Chapter 101: Yu Chan & Mongoose VS. Jin & Ayane Hanyu

“Silly girl…”

Chu You stared blankly at the small mushroom cloud that had yet to dissipate in the distance, subconsciously murmuring under her breath.

Just how much favorability had she saved up to unleash a Haymaker of that magnitude?

She vaguely remembered that during the Night Hunt Squad’s training sessions, Qing Luan would always stare at her pitifully, whispering about how much she feared pain.

In the distance, the aftershocks of the explosion had not yet fully subsided.

Immediately afterward, countless thick, dark vines grew frantically, using the aberrations as nutrients.

They wove together into a massive net, precisely catching Qing Luan as she fell from the sky due to the recoil and blast impact, cushioning her momentum.

Chu You shifted her gaze toward the top of the bifurcated vines — a tall figure had appeared there at some unknown moment, her clothes fluttering slightly in the air currents from the explosion.

‘Flower Demon has also become stronger…’ Chu You thought silently.

The next moment, a loud boom echoed.

Another figure descended from the sky like a meteorite, crashing heavily into the swarm of aberrations.

Upon landing, he transformed into a ruthless killing machine.

With every swing of his fists, he unleashed thunderous power.

Like a human bulldozer, he plowed a path of blood and flesh through the tide of aberrations, rapidly closing in on Chu You’s position.

It was Blacksmith!

Just as Blacksmith was sweeping through the enemy, a special aberration, whose body constantly secreted highly corrosive acid, suddenly lunged from his blind spot.

Its sharp claws, glinting with a cold light, aimed straight for his heart.

At almost the exact same time, a blurred figure emerged silently from the special aberration’s own shadow like a ghost.

The eerie weapon in his hand moved with lightning speed, striking from bottom to top with precise cruelty — once again completing the standard skewering process!

Squelch!

The acid aberration froze instantly, the murderous light in its eyes extinguished.

“Blacksmith, Shadow…”

Chu You murmured these two long-lost codenames, her expression complicated as she watched the display of unspoken coordination and cold efficiency.

…

On the rooftop of a distant skyscraper, Ayane Hanyu looked at the situation on the riverbed, which had been instantly reversed by the arrival of the Night Hunt Squad.

For the first time, a look of undisguised displeasure appeared on her face.

Her meticulously arranged scene had actually been disrupted by these people who had suddenly appeared.

“These annoying bugs… why can’t they just die quietly?”

Her voice was icy, carrying a hint of offended indignation.

She slowly raised her hand, the pitch-black void within the cracks of her palm surging once more.

She prepared to drive the aberrations under her control into an even greater frenzy.

However —

Whoosh!

A sharp, piercing sound of something breaking through the air erupted without warning from the shadows behind them, aimed directly at Ayane Hanyu’s throat!

Ayane Hanyu seemed defenseless, her attention focused on the riverbed battlefield.

But Jin, who was beside her, reacted with unimaginable speed.

He moved almost as if he had predicted it, reaching out to pull Ayane Hanyu back.

Slash!

The cold light flashed past Ayane Hanyu’s fair neck.

The sharp wind even severed a few strands of her hair and left a faint bloodstain on the side of her neck.

“We have guests.”

Jin released Ayane Hanyu, his voice remaining flat.

He slowly turned around to face the shadows where the attack had originated.

Ayane Hanyu touched her neck, her fingertips staining with a trace of bright red blood.

Cold killing intent flickered in her eyes as she also turned her head.

Two figures, one tall and one short, stepped out unhurriedly from the shadows of the rooftop entrance and into the sunlight.

The taller one wore a standard Sword Bearer combat uniform underneath a white lab coat.

She had a slender figure and a calm temperament, with gold-rimmed glasses resting on her face.

The shorter girl beside her had short, neat hair and an exquisite but expressionless face, looking much like a doll.

She held a gracefully curved scimitar in each hand, the blades still stained with wet, dark-red blood.

“So it’s you two… controlling these aberrations from behind the scenes to assassinate Sword Bearers?”

The tall woman adjusted the frames on the bridge of her nose.

Her gaze fell on Ayane Hanyu and Jin through her lenses, and a faint, cold smile curled at the corners of her lips.

“Doing such things on the Huafu Federation’s territory… have you two decided how you want to die?”

The shorter woman beside her flicked her wrists slightly, her blood-stained scimitars reflecting the piercing sunlight.

She spoke with a voice as devoid of emotion as her expression.

“Sister Yu Chan, should we start?”

“Don’t be in such a hurry, Mongoose.”

The tall woman, Yu Chan, waved her hand gently.

Her focus was mainly on Ayane Hanyu’s face.

A flash of thought crossed her eyes, which then turned into realization.

“You look quite familiar. Let me think… ah, right.”

Her tone was calm, yet it was like dropping a bombshell.

“The culprit behind the sinking of the Neon Archipelago, the exiled Divine Servant of the Hanyu family… am I correct?”

Upon hearing this, Ayane Hanyu’s pupils constricted sharply.

Her expression shifted as she stared intently at Yu Chan.

“You… how do you know that?!”

It had been far too long since anyone had mentioned those past events.

So long that even her own memories had begun to blur.

But now, a seemingly young woman had accurately stated her former identity and the events she had experienced the moment she opened her mouth.

However, Yu Chan remained quite composed, as if she were merely confirming a trivial piece of information.

“I happened to see a few words about you in the headquarters’ database. But — “

Her tone suddenly shifted, her gaze becoming as sharp as a scalpel as she sized Ayane Hanyu up.

Her voice carried a trace of subtle mockery.

“Calculating the time, you should be over 500 years old by now, right? What a… long life you’ve had.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Mongoose narrowed her eyes slightly.

Looking at Ayane Hanyu, she tilted her head in confusion and added a barb in her monotonous voice.

“Is she a tortoise? How is she still alive?”

“That’s not polite, Mongoose.”

Hearing this, Yu Chan raised her hand in mock reproach and gently stroked Mongoose’s short hair, a smiling expression on her face.

“Be good, be a lady… we’ll just cut off her four limbs and take her away later. You have to be polite.”

“Oh, I understand.”

Mongoose tilted her head slightly to avoid Yu Chan’s touch and nodded expressionlessly, responding with easy compliance.

Opposite them, Ayane Hanyu listened to their back-and-forth conversation, which was filled with contempt and insult.

Her face, which had already been unsightly, turned as dark as stagnant water, and fire nearly erupted from her eyes.

A dangerous aura began to radiate from her body, and her voice sounded like it came from the depths of a frozen abyss.

“Mere Oracles of the Eclipse Realm… how dare you speak so arrogantly before me?!”

“Did I strike a nerve?”

Yu Chan narrowed her eyes and laughed.

“It doesn’t matter; no one actually cares. Although, as for that strange fellow wearing a mask — “

As she spoke, she looked at Jin, who was standing beside Ayane Hanyu.

“You’re an accomplice, right?”

Upon hearing this, Jin lowered his head in thought for a moment before looking up and answering seriously, “…As of right now, yes.”

“Oh,” Yu Chan nodded, her tone as casual as if they were discussing what to have for dinner.

“Then we’ll cut off your limbs and take you away too. Assassinating Sword Bearers… the principal and the accomplice both deserve to die.”

Jin’s emotions remained stable.

Even after hearing Yu Chan’s remarks, he only gave a slight nod.

“In that case.”

“Please allow us to perform a reasonable resistance, ladies.”

“Whether we kill you or are killed by you, it is all the best possible arrangement… for the opening of this grand play.”