"Oh, hey, everyone."
Mash was a kind child, and she saw the leopard-person.
Well, it was hard not to notice such a large costumed figure standing there.
But Mash was also good at reading the room. She figured since no one else seemed to notice, she'd pretend not to either. After all, if she were the only one who saw it, wouldn't that make her seem out of place?
So,
"Ugh! It's my Noble Phantasm! I must have left it on. Let me try again!"
The leopard-person, watching the group walk away, suddenly seemed to remember something. She theatrically activated and then quietly deactivated her Noble Phantasm, [Dark Forest of the Lurking Leopard], before turning, leaping onto a branch, and catching up to them from above.
[Dark Forest of the Lurking Leopard] is a Boundary Field Noble Phantasm, Rank B, which allows the user to conceal themselves in darkness, similar to Presence Concealment.
Its effect is quite good, but it has one drawback: it can only be used at night.
It was currently dawn, the transition period between day and night, which was why she could activate and deactivate it at will. But actually, she hadn't used this ability since the last time she ambushed Merlin.
Which meant…
"Whoosh!"
"Hahahaha! I'll keep it brief this time! You've entered my forest, and now you're my prey! Brace yourselves for the leopard's fury!"
The leopard-person stood with hands on hips, laughing loudly. But after she finished speaking, Mo Shuying and the others simply walked past her again.
"Wuwu..."
Realizing it truly had nothing to do with her Noble Phantasm, the leopard-person bit her lip, then suddenly spun around and pounced on Mash, who was at the back of the group. But instead of attacking, she buried her head in Mash's chest and burst into tears!
"Ah! This is too much! Can't you see a Deity who's about to cry because you're bullying them?! Ahhh!"
"Ah! Stop rubbing!"
Mash's face was beet red. She reached out, trying to push the leopard-person away, but couldn't budge her.
"Enough! Aren't you already crying?"
Mo Shuying walked over and grabbed the leopard-person's neck, much like one would pick up a cat, and lifted her. He glared at her.
"Big Cat, you're not a Servant summoned by Quetzalcoatl, are you? And you don't have a Master. How about you join me? I have plenty of Mana to spare."
Mo Shuying looked at the leopard-person's teary eyes and began to try and win her over. But how could a leopard-person be the kind of scoundrel who would betray someone just for Mana?!
"No way!"
The leopard-person slapped Mo Shuying's arm away, then quickly leaped back, baring her teeth.
"Even if Quetzalcoatl loves to beat me up, boss me around, and call me stupid, I would never betray her!"
Mo Shuying almost applauded the leopard-person's loyalty.
"That's great. You're a truly loyal leopard. It seems you won't abandon Quetzalcoatl. In that case, I'll have to defeat you here. Otherwise, I'm afraid you'll interfere with my victory over Quetzalcoatl."
Mo Shuying extended both hands, ready to give the leopard-person a full Baji massage.
Seeing this, the leopard-person suddenly reached out to stop him and spoke.
"What did you say?"
"What?"
"You said you can defeat Quetzalcoatl?"
"It won't be easy, but it shouldn't be too difficult either."
Mo Shuying gazed up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, a profound expression on his face.
Everyone behind him looked speechless. Since when were his odds so high?
"Oh! I get it!"
But the leopard-person suddenly smacked her fist into her palm, making a gesture of sudden realization. Then, in the next second,
"Let me join you! Let's conquer Quetzalcoatl together! It's everyone's responsibility to punish exploitative slave drivers. I want to bring justice to the working people!"
The leopard-person flashed forward and stood at the front of the group, hands on hips, laughing loudly.
The others almost didn't react in time.
Ishtar looked speechless. She hadn't expected this leopard-person to be so easily tricked.
Anna, meanwhile, looked disgusted.
"Are we really taking her in? If we do, I might lose combat effectiveness from constantly wanting to vomit."
Anna's aversion to the leopard-person stemmed from her Divinity; it was hard to change.
"I'm sorry, Anna, but we're still short-staffed. Ms. Leopard-person's addition is an indispensable help to us."
Mo Shuying said apologetically. Anna turned her head away and said nothing more.
"Leopard-person, can you take us to the Sun Temple? We'll defeat Quetzalcoatl before she sets off for Uruk!"
Mo Shuying turned to the leopard-person and said.
"No problem!"
The Jaguar Warrior snapped to attention, saluted, then let out a yowl and ran off.
Mo Shuying opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. He hadn't even signed a temporary contract with the Jaguar Warrior yet.
The Sun Temple stood tall amidst the forest.
It looked like a high tower, a pyramid without a pointed top, and at the very peak of the temple was a massive solar calendar stone.
Quetzalcoatl stood at the summit, holding a serrated sword. She had sensed Mo Shuying and the others' arrival long ago, which was why she hadn't departed. And now...
"Finally, you're here~ I knew it~ I knew you'd come."
Her gaze swept across the forest. Her winged dragon familiars had already taken to the sky, attacking the approaching enemies.
But the Jaguar Warrior had already revealed this type of attack, so Anna and Ishtar held off the winged dragons, while Mo Shuying and the Jaguar Warrior bypassed the forest and reached the open ground in front of the temple.
"Yo! Quetzal! I've defected!"
As soon as the Jaguar Warrior appeared, it waved at Quetzalcoatl, only to be spectacularly ignored.
"You're here~ Your eyes today~ are very good~"
Quetzalcoatl smiled. She could already see the determination in Mo Shuying's eyes, and that look made the blood within her boil!
"I've come to challenge you, Quetzalcoatl."
Mo Shuying stepped forward, looking up at Quetzalcoatl above.
"Mmhmm~ I'm very much looking forward to it~ If it's you, I'll accept any challenge!"
Quetzalcoatl raised her hands excitedly and began to descend from the temple, one powerful step at a time.
Mo Shuying was equally unafraid, walking step by step himself. Their paces synchronized, their eyes met, and they finally met at the base of the temple.
Quetzalcoatl was 181 cm tall. After his training, Mo Shuying was now around 182 cm. They were almost the same height, their gazes practically sparking.
"If I win, you join us."
Mo Shuying spoke.
"Mmhmm~ As long as you win, Big Sister will agree to anything~"
Quetzalcoatl narrowed her eyes and smiled.
Mo Shuying nodded.
"Then let's begin. No rules. The first one whose back is pinned to the ground for three seconds loses."
Hearing Mo Shuying's words, Quetzalcoatl's eyes lit up.
"Wrestling? Excellent! Big Sister loves wrestling the most, so..."
Quetzalcoatl flipped her hand, abruptly throwing the serrated sword, unique to Aztec mythology, that she held!
*"BOOM!"*
The serrated sword slammed directly into the wall, blocking Fujimaru Ritsuka and Mash, who had been stealthily sneaking over. Both looked embarrassed.
"Are you trying to sneak attack the calendar stone? You can't do it empty-handed. Use this sword."
Quetzalcoatl said with a smile.
Fujimaru Ritsuka paused, wondering what was going on.
Quetzalcoatl no longer looked at Fujimaru Ritsuka, but at Mo Shuying, and said,
"Since it's a match, there naturally needs to be a bell. Let's consider this the final bell."
Mo Shuying: "..."
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