"Huuuuh—"
A vast, ancient gaze swept across the battlefield—across the gathered people, across the towering city that now stood in this place, across the land known as Yan... and perhaps, even beyond, across the entirety of Terra.
Even without Nian's warning, everyone present understood where that gaze had come from.
At Chen Huijie's waist, the Drive Watch she bore was crafted from a scroll pulled from the world of Xi. That scroll bore the image of the Twelve Proxies of the Sui Beast, and the Drive Watch forged from it held power that was unmistakably, undeniably Sui's.
Which meant... there could be no doubt whose gaze this was.
"Is the Sui Beast… waking up?" Kelsey's expression darkened.
They had just barely defeated a newborn colossus born of Priestess' schemes—defeated only because Chen Huijie had used the Sui Drive Watch. Everyone was still reeling from that titanic battle. If the Sui Beast chose this moment to awaken—especially through Chen Huijie's body—their greatest asset against it would be turned against them. The consequences would be catastrophic.
But what followed was not what Kelsey had feared.
The ancient gaze vanished as suddenly as it had come. The oppressive feeling was gone.
And then, in a violent surge, electricity exploded around Chen Huijie.
She let out a pained grunt. Her knight armor shattered into fragments of light.
The Sui Drive Watch detached from her belt and floated into the air, trembling violently. Everyone's relief turned to dread as their gazes locked on it.
Suddenly, twelve distinct colors blazed from the device. Twelve lights—each one struggling against the golden chaos that had once unified them.
That sensation…
From nearby, Nian and Ling turned toward the light—both sensing what it truly was.
"Sigh—"
A weary breath echoed through the void, like the sigh of an old father watching his unruly children break free of his grasp.
The twelve lights burst free from the Drive Watch, dancing in the air before crystallizing—becoming twelve separate Drive Watches, each glowing with its own hue, each etched with a distinct beastly visage. Several of the images were instantly familiar to Amiya and the others.
Three of the watches—red, blue, and azure—shuddered, then shot down like comets.
One embedded itself into Nian.
Another, into Ling.
And the last one—into the unconscious form of Xi.
As light flared, Nian shot upward in a sudden growth spurt—no longer a dragon bubble, but once again her full, mischievous self.
"Ah! I'm back!" she beamed, then noticed the Drive Watch now in her hand. The engraved visage of Zhu looked back at her. Within, she could feel it—Form, her power. "This one's mine."
Then that meant...
"Hnnngh."
Xi groaned as she stirred in Ling's arms. Her eyes fluttered open—and immediately locked onto the one face she least wanted to see.
"Xi! Look at the time!" Nian grinned, holding up the watch.
"AAAH!"
Without thinking, Xi punched her straight in the face.
"BUKKA!" Nian clutched her nose in outrage. "What the hell?! Who punches their own sister the moment they wake up?!"
"I'm not your sister!"
Xi flushed with embarrassment. She looked away, angry... but then shame crept in. Everything she'd done. All those pathetic things she'd said. The fire in her heart sputtered out. Flustered, red-faced, and speechless, she sat there on the ground, unsure of what to do with herself.
As she shifted, something fell from her clothes—a blue Drive Watch.
Xi picked it up, fingers trembling.
Etched into the face was a dragon, one that looked eerily similar to Zizai. The power within was unmistakable. Will—her own strength.
No doubt about it.
This was her Drive Watch.
Nearby, Ling examined the one in his own hand. It bore his own aspect, and inside, he felt the familiar resonance of his power—Freedom.
If their powers had returned to them, then that meant—
The remaining Drive Watches—still swirling in the sky—suddenly launched outward, streaking across the heavens in twelve directions, scattering across the land of Yan.
"Wait… those things…"
"They must be the rest of the Proxies' Drive Watches…"
The Northern Borders of Yan — Great Wilderness City
The city had just received imperial orders. Under the guidance of the Grandmasters of Earth and Wood, construction had begun to transform the city into a mobile fortress.
In its heart, a woman with snow-white hair tinged with golden brown looked westward, worry etched across her face.
Her students gathered around her, watching in silence.
"Teacher? Is something wrong?" Heshen asked, puzzled. Shuguang had suddenly stopped transplanting seedlings and had been staring at the sky for a while now.
"That direction… wait, what's that?"
A yellow light streaked across the sky, growing rapidly closer. Tianshi all along its path barely had time to raise barriers before it tore past them. Shuguang's eyes widened as the light decelerated and floated gently into her hands.
"Teacher, what is that…?" Heshen asked, confused.
The object was massive—shaped like a watch, with an intricate dragon head engraved on its face.
Shuguang said nothing. The moment it touched her, she felt it—Causality.
Her own power. Somehow… part of herself was inside this thing.
Aboard a High-Speed Warship, en route to Lungmen
Shuo—or rather, Chongyue—stood on deck beside the Grand Tutor, flanked by officers of the Department of Seasons.
The man known as the Swordmaster of Yumen studied the Drive Watch in his hand, expression grim.
"Chongyue… is it true? What you said about this watch?" the Grand Tutor asked, his voice low.
