My name is Hoshigaki Sora. I'm an undercover agent.
Right now, I'm carrying out a mission that could decide the life and death of countless people.
For this mission, I've made enormous sacrifices. Surely this time I'll complete it flawlessly and save everyone!
That was what Sora thought at first—until a Ze's words just now shattered that dream into powder.
"Lord Longzhang… the one who destroyed the fruit tree just now was you, wasn't it?"
His voice was trembling, but it was obvious he'd already made up his mind.
Sora's undercover career had barely begun. Not even a day in, and his cover was already blown.
It happened so fast it left him completely blindsided.
He'd given so much for this mission, sacrificed so much… and yet he was exposed this quickly.
Then what were those sacrifices worth? What was all that effort worth?
A wave of sorrow rose in Sora's chest. He couldn't help thinking of running beneath the sunset—his vanished youth…
Pfft. Pfft. Pfft.
That wasn't the point!
A man is a boy until the day he dies—there's no such thing as "youth that's gone"!
What mattered now was handling the problem of his identity being exposed!
"Are you sure you didn't mistake me for someone else? What part of me looks anything like that guy?"
Sora tried to put distance between himself and the whole thing.
That was a mechanical Showa cyborg—what did it have to do with him, a Crimson Blood Dragon?
If they were trying to pin it on him, that was a little too shameless.
"H-how could we!" The Ze immediately got flustered.
"Lord, we'd never say something impossible. You two clearly give off the exact same feeling."
Feeling?!
Sora took a hard look at himself, but he didn't sense anything special.
Yet the Ze was speaking with such certainty… which meant the "issue" might be on their side.
Sora thought for a moment, then remembered that Giff was an extraterrestrial lifeform.
Could it be that the Ze—also a space-born species—could detect Kamen Rider Vail's aura?
"What kind of feeling are you talking about?"
He had to confirm it. Otherwise, if someone caught him again later, he'd be finished.
"It's a feeling that's safe. Warm. Really comfortable."
"We have an evolved clanmate nearby—we shared that sensation with each other."
Sora hadn't seen any evolved one—only these little guys.
He started digging through his memory like crazy.
And then he suddenly realized.
It was when he'd been relentlessly attacking the fruit tree, sending countless fruits raining down.
At the time, all the Denizens of the Abundance had rushed forward in a frenzy, snatching up the fallen fruit.
But off at the edge, there'd been a white-furred little cutie standing quietly in place, not joining the scramble.
Paired with the image Phantylia had shown him before, it all lined up.
What Sora hadn't expected was that they could sense something like that—and even share it.
His cover had been blown by this bizarre racial talent.
All he could say was: there were too many species in the universe, and too many weird abilities. You couldn't guard against them all.
So what now?
Sora fell into a knot of hesitation, but the Ze kept talking.
"Lord Longzhang may look terrifying, but we believe you're absolutely different from those others."
"Those others all give off a smell that makes us afraid—horrified. Compared to them, you're worlds apart."
As he spoke, the Ze slowly approached and hugged Sora's leg.
"Please believe us, Lord Longzhang. We will never reveal your identity."
Hug me if you wanted, but could you stop rubbing your face on my leg?
Sora looked down at the Ze—like a cat high on catnip—and reached down, trying to pry him off.
Only then did he realize these little guys were stronger than they looked.
"Don't get handsy whenever you feel like it, okay?"
At Sora's reminder, the Ze snapped out of it and quickly let go.
"Sorry, Lord Longzhang. I couldn't help it. I really couldn't."
Sora sighed, about to complain, when the Ze spoke again.
"But please don't worry, Lord. We would never do that to those others. Around them, all we feel is fear… and disgust."
This was starting to sound bad.
Anyone hearing it out of context would think Sora had drugged the whole Ze clan.
But in reality, this was only the second time he'd met them.
Sora felt helpless about that, but there were still things he needed to clarify.
"Is this your racial talent?"
If a species could confirm his true identity just by "feeling," and there were many like them, he'd be in serious danger.
The Ze nodded, then explained their species.
They lived on a remote planet, born with emotions like ordinary people—able to understand many things, to grasp the principles of the world.
But their clan had one fatal flaw: their lifespans were extremely short.
Each Ze lived only ten years. After evolving, they could live to around thirty.
And because they could "comprehend all things," if a clanmate was nearing death, the others would sense it.
