High above, bathed in holy light, Bai Cha, covered in blood, fiercely swung her scythe at the golden scales. Visible cracks spread like spiderwebs.
For a moment, the sky fell silent.
"No need to weigh it, Lord Scales. You could place a chicken on it, and it still wouldn't outweigh my heart, let alone a feather," Bai Cha sneered contemptuously. "Don't you know me? I'm utterly wicked. I'm a major, villain!"
Bloodlight flashed. Bai Cha, in a frenzy, raised her scythe again and struck hard. The golden scales instantly lost their luster. The scale pan shattered with a bang, and cracks appeared along the golden shaft, threatening to explode.
Light most restrains darkness and evil. Why didn't it control her?
Astrea's face changed multiple times as he quickly retreated. Three centimeters from his heart hung a chain, which Bai Cha had pierced through his chest while striking his golden scales.
The chain had twisted into his flesh. Without a professional doctor, he couldn't remove it rashly, as it would pull out his internal tissues, causing more severe injuries. Astrea could only sever the chain, leaving a piece on him.
Truly reckless, not only fighting with abandon but also showing no mercy. Astrea felt that Bai Cha's fight just now was somewhat fueled by personal grudges.
"You still hate me," Astrea stated with certainty. He could no longer maintain the holy light, and the golden radiance around him dimmed.
Bai Cha smiled wickedly, with disdain and contempt. She provocatively wiggled her index finger: "No, Lord Scales, you should know that recklessness comes with a price."
Astrea's pupils contracted. Suddenly, as if understanding something, he looked incredulous: "You knew I would attack directly?"
A flash of inspiration struck Astrea. He suddenly understood the cause and effect. He hadn't expected to be used by his junior to cover up Z country's scandal.
"Who knows," the bloodlight remained strong. Bai Cha spun the long handle of her scythe, whirling the double-bladed weapon into a circle, generating gusts of wind. "As a senior, your direct entrance wasn't a pretty sight at all... Since you're here to cause trouble, I naturally have to make you suffer a bit."
Suffer a bit? This was likely a warning to others.
Astrea's expression was grim and uncertain. While he had been complacent, he also hadn't expected Bai Cha's outburst to be so powerful. If Bai Cha had been even slightly more ruthless, he might have been half-dead if not dead.
If he had gone all out from the start, he could have at least repelled Bai Cha. How could he have lost so much face… Wait, did Bai Cha know he would be complacent?
"...Elpis, the seventh idol of the Goddess. Elpis," Astrea said with a grim face, looking at Bai Cha. "The God of Deceit might suit you better."
"That's not up to you. The idol chose me, not you," Bai Cha snorted. "Oh, right, extend your hand."
Bai Cha produced a pair of power-suppressing handcuffs and waved them in front of Astrea. "You know I won't harm you. After all, you're practically my half-master. I always respect my teachers."
Respect teachers and value the way?
Astrea almost broke character. Looking at the piece of chain stuck in his chest and his golden scales, which were already half-shattered, he had no idea how Bai Cha could utter such words.
In the end, Astrea was handcuffed and temporarily reduced to a normal person. Bai Cha then escorted him to Gong Yuechen.
These handcuffs were an advanced version of Kolora's inhibition bracelets. No matter how powerful the wearer, they couldn't use any strength.
In the sky, a maiden as bright as the moon walked on air, with lotuses blooming and withering beneath her feet. The figure that had struck down the sun, covered in blood, raised the clan emblem hanging from her body. The shield-shaped emblem shone dazzlingly in the sunlight.
"If you want to challenge the bottom line of a great nation, you must be prepared to pay a greater price."
"I am the Shield of the Empire."
The crowd erupted in a clamor, too stunned to speak.
When Bai Cha returned to the venue, it was deathly quiet. Seeing the maiden descending from the sky, her aura still lingering, the crowd dared not look directly at her, shifting their gaze to the competition while their minds wandered.
News had already spread like wildfire, with major news outlets covering it extensively.
[Shocking: Z Country's Shadow Leader Defeats World's Strongest Expert, World Competition Rankings Continue to Update?]
[Several Countries' Dragon Knight Envoys Publicly Cause Trouble and Are Detained, Bai Family Demands Heads of State Collect Them?]
[XXX and Several Countries Collude to Cause Trouble, Suppressed by One Person from Z Country.]
[Z Country's Shield of the Empire is an Underage Girl? What is This...]
[...]
Major headlines were going viral. Issues like the interrupted competition and security concerns were completely overshadowed, let alone Z country's scandals. Instead, Z country was praised to the heavens.
After all, the act of striking down the sun-like radiance was too awe-inspiring. Moreover, everyone could see the influence of the title "World's Strongest." Compared to these, the problems with the competition seemed trivial.
Back on the floating platform, Bai Cha sat on her seat, finally exhaling in relief. Lucifer took Bai Cha's hand, only to find it ice-cold, immediately sensing something was wrong, his face stiffening.
"Shhh," Bai Cha squeezed Lucifer's hand reassuringly and leaned back against the chair, whispering to him, "How are things?"
"As you suspected, they questioned Kolora's death. The severed finger you gave me from Kolora resolved the issue," Lucifer whispered.
Lucifer would likely never forget the scene last night. Last night, Bai Cha stood expressionlessly before Kolora, calm as if she were about to drink water or eat a meal.
"Extend your hand," Bai Cha placed Kolora's hand on the table and calmly asked, "Afraid?"
"Not afraid." Kolora's spine stiffened, her eyes tightly shut, her entire body trembling slightly.
