked particularly strange and creepy in his current shirtless state.
The atmosphere at the scene shifted from subtle tension to an unpredictable abyss filled with extreme embarrassment, social awkwardness, and potential life-threatening danger.
Shido was already considering whether he should find cover to hide in first.
Hearing A-Quan's furious roar mixed with "idiot brother," Qian Yuan did not back down. Instead, a deeper and more complex smile appeared on his lips. The smile contained a sense of relief, confirmation that it was just as he thought, and a trace of indescribable bitterness.
He ignored his own embarrassment at being shirtless, or rather, he was completely absorbed in his own rhythm, meeting Ah Quan's angry gaze intently, and continued:
"Finally... I've seen you, A-Quan." His voice lowered, carrying a sense of感慨 after going through many twists and turns. "No, I should say... it's been a long time, A-Quan."
Chapter 215 My Savior is Ah Quan!
Seeing his appearance, A-Quan's chest heaved violently a few times. Then, she took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed her surging anger.
Her expression turned cold and distant again. She took a step and slowly walked to the top platform of the stairs, looking down at Chiin who was standing at the bottom of the stairs.
The light from the broken ceiling shone from behind her, outlining a blurry halo around her, but obscuring her face in shadow, making it difficult to discern her expression.
Then, she slowly began to clap her hands, one clap at a time.
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