Asura in Arknights

"I...will try my best."

Wiping non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, Li Ang replied.

"But Xi, now that she's here, could you tell me what kind of person she is? After all, I don't remember much about what happened before."

Xi hesitated for a moment, then nodded gently; this time she did not refuse.

“Her name is Nian,” Xi said somewhat sullenly. “My relationship with her is terrible. That girl is just awful. She’s always coming over to harass me and doesn’t clean up the mess she leaves behind. Nine out of ten times I’ve moved, it’s because of her!”

"Last time she actually burned my painting! It was awful... and her taste is absolutely terrible. I don't even want to look at the things she likes; they're just an eyesore..."

Xi Yue became more and more agitated as she spoke, and Li Ang could only respond helplessly. It was clear that the two of them had a long-standing grudge, which could not be explained in just a few words.

As Xi recounted her story with great anger, an image of a carefree woman gradually formed in Li Ang's mind, not much different from his previous guess.

However… their relationship might not be as bad as it seems on the surface. Li Ang could sense that Xi was still a little happy about Nian's return.

However, Xi's reluctance to see Nian was also genuine. After all, every time that older sister came to see Xi, it was never anything good. Being forced to cooperate with her this time was the worst thing that could have happened to Xi.

As she was talking, Xi suddenly stopped.

She looked at the sky with a terrified expression, as if she had seen something horrible.

Seeing that Xi had suddenly stopped, Li Ang couldn't help but ask,

"what happened?"

"Brother, hurry up and get out of here! That woman is here!" Xi said in a panic. "She's threatening to burn my painting! We can't let her succeed!"

"Okay, okay, I'll go out now, I'll go out now."

Urged on by Xi, Li Ang slipped into the exit of the world in the painting.

They really couldn't let her burn the painting. The painting they were in now didn't matter; even if it was burned, Xi could easily paint another one. But if the painting in Sagazaki City was affected, it would be terrible. So Li Ang left without delay.

As soon as Li Ang returned to the real world, he saw a white-haired woman sitting in a chair, leisurely fanning herself with a folding fan.

"My dear sister, if you don't come out soon, I'm going to burn your painting!"

Upon seeing Li Ang suddenly emerge from the painting, the woman was taken aback for a moment, then flashed a bright smile.

"Hey, isn't this your little brother? Long time no see!"

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P.S. I'm so sleepy... I wrote these two chapters in a daze, so I'll correct any typos when I wake up...

Chapter 51 Conflict

Nian snapped her fan shut, then opened her arms and said to Li Ang with a grin, "It's been so long, do you want to give your sister a hug?"

Li Ang's expression faltered; he was at a loss for words.

After a moment, he came to his senses, waved his hand, and said to Nian, "Let's skip it..."

Li Ang originally came to stop Nian from burning the scroll, but when he came out, he realized that Nian didn't seem to have that intention; she was just trying to scare Xi.

This person seems a bit unreliable, but she still has a sense of propriety in her actions; otherwise, Xi wouldn't have such a love-hate relationship with her.

"Huh? It's been a while, and even my little brother seems a bit distant. You won't even call me 'sister' anymore. I'm going to cry..."

Upon hearing Li Ang's answer, Nian covered half her face and pretended to cry, but judging from her smiling eyes, she was just taking the opportunity to tease Li Ang.

So it turns out that not only her younger sister Xi, but also that 'Ayu' was one of her pranks...

At this moment, Li Ang suddenly understood Xi Na's feelings of being so angry that she gritted her teeth.

Having an older sister like that means there's never a quiet moment, which is quite torturous for someone like Xi who doesn't like noise.

“My situation… is a little complicated, I can explain it to you slowly later,” Li Ang said, scratching his hair. “But Xi doesn’t seem to want to see you, so she sent me out to stop you.”

That's pretty much how the sisters get along, so Li Ang didn't hide anything and told Nian the truth.

"You can't burn these two paintings; they're very important." But Li Ang still added at the end.

"Don't worry, I didn't intend to do that either. There seems to be something wrong with the aura in one of the paintings. Besides Xi's aura, there are other things mixed in. It's really a wonder that stingy person was willing to let others modify her work. Is the sun rising in the west?" Nian sighed.

She indeed sensed the unique aura emanating from the Sagazaki City scroll.

