"Huohuo, though my body is one of mechanical ingenuity, even I felt a flicker of fear in my heart."
"Even Lady Xueyi gets scared?"
"Facing a monster that toys with life as it pleases… I feared I would never again work alongside my sister."
"Scared or not, if it needs a beating, it gets a beating!" With Stelle's current strength, handling a Tayzzyronth should be a piece of cake.
What? You call this an unknown encounter battle? That she might lose from lack of preparation? Hilarious! Trailblaze is all about charging into the unknown!
...
Scene shift—everyone had already successfully dealt with Furyflame.
"Thank you, honored judges, for clearing away the obstacles and gathering these Tayzzyronth fragments for me."
Cirrus's manic laughter echoed in everyone's ears. Bertnis swiftly put on his ear protection, blocking out every last bit of noise.
"Hey! Who brings this much junk to a fight?!"
"Miss Stelle, don't be so shocked. This is standard Eternal Church procedure."
Ignoring Cirrus off to the side, Bertnis proudly showed Stelle his personal inventory.
The Book of Eternal Virtues, the Book of Eternal Doctrine, a damaged set of silver armor… and… a milk tea cup?
"I feel… stronger than ever before!"
"What a massive eyeball. So gross." Bertnis selectively went blind—out of sight, out of mind—and plunked the helmet over his head.
After an intense battle…
Cirrus had originally planned to unleash her ultimate move and drain the vital essence from everyone present.
Instead, Stelle turned the tables with the hourglass necklace. Just as Cirrus was about to be sucked in, Bertnis suddenly popped up behind her and smashed her back to her original form with a single swing.
"…Arghhhhh! You'll never seal me into a ritual array!" Outmatched, Cirrus played dirty and burrowed into the body of a bailiff.
The situation temporarily settled, Stelle dragged Cirrus alone to a secluded corner.
"You bastard, bastard, bastard, bastard! You, that red-haired jerk, and those judges!"
What era are we living in—still playing the "act weak to eat the tiger" game? Cirrus couldn't wrap her head around it. They'd treated her like livestock.
"Sooner or later… sooner or later I'll find the chance to rip you all to shreds, crunch your bones between my teeth, drain every last drop of strength from you, then spit you into the dirt like phlegm…"
"See? She's mad." Stelle pulled out her phone and started typing a message.
"Hey Cirrus, wanna go back to Mommy's arms?"
Stelle opened her arms with a cheeky grin. After all this time possessing her, they'd almost bonded.
"Hmph! When it comes to viciousness, humans are every bit the equal of Tayzzyronth!"
"How about… you leave this kid's body first?"
Cirrus was still clever—she'd taken a hostage.
"Kid? As a bailiff, he's lived far more than you ever have."
"As long as I'm trapped here, I'm not leaving this flesh. The judges can plaster talismans all over it, slather it with potions—go ahead. As long as the Ten-Lords Commission wants to keep their subordinate alive, I've got room to negotiate."
Stelle sneered. "Big talk. What tricks do you have left now?"
"I can do plenty. I will endure. Before the Cloudstride Alliance even existed, I had already lived countless years. After the Alliance crumbles, I'll still exist for countless more Amber Eras."
"I can wait—wait for you to lower your guard, wait for the arrays in Fyxestroll Garden to collapse. Time and opportunity are forever on my side."
Cirrus stared straight at Stelle and fell silent, malice and calculation flickering in the child's eyes.
Because she was possessing a child, the whole thing looked… oddly cute to Stelle?
"Cirrus, sure you don't want to chat with Mommy a little longer?" Stelle probed. She'd brought Cirrus to a hidden corner, after all. Any smart Tayzzyronth would slip away right now.
"Besides the few of us in Fyxestroll Garden, when the Furnace of Creation shattered, other Tayzzyronth escaped without a trace. Where are they now? What kind of trouble will they stir up across the Luofu?"
"Hehe~ I can't wait to watch the Ten-Lords Commission running around like headless chickens." Cirrus didn't even bother hiding it—she was already caught anyway.
Stelle caught the keyword: other Tayzzyronth…
So she pulled out her phone again and sent a follow-up message.
"Ahh, so bored it's heartbreaking. Even the occasional passing fly has become entertainment."
Cirrus's eyes went vacant; her tone suddenly shifted, as if she'd already been rotting in Fyxestroll Garden for ages.
"Cut the chit-chat. We finally escaped the furnace, and now while my kin are out there living it up across the Luofu, I'm stuck here unable to move… You expect me to accept that?"
"Hahaha~ Reverse psychology doesn't work on me. You want me to sell out my own kind?"
Cirrus fell into a long silence, scrutinizing Stelle over and over.
Hiss… it really wasn't fair. Why was she the one trapped?
After a pause, Cirrus spoke. "I have one condition. I want to settle the old score between the great Tayzzyronth Blazeheart and the general. Bring the current General of the Luofu to me… and everything's negotiable."
Stelle went silent too. Drag Jing Yuan here by herself? That might be a tall order.
Uncle Yang and March 7th were resting on the Express; no need to bother them over this.
"What, already stumped? Looks like your resolve to bargain with Tayzzyronth isn't that strong after all~"
A vein throbbed on Stelle's forehead. Every word out of this thing's mouth was a roundabout refusal. Fine—if that's how it wanted to play, no more Miss Nice Galaxy Batter.
She couldn't summon the Luofu General… but she could call someone even scarier.
"Deal. You said 'General,' right?" Stelle whipped out her phone and sent a distress signal right in front of Cirrus.
Cirrus nodded, secretly thinking this sis actually had some pull—going alone to fetch the current Luofu General.
...
A few minutes later, Adrian arrived yawning, carrying a bag full of colorful local specialties.
"Huh?" Stelle visibly froze. She'd shaken the big shot tree expecting Freesna, not… this?
Something was wrong here???
"Ah, she had other business, so I came instead."
Stelle's mood instantly deflated. She'd overestimated her place in Freesna's heart. After everything on Jarilo-VI, she thought they were ride-or-die.
Sigh~ Emanators of Eternity were clearly not as simple as she'd imagined.
"…This is the current general?"
Adrian: ?
"Looks like he just rolled out of bed. Weak as hell. Where's Tengxiao? How did he pick this guy as successor?"
"Though making the Xianzhou hold another martial tournament to pick a new general isn't realistic."
Cirrus muttered to herself. The Luofu was doomed. Tayzzyronth should just take the job.
Adrian turned around. "What'd you say to this kid? How did I wake up and suddenly become the general?"
"Haha~" Stelle laughed awkwardly, scratching her head, then leaned in close to whisper an explanation.
"What, you want me to duel it right here in Fyxestroll Garden?"