Chongyue nodded. "I feel it. It's the same as the sword… No. It's even more complete."
The Tutor fell silent, then spoke with authority.
"This needs to be reported to the court."
Chongyue nodded again, saying nothing more.
"If this came from that troublesome brother of yours," the Tutor added, "then we might have even bigger problems."
Capital of Yan — The Palace Dungeon
In the sealed temple of the Imprisoned Year, deep underground, the exile Wang stood shackled—but smiling eerily at the Drive Watch in his hand, which pulsed with shadowy black energy.
"A pleasant surprise," he murmured.
So... the pink-haired woman had failed. No matter. Like Priestess, Wang had never expected his cowardly little sister to accomplish much anyway. In a way, her failure suited him just fine.
At least this meant Xi had survived.
But if he had this watch… then perhaps…
"What is that you're holding, criminal?"
The voice came from across the board. Xiangru, the court's chessmaster, had been mid-game with Wang. He stood now, eyes narrowed at the dark device in Wang's hand.
Wang didn't answer.
He simply laughed.
Then, in one swift motion, a single black stone struck Xiangru squarely in the forehead.
Thud.
Xiangru collapsed.
Wang didn't even glance at him. Instead, he turned toward the temple door.
Footsteps echoed beyond the stone walls—armored soldiers approaching.
Wang's lips curled into a grin. The black mist coiled around him.
"Been stuck in here far too long," he muttered. "Getting dull."
"Wang!" a voice barked—an old general entering the chamber with his men. But they found only the collapsed chessboard, the unconscious strategist… and no trace of the man called Wang.
Creak… creak…
"You were the ones who broke the agreement first," echoed Wang's voice.
The old general looked down at Xiangru, then barked an order. "Get him up. Move. Now!"
His eyes narrowed as he stepped back toward the throne hall.
He would have to revise the plan.
Outside, storm clouds rolled in.
The skies looked as dark as his thoughts.
Across the land of Yan, other Proxy candidates—scattered across regions, villages, border towns—found themselves suddenly in possession of their own Drive Watches. Some were surprised. Others curious. Some even began testing the resonance between their power and the one inside.
Back in Lungmen, while chaos still gripped the outskirts…
In the highest room of the Governor's Tower, Wei Yenwu sat slouched in his chair, pipe between his fingers, eyes half-closed but sharp as ever as he watched the direction of the wildlands.
Beside him, Ark poured tea and sipped calmly—entirely unbothered by the calamity that had just shaken the city.
"It's gotten… slightly out of hand," Wei murmured.
"Who would've guessed the Sui Drive Watch would actually awaken Sui's consciousness?" Ark smiled faintly. "And that it would fracture itself—split into twelve—and scatter across all of Yan."
Wei exhaled a stream of smoke.
"Still… at least we kept the damage outside Lungmen. Kelsey was fast. But even then, that monster almost drained the entire Tai Gu Plaza dry… Even newborn giants can't be underestimated."
"In the end, this was about the best result we could've hoped for. Losses minimized. Power redistributed. And the original Sui core is still with Chen Huijie."
On the battlefield, Chen Huijie looked down at her Drive Watch.
It still bore Sui's image… but the power within it had diminished. Weakened since the split.
"As long as the core remains," Ark continued, "Huijie can eventually gather the other twelve Drive Watches. Reunite the powers. And if she does… then the might of Yan's first—and last—beast will belong to us."
Amiya and Talulah approached, checking Huijie's injuries. Surprisingly, she was in better shape than before the battle. Almost... invigorated.
"What if the three of them hadn't realized the Drive Watch could split?" Wei asked, puffing his pipe. "What then?"
"Then you old men would've had to take the stage again," Ark laughed. "I was almost looking forward to it—watching you blast out a Sky Vein with your finger instead of a sword."
"I haven't used a sword in years."
Wei glanced down. A sleek grenade launcher sat beside his chair, glinting coldly. "This works better."
"And me?" Ark raised the Galatrone Drive Watch. "Steel versus beast. Nian will love that."
Wei frowned.
"Don't ruin Lungmen's movie industry."
The air grew quiet between them again. As it had before.
"I'll admit, I didn't expect Huijie to be the one who used the Watch," Wei finally said. "I thought you had it earmarked for your little devil."
Chen Huijie flexed her arms. She felt light. Strong. Alive. As if the war had never touched her.
Ark laughed. "As tempting as the Sui Beast's power is, you know better than anyone—power has a price. Amiya walks through history. One wrong turn could change everything. I only assist her toward the one correct future."
Amiya, having completed her scan with the Banshee Watch, smiled with relief. "Huijie's fine. No abnormalities. Congratulations on your new power—you've taken a big step forward."
Wei exhaled. "So, what's the price she paid?"
Huijie didn't answer. She just laughed.
She glanced at her Drive Watch. Then at the one Talulah handed her—the Dragon Drive Watch.
The three of them laughed together under the clearing skies.
None of them noticed it.
A single scale on Huijie's tail—dark gold, unlike the rest—was beginning to grow.
And soon…
Yan would come to possess a beast all its own.