Grief ran through their entire species—until an AEON passed near their planet.
That AEON was chaos, yet carried a warm presence. So they gathered the strength of their whole clan and prayed—prayed for sorrow to end.
And that being answered them, granting far longer lifespans than before.
Ten years became fifty or sixty. A lifespan multiplied by that much was enough for them to be content.
"But soon, a group of followers trailing behind that being invaded our home…"
Sora didn't need them to say who.
It had to be the Denizens of the Abundance, roaming the cosmos collecting Abundance blessings.
"And those invaders gave off an extremely dangerous feeling. Just looking at them, you could tell they weren't something you could live alongside."
"We didn't want to be with them, but once we were captured… we had no choice but to obey."
A group of Ze crowded around Sora, their mood heavy.
Being enslaved was never a pleasant thing. But they had no way to fight back—only to endure in silence.
Until today, when Sora appeared before them, bringing a sense of safety that those dangerous ones didn't have.
"So we will absolutely help you keep your secret, Lord!"
"Yeah, yeah… we just hope that when this is over, we can go home…"
"Go home?"
Sora swept his gaze across them and saw their eyes glittering brightly.
Clearly, home was more tempting than anything.
And because of that, Sora suddenly thought of something.
Once war began, no matter who won, someone would suffer.
And a clan like the Ze—without the will to fight, only wanting a quiet place to live—was exactly the kind of victim that got crushed.
"I understand. Now I get it."
A single speck of dust from the times could weigh ten thousand tons when it fell.
The Ze were clearly a clan crushed under that weight.
Facing that, Sora would help if he could.
As long as he could finish what needed doing here, he'd do his best to bring these Ze back to their homeland.
"Thank you, Lord Longzhang!"
"Thank you, Lord Longzhang!"
In no time at all, the Ze were swarming around Sora, thanking him.
Smiles spread across their faces, and Sora couldn't help wondering if this was their first laughter since coming here.
Then, right before his stunned eyes, white fluff began sprouting on some of them.
"Huh—what's going on?!"
"It's fine, Lord. They're just happy, so they're evolving into Bai Ze."
Oh. So they were evolving.
Sora nodded—then immediately realized something was off.
"Wait—what did you just say?!"
Bai Ze?! That name was real?!
"Hm? Yeah." The Ze looked around. "A white Ze—if it's not Bai Ze, what is it?"
Then he seemed to understand something. "Unless… Lord Longzhang wants to rename us?!"
But right now, forget Sora's "normal" self—even his chunibyo self was drowning in absurdity.
A warm feeling. A dangerous feeling. Sensing fortune and misfortune… lining those traits up—
Sora couldn't help feeling ridiculous.
So you really are Bai Ze…
"No need. Your name's fine."
It really was.
...
Sora agreed to help these little guys, and their payback came fast.
On the surface, these Bai Ze didn't seem to have any combat ability, but in truth, they simply didn't want to fight.
Once Sora promised he could take them home, they all found their courage.
The lure of home was on full display.
Their talent let them make decisive choices—choices that had kept them alive until now.
And because they'd been doing logistics here, they'd developed their own way of judging the Denizens of the Abundance.
They evaluated threat level by "feeling," and from that, they could infer a clan's overall combat strength.
When Sora heard that, he was dumbfounded.
He really hadn't expected these little guys to be capable of something like this.
And for Sora, this intel was vital.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll never lose. If he could gauge threat levels, he could reduce casualties by a lot.
Sora barely had to ask before they explained everything in clear detail, saving him the trouble of collecting it himself.
And they also brought up a strange piece of news.
"A few days ago, one clan's threat level spiked sharply—but our sense of their new leader is very hazy."
If someone could partially block the Bai Ze's perception, that was troublesome.
Looks like Sora would have to find a chance to go take a look at that new figure himself.
While Sora was gathering intel, Phantylia suddenly issued a summons.
Receiving the order, Sora brought a Bai Ze with him and went to the gathering place.
Many figures were already waiting there.
And at that moment, the Bai Ze had Sora look at one particular figure among the Denizens of the Abundance.
The person wore a hood and hid themselves well—this was the one the Bai Ze couldn't read.
Sora nodded and committed the silhouette to memory, planning to properly "meet" them later.
But just then, Phantylia spoke.
"This time, I've gathered you all for good news!"