However, Nian seemed to only make this casual remark and had no intention of delving deeper. She continued, "So, Xi is just planning to hide in the painting forever? I came all the way from the Sargon desert to visit my dear sister, and she really doesn't appreciate it at all..."

"I think if you tease Xi less, she might be willing to come out and see you."

"How can that be?"

Nian said with a serious expression, "Aren't little sisters just for teasing?"

“…Whatever makes you happy,” Li Ang replied somewhat speechlessly.

Although this was Li Ang and Nian's first meeting in every sense, they seemed to get along quite well, without any sense of awkwardness.

Perhaps, just as Xi said, this really is the effect of the incarnation of the Year Beast called 'Ayu'.

"Forget about that guy, she can't hide there for long anyway. But you... where have you been all these years? What happened to you? You seem a little different than before?"

Suddenly, the topic shifted to Li Ang.

"This one……"

Li Ang hesitated for a moment, and just as he was considering how to explain, Nian suddenly stopped him and said,

"Wait, let's move to another room and continue our discussion. If that crybaby wants to listen, he should come out and listen openly. What kind of behavior is it to hide in a corner and sneak around like that?"

As Nian finished speaking, the painting where Xi was standing suddenly began to shake violently, as if it were throwing a tantrum.

Nian really knew her sister very well. Sure enough, Xi was hiding inside the painting, secretly listening to their conversation. Just now, after being provoked by Nian, she almost rushed out of the painting.

However, the painting eventually returned to calm, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.

Seeing this, Nian showed a very regretful expression.

Li Ang's intuition told him that if Xi hadn't been able to resist rushing out, something bad would have happened.

"In that case, let's go next door and have a proper talk."

With that, Nian got up and walked towards the next room.

After glancing at the painting and seeing that Xi indeed had no intention of coming out, Li Ang followed Nian out.

Xuan Cheng had already gone out to discuss the next action plan with the guide he had found. Everyone else stayed in the world of the painting, so now only Li Ang and Nian were in the courtyard.

Following Nian to an empty room next door, Nian closed the door after Li Ang entered, seemingly unwilling for others to hear their conversation.

As he sat down, the somewhat frivolous smile on Nian's face gradually faded, and Li Ang instinctively sensed that the atmosphere in the room seemed to have changed.

In a place invisible to the naked eye, something invisible and sharp seemed to emerge, locking onto Li Ang standing in the room, causing a slight stinging sensation on his exposed skin.

Those were countless tiny metal particles suspended in the air. Although they were invisible to the naked eye, they were clearly visible to Li Ang. These metal particles vaguely formed the shape of long swords, and some of them were directly surrounding Li Ang's body.

Is this... Nian's ability?

Controlling metals?

Xi once told him that Nian's ability was 'forging', but forging is a broad concept, and metal materials are obviously included in the scope of forging materials.

However, none of that really matters. What matters is that Nian's current reaction made Li Ang's heart sink slightly, as this was one of the situations he had been worried about.

Although Xi was certain that he was her 'brother', Li Ang still harbored a sliver of doubt. When he sensed the unmistakable hostility that Nian was displaying, Li Ang's doubt finally became a reality.

They hid it so well... Li Ang didn't even sense anything unusual just now.

This can be considered as a flaw in perception.

Perception can only perceive the emotions of others. If a person can perfectly disguise their own emotions, then deceiving perception is not a difficult thing.

No matter how young she looks, she is still one of the incarnations of the Beast of Ages who has lived for countless years, so it is not an exaggeration for her to be able to do such a thing.

"Alright, now let's have a proper talk."

At this moment, the smile on Nian's face had completely disappeared, and she was scanning Li Ang's entire body with a cold gaze.

"Who are you? Why do you have my brother's aura on you?"

Chapter Fifty-Two: Surrender

As expected...

The aura they used to confirm Li Ang's identity could actually have other possibilities.

Xi may not have any problems because she is young, but it's a different story for those much older than her.

Nian's performance just now was really realistic... Even Li Ang didn't notice anything amiss.

He deliberately provoked Xi by bringing Li Ang here, probably because he didn't want Xi to see him. Xi is probably still hiding in the world of the painting, sulking by herself.

"I'd also like to know who I am."

As if unaware of the impending crisis, Li Ang spoke in a calm voice, “When I first woke up, I was already in the epicenter of a natural disaster in Iberia. My mind was blank. I didn’t know where I was, who I was, or what had happened. There wasn’t a single living person around me who could answer my questions.”

