Phantylia and Zephyro both froze.
The "illegitimate son vs. legitimate heir" analogy was crude and blunt—yet undeniably easy to understand.
But what it implied shattered their understanding of Destruction itself.
A god-forged creation was rare across the cosmos, but not unheard of.
The most famous example was that "bug" Emanator of Aha the Elation—in a sense, that pitiful insect could also be counted as something made by a god.
But Destruction was different.
Every known Annihilation Gang Great Lord had been noticed only because of a violently intense will to destroy.
They were the chosen—yet their foundations still came from what they originally were.
And Wei Qing… was claiming he was a lifeform personally created by Nanook?
A Destruction Aeon committing an act of creation—it was as absurd as imagining the Aeon of Preservation waking up one day and smashing a star system to pieces.
"…So that's how it is." Phantylia's voice carried tangled emotion—shock, relief, and even a thread of envy. "A god-forged body… no wonder. No wonder…"
She'd wondered why, as fellow Great Lords, the Destruction-origin aura on him was so pure—pure enough to tug even a sliver of Nanook's divine might into resonance.
Zephyro also nodded in silence. A weapon crafted by the Wound-Bringer specifically to oppose Abundance—his stance simply wasn't in doubt.
"Then what are your intentions," Zephyro asked, "and how do you want us to help?"
Wei Qing watched their reactions with satisfaction and slowly reined in that faint trace of Nanook's presence.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
When dealing with Great Lords, explanations and negotiations were never as effective as absolute pressure—identity crushing identity.
"Lately, the Xianzhou Alliance hasn't been peaceful," Wei Qing said. "Abundance's followers and the Antimatter Legion have both grown active."
"You two… were you cooperating with Shuhu?"
"Not really 'cooperating,'" Zephyro answered flatly. "More like mutual exploitation."
"Shuhu already regards the Xianzhou Alliance as a mortal enemy. Right now he simply craves the Ambrosial Arbor of the Luofu."
"And since the Hunt also sits within Destruction's targets," she continued, "we agreed to provide a few sparks to ignite a war."
Phantylia's soft laugh followed.
"Unfortunately, those sparks didn't play out as expected. They nearly burned us instead."
Her gaze rolled over Wei Qing—its meaning difficult to read.
"In that case, it's simple," Wei Qing said calmly. "I need a crisis—one that's perfectly sized."
"Shuhu took severe damage this time. After seeing my trait—severing 'immortality'—his craving for the Arbor will only intensify."
"You want to use Shuhu's hand to build a stage," Phantylia murmured, thinking aloud, "where you can turn the tide and solidify your prestige?"
"We can control a war's scale and tempo," she continued, "but Shuhu isn't a puppet. He won't obediently follow a script."
"He doesn't need to follow your commands," Wei Qing replied. "He only needs an opportunity—one that looks like a once-in-a-millennium chance to touch the Arbor."
"And I'll be there… waiting for him."
That was Wei Qing's plan.
After this battle, he could no longer be sure the future would unfold exactly as it did in his memories.
He couldn't allow a threat like Shuhu to keep hopping around out there—so he would borrow his two "colleagues" to help close the net.
Besides, the system's rewards had been consistently generous—he still had a mainline task about becoming an Abundance Emanator that remained unfinished.
As for what came afterward—if he truly took the generalship, then every arrangement would be his to dictate.
Was he really going to let two Destruction thieves hollow him out from the inside?
Phantylia let out a pleased little laugh.
"I understand. Drive the prey into the trap the hunter prepared in advance… and then admire the hunter's elegant kill."
"This play—I like it."
"We'll persuade Shuhu to move along our script," she added, voice full of malicious delight at bending fate. "After all, the power he wants most… we can provide a tiny bit of it."
Zephyro supplemented, precise as ever:
"We can also guide the movements of the Alliance's other Xianzhou—ensuring that, at the critical moment, the Luofu's reinforcements are 'reasonably' delayed."
"This will be a merit you alone will claim."
"Good." Wei Qing sounded satisfied with their efficiency. "We'll discuss details later. For now, it's time to give this encounter a reasonable ending."
"If so, then matters here are concluded." Zephyro didn't seem inclined to say more. She looked at Wei Qing deeply once. "I look forward to your performance on the day you end Abundance."
Before her words even finished, space around her rippled again. A low hum of string-tone—her figure faded, dissolving like background noise, clean and decisive.
Seeing that, Phantylia knew there was no need to linger either.
She tossed Wei Qing a glance heavy with implication.
"Lord Wei Qing… every meeting with you really does bring me surprises."
"I hope next time, we can stand on the same side… truly sharing Destruction's joy—rather than like today…"
She didn't finish.
The eerie yellow radiance receded like a tide, and her graceful silhouette vanished into the void with it—leaving only a lazy laugh that slowly faded out.
The two Great Lords arrived abruptly, and left just as cleanly—like they'd never been there at all.
Only the faint residual tremors in space, and the wreckage Shuhu's self-destruction had left behind, silently testified to the heart-stopping clash that had just occurred.
Wei Qing swept his gaze across the battlefield.
The Borisin main force had suffered catastrophic losses in the exchange between him, Shuhu, and the two Great Lords. Only the remnants of the first wave—those that had charged ahead—were still being efficiently purged by the Cloud Knights' fleet.
"Wei Qing! Are you okay?!"
Yingxing's anxious voice burst through the comms as the starship rapidly closed in.
That series of terrifying detonations had nearly convinced everyone on the bridge that Wei Qing had met disaster.
"I'm fine," Wei Qing replied, voice steady. "The enemy main force is gravely wounded and has fled. The remaining Abundance vermin—leave none alive."
His order was executed immediately.
Cloud Knight soldiers surged with morale, sweeping through the leaderless, chaotic Borisin wolfships with crushing momentum.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 90)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 95)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 80)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter70)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter70)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter50)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter60)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 30
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 30
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