Phantylia stood at the front, her voice bright and delighted—because what had happened truly was a great thing for her.
"We deployed countless clans against the Xianzhou Zhuming. In the end, we successfully seized our target!"
As she spoke, something enormous began descending from the sky.
It looked like a lotus seedpod, yet it stood hundreds of meters tall.
In front of it, people were as tiny as ants.
Scorching heat poured from it without end, turning the ground it touched into rolling magma.
The assembled Denizens of the Abundance couldn't help staring in shock.
"What is that? Why does it carry such terrifying force?"
Someone blurted out the question.
And the hooded figure the Bai Ze couldn't read began trembling, as if thrilled by the thing's arrival.
Sora pulled his gaze off them and looked at the massive object.
"Don't tell me… that's the Sui Emperor's fragment the Xianzhou Zhuming has been sealing away?!"
Before coming, he'd already confirmed the intel: every Xianzhou ship was surrounded by countless Denizens of the Abundance.
And the Zhuming had been targeted for its engine core.
As for what lay inside that core, Sora knew it well.
It was the Sui Emperor—who had once entered a possession contract with LAN, the AEON of the HUNT, and fused together.
After LAN loosed that arrow, THEY THEMSELF were swallowed by boundless Imaginary energy, and the Sui Emperor was left in fragments.
What came after didn't need retelling.
The Xianzhou Alliance betrayed the contract between the Sui Emperor and LAN, sealing the fragments inside the Zhuming's engine—only for these bastards to set their sights on it in this war.
And now that engine sat before Sora's eyes.
"This is a small step for us—yet a giant step toward victory!"
How could Phantylia not be excited? How could she not be exhilarated?
One of the Xianzhou Alliance's ships had already fallen. How many of the remaining ships could still withstand her assault?
At this rate, the entire Xianzhou Alliance would slowly collapse into her hands.
The sensation of burying a civilization filled her with joy.
The Denizens of the Abundance, hearing this, surged with excitement.
It was a huge morale boost. The Xianzhou Alliance that used to butcher them like chopping melons had finally suffered a loss.
Even if it was "only" the engine—without it, the Zhuming would lose propulsion and be unable to sail.
"Prophet Mangas, then can we go all-in and take the Zhuming now?"
With the Xianzhou Zhuming immobilized, couldn't they seize the chance to wipe it out?
A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!
And a perfect chance to earn merit.
Everyone present grew more and more excited.
"No. We still have things to do."
But to their surprise, Phantylia rejected them outright.
"Why?!"
"Yeah—we should press our advantage!"
"Exactly! The Zhuming's lost its engine—why not erase them now?!"
Questions erupted from all sides.
Just as things were on the verge of spiraling, Phantylia silenced them with a single sentence.
"You can go. But don't blame me if you die under the light of the Sky-Shattering Lux Arrow."
She dragged an AEON into it.
Instantly, everyone shut up—they'd forgotten that.
Hadn't the Denizens of the Abundance attacking the Xianzhou Fanghu been wiped out that way?
One shot from LAN, and they were gone.
If they all clustered around the Zhuming and got "packaged" by a single arrow, wouldn't that be the end?
Cold sweat broke out as they remembered.
"Then are we supposed to just watch?"
Having a slab of fat meat in front of you and being unable to bite was suffocating.
Phantylia only smiled.
"Why do you think I wanted the Sui Emperor's fragments in the first place? To resist the Sky-Shattering Lux Arrow!"
The moment she said it, even Sora blanked for a beat.
What did he just hear? Phantylia wanted to use the Sui Emperor's fragments to block the Lux Arrow?
Was she insane, or had he misheard?
"Have none of you heard? Do you know what the Luofu General's weapon was forged from?"
"That formation saber is called Starfall Reverie. It was forged in the fire of the Sui Emperor, using the ashes of the Sky-Shattering Lux Arrow that LAN used to slay the stars."
At that, eyes lit up all around.
If the Sui Emperor's fire could forge the Lux Arrow's remnants into a weapon, then on another level, wouldn't it also be able to melt the Lux Arrow itself?
"As expected of the Prophet! You thought of something we never could!"
"With the Prophet's guidance, we'll sweep the Xianzhou Alliance clean!"
The Denizens of the Abundance fell into a frenzy.
If even the Lux Arrow—their greatest threat—could be handled, then what could the Xianzhou Alliance possibly use to stop them?