Lilia was led to the room by Lucifer. Bai Cha calmly placed a wooden stick into Kolora's mouth.
"Bite down."
"Mmm!!"
A suppressed groan. When Lucifer emerged from the room, he saw Kolora slumped on the sofa, the wooden stick bitten into two pieces, and Bai Cha holding a severed finger.
"You all know what happens next. This is an undeserved disaster for you. I will handle your accommodation here and any subsequent subsidies."
After Bai Cha's instructions, she turned and left with Lucifer.
Survival by sacrificing a finger – that was Bai Cha's plan.
After all, the "evidence" had been given to those people. There was no way they wouldn't believe it.
At that moment, Bai Cha's action was swift and unhesitating. She even tossed the severed finger to him like a toy at the end.
It wasn't until late into the shift change that Bai Cha nonchalantly returned to the lounge with Lucifer.
"Cough!"
As soon as the lounge door closed, Bai Cha collapsed to the ground, clutching her chest and coughing up a large mouthful of blood, startling Lucifer.
Lucifer had already guessed that Bai Cha's condition might be dire, but he hadn't expected it to be so severe. She was ice-cold all over, even stiff as a corpse.
Lucifer panicked. The fear in his heart made his limbs weak. He quickly fumbled for the stimulant Bai Cha carried and had her inhale some.
The stimulating sensation jolted her brain and heart, allowing Bai Cha to recover. She felt her heart weakly struggling, teetering on the brink of collapse.
But it was alright. As long as she recovered, she would be fine.
"Don't touch me yet," Bai Cha stopped Lucifer with a hoarse voice, turning herself onto her side and lying on the cold ground, closing her eyes to concentrate on regulating her breathing.
She could feel Lucifer's anxiety, could feel his hand holding hers trembling slightly.
She must have scared him. She, who was so powerful, could also fall.
"I'm sorry, my methods are never perfect," Bai Cha said apologetically. "Thanks to you today."
If Lucifer hadn't been holding down the fort below, Meng Qinghuan alone would have been in trouble. One main brain wasn't enough; at least one co-brain was needed to oversee. This time, Lucifer and Meng Qinghuan had perfectly fulfilled this role, otherwise, it wouldn't have gone so smoothly.
"No, it is I who should apologize, my Mistress." Lucifer held Bai Cha's hand in his palm, trying to convey warmth. "This time, I was unable to become your shield."
It was his fault. He always wanted to protect her, but she always got hurt.
"No, you did very well..." Bai Cha's voice gradually weakened, but Lucifer's heart grew more frantic.
Perhaps he didn't need to consume souls for now? He didn't want Bai Cha to die at all right now. He even wanted to embrace her, to embrace this lonely soul.
Fortunately, Lucifer reacted quickly this time. He rushed to the bathroom, filled it with water, poured in the medicinal liquid, undressed Bai Cha, and submerged her entire body in it, then fed her the medicinal liquid.
These were usually the follow-up actions after Bai Cha had fainted and woken up, but with Lucifer now, it was indeed much more convenient.
Outside the window, Yun He looked helplessly at her master, who was eavesdropping by the wall.
Today, Meng Qinghuan had guessed that Bai Cha was in a bad condition, so she brought Yun He to take care of Bai Cha. She didn't expect Lucifer to have already taken care of everything.
Logically, they should have left with Lucifer there, but Meng Qinghuan insisted on eavesdropping, claiming she wanted to hear some little secrets.
"Alas, Master, are you done listening?" Yun He, dressed in a tight, professional combat uniform, with short, neat hair, was not at all like other delicate and fragile young girls. The modest glasses made her look even more like a somewhat rigid and well-behaved girl.
"Oh dear~ Don't be like that, Little Crane. Aren't you going to help Master listen to some little secrets?" Meng Qinghuan quickly moved away from the wall and returned to Yun He's side, smiling cheekily. "Who do you think will win?"
"Them?" Yun He looked confused. "Win what?"
Meng Qinghuan pointed to the roof of this small house. "Look, there are three."
Yun He looked closely and saw Cang Liu, holding a sword, guarding the rooftop like an ice sculpture.
"One openly loves, two secretly love. I think Lucifer has a better chance. As the saying goes, one who is close to the water tower gets the moonlight first," Meng Qinghuan said as she walked. "However, Little Mo is so enthusiastic, and Little Bai is so dense. Maybe a direct approach would be more effective?"
"Uh, wait a moment, Master." Yun He was a bit helpless, not knowing what her unreliable master was thinking about every day. "Lucifer is after Miss Bai's soul, right? And, Miss Bai and Cang Liu have no interaction at all. How could Cang Liu fall for Miss Bai?"
"Ah~ You just don't understand," Meng Qinghuan patted Yun He's head, smiling mischievously. "Look at their eyes."
"Eyes?" Yun He didn't understand.
"Yes, yes, their eyes and their attitudes." Meng Qinghuan clasped her hands together and smiled faintly. "But we're not thinking about that now. You need to warm up, Little Crane, go for it!"
Warm up? Go for it?
Yun He was confused and looked around. Only then did she notice the rustling in the surrounding bushes, and soon several people, heavily wrapped, surrounded her.
Yun He pondered. Her martial arts were indeed not up to par; she hadn't noticed anything at all. It seemed she needed to study harder.
"Come! Let your teacher see your progress!" Meng Qinghuan, holding the silent Baimeng, stepped back a few paces, waving her sleeves stylishly and drawing out a captivating trailing voice as she shouted, "Little disciple~ Your teacher will cheer for you~~~"
Yun He: "..."
No need, really.