[Forget about that—I've been possessed by a Heliobi!]
[Help! I've been possessed by a Heliobi!]
In the blink of an eye, Guinaifen was stunned.
Even if she tried to speak the truth outright, the words that left her mouth twisted into something else entirely!
"Stop looking. Guinaifen's probably already been devoured by a Heliobi, don't you think?"
Huohuo grew even more terrified: "H-how… how could this be? Even Guinaifen, with her strong yang energy… Then wouldn't I be even easier to—"
"You can definitely find a way out, right? Please, take me with you…"
Tail snorted in annoyance: "This is exactly why I can't stand you. As a judge of the Ten-Lords Commission, why are you always begging others for help?"
Huohuo, however, justified herself without hesitation: "You know I was never cut out to be a judge! I thought staying in the Ten-Lords Commission long enough would toughen me up, but now I see… some things just can't be forced."
"Tch, useless. How did the Ten-Lords Commission even stamp your approval?"
"All you do is strut around arrogantly, and now we've both fallen into someone else's trap… Who's the useless one here?!"
Huohuo and Tail began to argue.
Meanwhile, Stelle, under Cirrus's control, showed no mercy: "Sticking with me won't help. I'm leaving—goodbye! You're staying here alone."
"W-wait! Don't go! Please…"
Watching this, even Guinaifen felt Cirrus was downright despicable!
Bullying Huohuo like this—how is that fun?!
Huohuo herself admitted she wasn't fit to be a judge. What more did they want from her?!
"Cirrus, you—!"
"Hah? From a biological standpoint, you're closer to that description!"
While bickering internally with Stelle, Cirrus continued controlling her and hurled even harsher words at Huohuo:
"The Ten-Lords Commission really has no standards, letting trash like you become a judge. Pathetic."
"Sniff…"
Huohuo began wiping away tears, torn between humiliation and a forced attempt at composure, but her quiet sobs betrayed her.
"Aaaaah, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!!!!"
Guinaifen felt "she" had gone too far—she wished she could jump through the screen and comfort Huohuo.
And right then, the barrage of comments flooded in:
"Stelle's [X] attribute is going wild…"
"The most polite insult ever."
"Dropping little pearls of tears~"
"Why bully Huohuo when she's so adorable?!"
"Damn, this makes my fists clench."
"Stop bullying Huohuo!"
Tail chimed in: "Hey, enough already. The only ones allowed to scold this idiot are me and the other judges—got it?"
"Tsk, something's off. I smell a fellow Heliobi."
"Oh, it's you—Cirrus. Hiding in a puppet's body and playing ventriloquist? Fitting for a lowlife like you."
Cirrus dropped the act.
Controlling Stelle's body, it retorted: "Hah! Hilarious, absolutely hilarious! To think the most combative fragment of the great Heliobus would be sealed inside a crybaby girl, acting as a guard dog—"
"Wait, no, no, no. Right now, you're not even a guard dog. You're just a… Tail! Right? Tail, tail, tail!"
Tail materialized a hand, snarling: "You've crossed the line. Get out of that girl's body—I'll devour you right now!"
"Ooh, so scary~ …Just kidding!"
"As if you could even leave that judge's body now! You can't fully consume her, nor can you escape. Face it, 'Tail'—you're a joke!"
"Damn it! Little crybaby, think of something!"
Tail gritted its teeth in frustration.
Meanwhile, Huohuo, still weeping, pulled out a talisman.
"Miss Stelle, take this. A Heliobi can't fully take over a human body immediately. This talisman can temporarily suppress its influence on you."
"Sniff…"
After handing over the talisman, Huohuo curled up in a corner, quietly sobbing.
Tail, still fuming, muttered: "Hey, girl, go comfort Huohuo. Her crying is even more grating than a broken gramophone."
...
After this scene, one thing was clear—
"So Heliobus emotions are this human-like?"
"It's crazier than I am—more human than me."
"Even among Heliobus, there's a gap. Tail is adorable, always knowing when to stop teasing.
But this Cirrus? Makes me grind my teeth in rage."
"This Heliobus is disgusting."
"Can't Huohuo just lift the seal and let Tail eat this thing? I'm furious just watching!"
"Support Tail! Destroy Cirrus!"
Guinaifen skimmed the comments and sighed in relief.
"Glad everyone's roasting Cirrus."
...
"But I have another question… Where's [me] in all this?! Huohuo said I have strong yang energy—surely I haven't been devoured yet…?"