Upon hearing this, Nian raised an eyebrow and revealed a somewhat mocking smile, seemingly not believing Li Ang's words at all.

"It's a pretty good story, very sympathetic, if what you're saying is true. But... what does that have to do with my question?"

"Don't you realize your current situation? I advise you to be more honest."

As Nian spoke, the sharpness of the metallic particles in the air intensified, likely causing cuts to the skin of ordinary people.

"Do you think I'm pretending to be 'Ayu' to deceive Xi?"

"Isn't that right? Although I don't know what you're really up to, with me here, your plans are doomed to fail," Xi said confidently.

Her confidence stems from her own abilities.

Although he can't compare to his older brothers and sisters, Nian's strength is still second to none among all the beast incarnations.

She is particularly skilled in direct combat. If Nian were to deal with her illusory beast form, she could probably defeat it in just a few exchanges.

Now that Nian has seized the initiative, her power-created objects have surrounded that suspicious person with unclear motives. With just a thought from Nian, she can turn that place into a terrifying metal furnace. Even if someone manages to escape by chance, they will definitely suffer severe damage.

This is how it should be.

Under Nian's watchful gaze, Li Ang, who was surrounded by metal particles, suddenly disappeared. Even those metal particles were blown away by an unknown force, scattering throughout the entire room in an instant.

The next moment, a voice came from behind Nian.

“I don’t think I’ve ever admitted to being the ‘Ayu’ you’re talking about, have I? Everything seems to be just your one-sided opinion.”

A hand landed on her shoulder from behind.

"!!!"

Nian's muscles tensed instantly; she admitted that she had underestimated her opponent.

Under Nian's manipulation, the metal particles formed sharp blades that swept towards her back.

These blades are sharper than any weapon forged by humankind; even sturdy solid wood furniture is as fragile as thin paper in their presence.

Like a red-hot blade cutting into butter, without even a sound, the furniture behind Nian was chopped into several pieces, revealing smooth, mirror-like surfaces.

However, this seemingly sure-fire strike landed on empty air, and Nian felt no sense of hitting anything at all.

"It doesn't really matter if you think I'm the incarnation of the Year Beast... or that I'm her brother... or that I'm a villain who deceived her sister. After all, I don't have any memories of the past, and I'm not even sure who I am. I wasn't lying to you just now."

The blade, forged with years of experience, was instantly shattered by an even stronger force, reverting to its most basic particles.

And that person appeared directly in front of her again, but she couldn't figure out how he moved.

"I don't like feeling threatened, and you're no match for me."

"If you're unwilling to have an honest talk with me, then I can leave right now with my people. In any case, I've never felt that the resurrection of the Sui Beast has anything to do with me. As long as it doesn't affect me, what difference does it make if the Great Yan Kingdom is destroyed by the Sui Beast?"

Of course, the Great Yan Dynasty would never have fallen to such a state. The Great Yan Dynasty of the past could defeat the Sui Beast, and after thousands of years of development, the Great Yan Dynasty of today can certainly do the same thing. As for how much price to pay, what does that have to do with Li Ang?

The reason Li Ang is still here is not only because he is not sure of his identity, but also because he wants to repay Jingzhe for her previous help.

Of course, this trouble far exceeded the help that Jingzhe had given Li Ang before. Li Ang could have simply left. As for the Sui Beast... After seeing the Sui Beast's phantom, Li Ang really didn't think that thing could affect him. Although the Sui Beast's phantom, based on Xi, was somewhat weak, its essence was the same.

As for whether anyone in the Great Yan Dynasty intends to make a fuss about this, it's actually quite simple. If Li Ang can't solve the problem itself, can't he at least solve the problem of the person who raised it?

The statement that "only power can counter power" may be somewhat absolute, but it illustrates just how powerful power truly is.

Li Ang currently possesses two of the most powerful abilities, and there are not many people left who can deal with him. Only beings far beyond the realm of reason, such as perfect Originium creatures, the complete form of the Sea Child, or even gods themselves, can pose a certain threat to Li Ang.

It's only a certain threat.

What do you think?

Li Ang condensed the Originium energy, catalyzed to its maximum, into a pale red blade of light, pointed it at Nian from afar, and asked.