Nothing.
At long last, after being crushed under the Alliance's pressure, the Abundance coalition had found a countermeasure.
"Victory to the coalition! Long live the Prophet!"
"Victory to the coalition! Long live the Prophet!"
"Victory to the coalition! Long live the Prophet!"
Voices surged, spirits blazing—everyone shouting Phantylia's name.
Sora felt a headache coming on. If this actually worked, it could cause real trouble.
He needed to get this information to Jing Yuan as soon as possible.
While Sora was thinking, Phantylia raised a hand and pressed down, quieting the cheers.
"We can say we've taken a huge step toward victory—but there are still things we must do!"
Then she pivoted sharply. "Now, we need to launch an attack on the Xianzhou Yuque!"
Hearing that, Sora immediately perked up.
"On the Yuque, there is a divine instrument known as the Cloud-Viewing Mirror. It is the Xianzhou Alliance's eye!"
Even with communications severed, the Cloud-Viewing Mirror could still, through computation and observation, see certain things.
So before any final offensive, Phantylia had to blind the Alliance's eye and seize the initiative.
"So now, I want all of you to attack the Yuque."
"But we can't attack in a scattered mess. So I want you to choose a commander-in-chief."
The Denizens of the Abundance nodded, understanding. It made sense.
Before, they'd acted as separate clans and gotten beaten so badly they couldn't even find north.
Now that they'd united and achieved results, they'd already learned the importance of coordination.
As for how to choose the commander…
Everyone's gaze drifted toward Phantylia again.
"Prophet Mangas, what is your view?"
But Phantylia only smiled. "That is for you to decide. I only care about the final result."
With that, she returned to her seat and lounged back.
And that single line made everyone understand the selection method.
What did the Denizens of the Abundance follow now, if not survival of the fittest?
Only the strong got everything. Only the strong could serve as commander for the Yuque assault.
The thought made faces light up with excitement.
This was a golden chance to make a name and earn immortal glory. Who would miss it?
BANG!
"I think this position should belong to me!"
A bull-like creature spoke up.
At the same time, the Bai Ze at Sora's side quietly reported the threat level: medium.
The moment it stood, many weaker clans shrank back.
But there were others who weren't convinced.
"And what do you think you are?"
"Yeah! A cow-head like you—better as my drinking snack!"
Two figures slammed the table and rose at once, competing for the seat.
Their threat levels were high.
Sora couldn't help feeling like he'd brought a portable combat scanner. Pretty handy.
Though he also felt it wasn't that handy, because the standard it used didn't quite match his.
"Alright, alright—everyone, hear me out."
Sora stood, drawing all eyes to him.
The Bai Ze beside him nearly panicked itself inside out.
"Lord Longzhang!"
Sora raised a hand, signaling it not to worry.
"Since we're all gathered here, there's no need to ruin the mood."
That line made everyone relax—oh, he was here to play peacemaker.
Even Phantylia couldn't help shifting her gaze toward him.
What was this guy doing now?
"Harmony matters most. And since this position has everyone so troubled… why don't I take it?"
The moment the words fell, the place went dead silent.
Every gaze fixed on Sora—full of disbelief.
Then the entire hall detonated.
"Hey—what the hell did you just say?!"
"Damn it, I've never even seen you before! What backwater star system did you crawl out of?!"
"Believe it or not, I'll rip your scales off and use you as a drinking snack!"
The three who'd been shouting loudest immediately swung their fury toward Sora.
The other clan chiefs erupted into chatter too—none of them understood how he dared say something like that.
Sora's response was simple: he picked his ear.
He didn't give them so much as a shred of respect.
"I'm just stating what's about to happen. Why are you all so worked up?"
"Hah?! You red-scaled freak—what gives you the right?!"
"Because you're weak. What else would it be?"
That made the bull-head's eyes turn instantly bloodshot.
"You said I'm weak?!"
It was a clan chief—the strongest of its species.
Who the hell was this bastard to call it weak?!
It panted hard, eyes growing redder and redder, like it would charge Sora any second.
Seeing that, Sora hurriedly waved his hands.
"No, no, no—I'm not saying you're weak."
"I'm saying everyone here is a bunch of weaklings."
Silence.
Every eye in the room locked on Sora, disbelief so thick it felt like it could swallow him whole.