Huohuo was still quietly wiping tears.
Approaching her, Guinaifen initiated dialogue:
[Really sorry, Huohuo. You okay?]
"It's not your fault. It's that bad guy stirring things up… Sniff…"
"I know someone as kind as Stelle would never say such cruel things—it's the evil spirit's influence. But… I couldn't refute a single word it said."
"I've always been timid and sensitive… Ever since Tail possessed me, it's been one problem after another."
"In school, people would ask, 'Why is your tail on fire?' In crowds, I stood out like a spotlight was on me."
Tail cut in: "Oh, so it's my fault? If you'd just let me eat you back then, you wouldn't be whining now!"
"Sniff… Later… I joined the Ten-Lords Commission, thinking I'd found my place. But the work there… it's too dangerous! Constantly battling ghosts, demons, and criminals…"
"I… I'm just not cut out for this. If I make it back alive, I'm resigning."
"Using Heliobus to capture Heliobus when I'm terrified of them? What kind of logic is that? I'm so sorry…"
...
Not just Guinaifen—even the livestream viewers were heartbroken seeing Huohuo like this.
"Seriously, a flaming tail is super cool!"
"Don't blame yourself! Your paper dolls are really useful!"
"Even if Huohuo's a cowardly crybaby, I can't bring myself to dislike her…"
"So heartbreaking, so adorable!"
"If it's too much, just quit the Ten-Lords Commission."
"Huohuo, hang in there!"
In the courtyard, Huohuo and Tail read the comments.
Her panicked gaze slowly steadied, her eyes glistening with emotion.
Trembling, she typed a response:
"Thank you, everyone…"
But her account was a guest login—the message couldn't be sent.
Tail, pacing around her, grumbled: "I don't need support from these netizens!"
"But Fuyan really is vile!"
"Huohuo! Next time you see it, rip off the seal immediately! I'll swallow that thing whole—save us the trouble!"
"Hey! You listening?!"
"Y-yes…"
---
Danheng's Division
Jing Yuan, Dan Heng, Jingliu, and Blade were progressing through the Clouds Leave No Trace questline.
In the story, Jingliu, having returned to the Xianzhou, invited Dan Heng to revisit old haunts.
For now, Jingliu seemed cold but emotionally stable—perhaps genuinely seeking to reminisce before her impending detainment.
Jing Yuan relaxed slightly.
Suddenly, his expression shifted.
"Apologies—excuse me for a moment."
He stepped away briefly.
Jingliu and Blade said nothing. Their minds were calm, focused only on advancing the quest.
Dan Heng, too, was curious—what would unfold between the four of them in this story?
Jing Yuan arrived at a secluded spot, summoning a gourd.
Inside was the sealed Phantylia—the same entity whose physical form had been destroyed in battle earlier.
Now, the gourd trembled violently, as if its contents were on the verge of breaking free.
"Hmph!"
A blue light erupted from the gourd's mouth.
Then, a line of text appeared in midair:
[This seal isn't permanent. If you're seeing this, Phantylia is about to escape.]
[General of the Luofu, figure it out yourself…]
(Silver Wolf / "Weak" meme)
"..."
Jing Yuan sighed.
Of course.
This hot potato wouldn't be so easy to handle.
He pulled out another jade communicator and dialed the first contact.
A voice answered: "General, what's the situation?"
"The preparations I asked for—how are they coming?"
The voice hesitated: "General, well… Constructing a grand array capable of sealing a Heliobus like Phantylia… We've hit some… technical difficulties."
"We're urgently consulting craftsmen from Zhuming—they've sealed [Flint Emperor] before. But their team says unless we can replicate a foundation like the [Flamewheel Forge], it's… nearly impossible to fully contain Phantylia!"
"Hmm…"
Jing Yuan massaged his forehead.
This was indeed troublesome.
After a long silence, he spoke:
"For now, prioritize setting up a temporary sealing array. It doesn't need to be perfect—just enough to suppress Phantylia momentarily."
"But remember—speed is critical."
"Leave the rest to me… It seems I'll have to visit the [Sensei] in person."
Ending the call, Jing Yuan gazed at the sky.
The worry in his brow gradually eased.
"At the very least, my current situation is far better than in the game, no?"
To have lived this long without being ensnared by those dark schemes…
He closed his eyes.
A second later—
"Zzz…"
He had fallen asleep standing up.
Just like that.
To be continued…
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