Near the Xianzhou's star-sail skiff port, a squad of Cloud Knights was holding the line, desperately fending off wave after wave of their former comrades, now transformed into Mara-struck.
"Don't you worry, Miss Tingyun! As long as we're here, no harm will come to you!"
"That's right! With the four of us on the job, these scumbags won't take another step!"
"Hold the line, brothers! Give these bastards everything we've got!"
"We'd give our hearts for Miss Tingyun!"
The four Cloud Knights stood firm, forming a living shield in front of a fox-like woman.
"Gentlemen, please, don't overexert yourselves. This humble woman is not worth such a sacrifice. I implore you, save yourselves and leave this place," the fox-like woman—let's just call her Tingyun for now, though in reality she was a certain Lord Ravager putting on a puppet show—said, her face streaked with tears. Internally, however, she was cursing them out.
Seriously, are these guys ever going to fall? Those Abundance Emanators are completely useless! They were supposed to raid the port, so what's the big idea leaving me stranded here? Now how am I supposed to get out?
To be honest, "Tingyun" was starting to lose her composure. She hadn't expected the Cloud Knights to be incapable of holding back the Mara-struck. Still, it wasn't a huge problem. Once these guys were all dead, she could just clean up the rest herself.
Just as Tingyun was consoling herself that the script was still salvageable, the Cloud Knights in front of her began to falter.
"Damn it! We can't hold on much longer!"
"Why... why am I so weak!"
"Miss Tingyun!"
Before long, surrounded by the horde of Mara-struck, the four Cloud Knights were being pushed back.
(Excellent! This is it. As soon as these guys die, I can finally get out of here.)
Seeing the Cloud Knights at a disadvantage, a hint of excitement flickered in Tingyun's eyes.
Just as the four were about to be overwhelmed, a sharp whistle tore through the air. Several gleaming flying swords streaked across the sky like meteors, piercing the approaching Mara-struck with unerring accuracy. Wherever the swords flew, the Mara-struck collapsed, dissipating into clouds of black smoke.
"Is that... reinforcements?" one of the Cloud Knights gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief.
"No, those aren't ordinary flying swords!" another exclaimed, tightening his grip on his weapon with a look of awe. "That's a Sword Kinesis Technique! Could it be... has he arrived?"
Tingyun, who had been about to make her move, was stopped short by this sudden turn of events. She frowned, her mind racing. Sword Kinesis? Since when did the Xianzhou have such a master? Is this an unplanned variable?
On the Luofu, the mention of flying swords would naturally bring to mind a certain genius youth (?) and prized disciple of the General: Yanqing. As Jing Yuan's protégé, he was young but his strength already far surpassed that of an ordinary Cloud Knight, placing him among the elite fighters of the Xianzhou.
But to Tingyun's surprise, these were not Yanqing's blades. Not only was their design different, but they pulsed with a power dozens of times stronger than his.
From these swords, Tingyun felt the power of an Emanator.
"An Emanator has made a move?!"
Tingyun's expression changed instantly.
"Miss Tingyun! Look out!"
In the moment she was distracted, a Mara-struck broke through the Cloud Knights' defense and lunged at her. Tingyun froze. Caught up in her role, her mind instinctively scrambled to figure out what she was supposed to do.
But in that instant, she suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around her.
Stunned by the sudden embrace, Tingyun barely had time to react before another sharp whistle sliced through the air beside her ear.
She looked up just in time to see the Mara-struck that had been charging her get impaled by a flying sword, instantly dissolving into black smoke.
The sword carved a graceful arc in the air before returning smoothly to someone's hand.
"Are you alright, miss?" a low voice, laced with a hint of playful mockery, sounded in her ear.
Only then did Tingyun realize she was being held. She turned her head slightly, and her eyes met a face with a roguish, carefree smile.
"You... you're—!"
Tingyun's pupils contracted. The moment she saw Mo Wang, her memories instantly supplied his identity.
"Hello there, miss. Allow me to introduce myself. My name's Mo Wang. I see you seem to know who I am?" Mo Wang greeted her with a casual wave. "Sigh, I guess my charm is just too overwhelming. I didn't think I'd be recognized even here on the Luofu."
What the hell is this guy talking about?!
Tingyun's entire body went rigid. Did she recognize him because he was charming? Hell no! It was because this guy's name was ranked ridiculously high on the Destruction's threat list!
A newly emerged Emanator of Preservation was enough to put the entire Antimatter Legion on high alert. After all, the two factions had been at each other's throats for years. The sudden appearance of a new Preservation Emanator was enough to cause a cosmic earthquake.
And on top of that, this man also held the title of an Emanator of Elation—a Path far more dangerous and terrifying than Preservation.
A dual Emanator. Anyone would tremble at that. Even as Phantylia, a Lord Ravager, she honestly wanted nothing to do with this man. Especially not while being held in his arms. The sensation was no different from being coiled by a venomous snake.
(He's supposed to be on the space station! Why did he suddenly show up on the Luofu?! And how the hell did he get in?!)
Phantylia had ten thousand 'WTFs' she wanted to scream. What kind of suicidal lunatic let this monster in?
Mo Wang, meanwhile, looked at the "Miss Tingyun" before him with great interest. He knew, of course, that she was just Phantylia in a meatsuit. But he found it fascinating how utterly real her body felt.
Weren't Heliobi supposed to be energy lifeforms? How could they construct a physical body so perfectly? If this was Tingyun's real body, then where did the body of the "Forgotten" come from? Did Ruan Mei just whip it up in a lab?