Even Phantylia hadn't expected him to fire off a line like that—an indiscriminate blast.
"Lord Longzhang, w-we should go," the Bai Ze whispered, tugging at him as the danger skyrocketed.
"No need. I only told a bit of the truth."
Sora refused.
The Bai Ze was frantic.
It tried to plead again, but the silence shattered in the next instant—
Roars erupted from every direction.
"Bastard! Today I'll show you my clan's Nine-Heavens Thunder Double-Kick!"
"I'll tear your mouth off! Skyfeather Dragon-Slaying Dance!"
"Barbarian King Charge!"
One figure after another charged at Sora, eyes crimson, determined to rip the arrogant bastard apart.
Facing them, Sora's lips curled into a feral grin.
"Come on! Today I'll show you the might of my Crimson Blood Dragon!"
'[CRIMSON UP]!'
'[CRIMSON VAIL]!'
Sora charged straight back into them.
Endless blood-red spread across the ground, swallowing the Denizens of the Abundance whole.
"What do I do? What do I do?!"
The Bai Ze panicked, not knowing what to choose.
Go find other clanmates to help? Or jump in and join the brawl?
Too hard!
And right then, it was suddenly scooped up.
The Bai Ze thought it was being dragged into the fallout and immediately covered its head with both paws.
Because it recognized who was holding it—
Wasn't this the very figure it couldn't read earlier?
That person hadn't joined the charge. Instead, they'd come here to "ambush" it—shameless.
Even so… as a Bai Ze, it had backbone!
"Don't think you can use me to threaten Lord Longzhang!"
"Even if you abuse me—kill me—I won't surrender to you!"
Hearing that, the figure holding it spoke, almost amused.
"You really do resemble her."
Once Feng Liqi arrived, she'd probably have plenty to talk about with this little one.
…Huh?
Sensing something off, the Bai Ze cautiously lowered its paws and peered up at the hooded figure.
And it saw a human face—along with a pair of fox ears.
"Relax, little one. I won't do anything to you."
With that, she held the Bai Ze calmly in her arms, watching the chaos below.
Her gaze, however, stayed fixed on the one laughing and tearing through the crowd.
Sora.
He was being swarmed by countless Denizens of the Abundance, yet the rhythm of the fight remained entirely in his hands.
No one could threaten him.
And every strike he threw aimed straight for whatever stuck out on them—
Bull horns, ram horns, deer antlers, or writhing feelers.
If it was strange-shaped and protruding, it couldn't escape his cruelty.
Seeing that, the Bai Ze finally relaxed.
Lord Longzhang could face so many clans alone—he really did have the confidence for it.
And the one holding it… for some reason, didn't feel hostile either.
The Bai Ze's danger sense didn't read "danger" from her—only something it couldn't interpret.
In that case, it could finally breathe.
It even found the mood to help.
"Lord Longzhang! That one still has a horn you haven't broken!"
Hearing that, the bull-head that had been trying to flee with its head covered instantly realized it had been targeted.
It turned—and saw Sora walking toward it, step by step.
"D-don't come over…"
The bull-head scrambled backward on hands and feet.
"Don't come over…"
As if Sora would let it go.
"Don't come near me—!!!"
The only answer it got was a crisp, clean crack…
...
The brawl came fast, and it ended fast.
The ground was a wreck. The Denizens of the Abundance's clan chiefs were sprawled all over—every which way.
Severed limbs lay scattered nearby, and several unconscious bodies were embedded in the walls like decoration.
And at this moment, there was only one person still standing.
Sora.
"That's it? I'm not even warmed up!"
He nudged someone with his foot, but they didn't move.
Blood had painted the entire area red, and amid it you could see all kinds of snapped, broken things.
If injuries like these happened to ordinary people, they'd have died ten times over.
But for these things, all they needed was time.
Once Sora confirmed no one else could stand, he turned his eyes to the only other figure upright besides him.
She stood in the distance, holding the Bai Ze, quietly watching him.
"Interesting."
In the next instant, Sora was right in front of her.
She didn't look afraid at all.
"Sora-gege... We meet again."
She raised her head slightly, revealing a face Sora recognized—beautiful, with fox ears propping up her hood.
She smiled like a blooming flower.
"Ahri?"
Sora froze.
---
T/N: AHRI!!!! FROM LEAGUE OF LEGENDS
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