Gazing at Tingyun, the Path of Erudition within Mo Wang suddenly flared up. He was overcome with a strange urge to take this Tingyun apart for research.
Mo Wang's creepy stare sent a cold sweat down Tingyun's spine. Every hair on her body stood on end.
"Hey! You there, Mo Wang! Let go of that young lady!"
Just then, March 7th and Welt appeared. March already had her bow drawn, aiming an arrow straight at Mo Wang as if she were about to execute a scumbag.
The moment Mo Wang let go of Tingyun, March 7th stomped over, hands on her hips, and glared at him. "Hey! You jerk! We just got to the Luofu and the first thing you do is grab some poor girl! What is wrong with you? Do you freeze up every time you see a pretty face?"
Blindsided by her accusation, Mo Wang put on an innocent expression and threw his hands up. "Whoa now, March, you've got it all wrong. I was saving her! Didn't you see that Mara-struck was about to get her? It was an act of heroism! How can you call that scummy?"
"Heroism?" March scoffed, pointing at Tingyun. "Then why didn't you let go after you saved her? You were holding on so tight, I bet you did it on purpose!"
Mo Wang feigned a wounded sigh. "Miss March 7th, you truly misunderstand me. I was simply worried the young lady was in shock, so I was showing a little extra concern. Besides, I am a man of integrity. I would never do something so frivolous."
"Integrity?" March rolled her eyes. She might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but after being tricked by Mo Wang so many times, she knew exactly how much of a scoundrel he was. "Then how do you explain why your hand was on her tail?" she continued her interrogation.
Had he not noticed Tingyun standing there, completely frozen stiff?
"Ahem, let me explain. I was simply curious about the physical anatomy of the Foxian race. It was purely for research... yes, research." Mo Wang said.
Tingyun, meanwhile, had ten thousand more expletives she wanted to scream. The man had been gripping her tail like a vice.
No matter how she pulled, it wouldn't budge, and the pain made her grit her teeth. Even if this wasn't her real body, she was the one using it right now! Was he trying to rip her tail off?!
"Ahem, my benefactor," Tingyun said, her voice pitiful and endearing, "could you please let go of my tail? It really, really hurts."
In just a few moments, tears began to well up in her eyes.
"Ah? Oh, my bad. Forgot about that."
Mo Wang finally released her tail, though his face held not a hint of apology. He was still marveling at how incredible Phantylia's disguise was. Even at point-blank range, he hadn't been able to see through it.
He figured that short of an Aeon showing up in person, no one would ever know this Tingyun was a fake.
"Cough, cough!"
Just then, a strange aura began to emanate from the fallen Cloud Knights on the ground. The power of the Mara was spreading through their bodies.
"Oh no, everyone's been afflicted by the curse of longevity! We must leave at once—" Tingyun began, seeing the Cloud Knights start to turn.
"Don't panic. I'll take care of it."
In a flash, Mo Wang stuffed a few chocolate balls into the mouths of the afflicted Cloud Knights and followed up with a few quick memory charms, knocking them all unconscious.
Before Tingyun's very eyes, in less than a minute, the Cloud Knights who had been on the verge of transforming were completely stabilized.
"What... what did you just do?!" Tingyun stared, dumbfounded.
Why did they suddenly get better after Mo Wang shoved a few weird things in their mouths?
This wasn't scientific! And it didn't fit any Path!
"Oh, just gave them some simple treatment. They should be fine in a little while," Mo Wang said with a calm expression.
"Why do you make it sound like you're treating a common cold?" Tingyun didn't know how to even begin to process the man in front of her. At the same time, her eyes filled with wary vigilance.
(Damn it, this Preservation Emanator can also cure the Mara? What kind of monster is he? Wait, why do I feel the boss's aura on him too? What kind of multi-faceted freak is this?)
Tingyun was speechless, especially after she caught a whiff of Destruction on him. So, the boss gave this guy his power too?
She could only say that she had a massive headache right now. If Mo Wang could really cure the Mara, wouldn't her entire plan be ruined?
Seriously? She had been undercover for this long, just about to infiltrate the highest levels of the organization, and now he was telling her there was a change of plans? What kind of sick joke was this?!
While Tingyun—or rather, Phantylia—was having a meltdown, Mo Wang was also sizing up the puppet before him.
Phantylia's favorite pastime was to disguise herself and infiltrate other factions, only to destroy them from within in the most horrifying way possible, spreading despair and suffering.
Honestly, that description immediately brought to mind a certain someone who was always going on about despair: Junko Enoshima.
How should he put it? They were both insane. These creatures whose minds were filled with nothing but destruction and despair... how did they seem... so full of Elation?
Ah, it seems the world truly is one big playground for Elation. Preservation can be Elation, Destruction can be Elation, and even Harmony can be Elation. Everything in the universe can be Elation.
"Miss, I believe you have what it takes to be a Masked Fool. Interested in learning more? The benefits are negotiable," Mo Wang said, turning to Tingyun with a proposition.
"N-no, thank you. I think the Luofu is quite nice," Tingyun replied with an awkward expression.
The Antimatter Legion might be seen as lunatics and criminals by many, but compared to the Masked Fools, Phantylia felt her own faction was relatively normal. At least all they wanted was simple destruction.
Those Fools... ten of them could come up with a hundred different contradictory ideas. Even she would never want to possess one of them. She was genuinely afraid she'd go mad.
"Sigh. And here I thought you had a real talent for finding fun."
"Well, I think you'd be great at business, too. How about a position at the Interastral Peace Corporation? The Preservation welcomes you."
At that, Tingyun finally snapped. If she could, she would have slapped him twice across the face right then and there.