Hanya, as a Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission, had long been washed by the karmic tides of the mara-struck due to her dream divination arts. Her heart was like still water concerning worldly affairs, indifferent as if nothing in the world concerned her. Only when her sister Xueyi, also a judge, was mentioned would ripples appear on that face always shrouded in shadow and weariness.
Just like last time, when Hanya saw Daziel defiling Xueyi's puppet, such rare and icy fury had erupted in Hanya's eyes... Thinking of this, and then hearing this voice, charming to the bone, a voice of confused passion and desire, the shock in everyone's hearts was simply indescribable.
The Hanya before them, where was the stoic judge with heavy dark circles, sparse words, and a demeanor that pushed everyone away? This was clearly... a soul-snatching demoness!
Hanya's unusual charm, yet seemingly tempered with cold command, transformed into an invisible demonic sound, insidiously drilling into the depths of everyone's consciousness.
"Come, take them all down for me!" Her voice carried a scalp-numbing playfulness and cruelty. "The women... hehehe......... they're quite a nuisance, just kill them all."
"As for little brother Daziel..." Her tone abruptly changed, becoming lingering and sentimental, filled with undisguised possessiveness. "...Stay, and keep me good company."
Sushang, hearing this, her pretty face instantly flushed red, not from shyness, but from anger ignited by this malice and contempt: "Hey, hey, hey, what do you mean? We're sentenced to death just like that?"
Guinaifen, on the other hand, paled and tugged at Daziel: "This is bad, this is bad, that woman wants to beat Sponsor Daddy to his knees, force him back to be a toiling slave!"
A vein throbbed almost imperceptibly on Fu Xuan's forehead; she was clearly rendered somewhat speechless by the outworlder girl's words. She slapped Guinaifen's bottom: "Why is your outworlder girl imagination so vivid? With me here, do you really think we'll fall here?"
The moment Fu Xuan's words faded, the deadly silence of the corridor was utterly ignited by a sudden burst of killing intent! An ominous wind howled!
Several figures of Underworld Martial Officers, like inky phantoms, shot out from the depths of the darkness, their movements swift and treacherous, leaving trails of afterimages. Their coordination was chillingly perfect. The faintly glowing executioner's blades in their hands tore through the viscous air, emitting shrill "swish-swish" sounds of displaced air, their angles extremely cunning, the cold blades aimed straight for the necks, hearts, and other vital points of Daziel's group!
Thump!
Thump!
Thump!
Heavy footsteps, like the beating of war drums, followed closely. The slender metal bodies of the Jinren Soul-Reavers crushed the already slippery stone slabs beneath their feet, sending stone fragments flying. Each step seemed to pound on everyone's heart. The Soul-Reaving Tokens in their hands glinted with a cold light, carrying a tyrannical aura capable of crushing everything as they smashed down with unparalleled ferocity!
This was the blood-boiling combination attack of the Underworld Martial Officers and the Jinren Soul-Reavers—Serrated Evil meets Skyfall. Daziel's group knew that once hit by this move, they would fall into a brief mental shock; it couldn't be taken head-on.
"Heh—Ha!" Guinaifen let out a clear, sharp cry, taking a deep breath, her cheeks instantly puffing out. The next moment, a torrent of scorching, violent flames spewed from her mouth!
The roaring flames billowed and surged, instantly engulfing several Underworld Martial Officers who had rushed close. The high temperature violently distorted the air. The scorching heatwave, mixed with the pungent, burnt smell of scorched flesh, forced the enemies to retreat in disarray.
Guinaifen, using the recoil from her fire-breathing, spun around. The red-lacquered staff that had accompanied her through her wanderings and street performances now danced with vigor, its shadow a dense, impenetrable barrier. Her eyes focused, she poured all her strength into the staff, precisely pointing, flicking, parrying, and blocking, deflecting the Jinren Soul-Reavers' Soul-Reaving Tokens—heavy enough to shatter stone tablets—again and again.
Clang!
Clang clang!
The crisp sounds of metal colliding were incessant. Sparks flew fiercely in the dim corridor, briefly illuminating Guinaifen's pretty face, which, though smudged with soot, was now filled with gravity and heroism.
"Kun position, left flank three inches, be alert! Three martial officers are forming a joint attack!"
Fu Xuan's cool, calm voice pierced through the din of battle, each word as precise as a measuring stick, incomparably clear. Her white and purple dress fluttered, like a snow lotus in winter, standing quietly at the center of the miniature Matrix of Prescience, which flowed with continuous light. Fu Xuan's eyes were closed, her slender, fair fingers forming abstruse seals before her with phantom-like speed.
The faint purple light of the formation array, like living water, flowed ceaselessly around her. Every subtle movement of the enemy, every attack trajectory, even the fluctuations in their power, were captured and analyzed by this wondrous formation, projected with utmost clarity into the perception of Daziel, Sushang, and Guinaifen. One of the abilities of the Matrix of Prescience: Omniscient!
Sushang bit her cherry lip tightly, fine beads of sweat already soaking the hair on her forehead, sticking to her smooth skin. The heavy greatsword in her hand, so disproportionate to her petite frame, now displayed a nimbleness and stability completely at odds with its weight. Sushang firmly planted her feet, using the Cloud Knights' most basic and solid footwork, each step like a nail driven into the ground, steady as a rock.
Sword light flashed, like streaks of silver silk, weaving a dense sword net before her. Time and again, in the nick of time, she dangerously parried the executioner's blades that struck from treacherous angles like vipers' tongues.
Occasionally, when she keenly perceived an enemy's attack missing, their old strength spent and new strength yet to gather, in that fleeting gap... Taixu Xingyun............!
Sushang's eyes would focus, her waist would sink sharply, all her strength converging to a single point. After her heavy sword fell, a clumsy rooster, carrying the force of a thousand jun tearing through the air, would fiercely sweep or angrily chop out! ............Phoenix, manifest!
Bang!
An Underworld Martial Officer, unable to dodge in time, was hit hard by this heavy blow, flying backward like a broken kite and smashing heavily against the cold, damp wall with a sickening thud. The sound of breaking bones was clearly audible.
"Waaah! S-so... so many enemies! We can't fight them all!"
In the relatively safe corner at the rear of the group, Huohuo had almost buried her entire small head in her fluffy, warm tail. She hugged her furry tail, her small body trembling like the last helpless leaf in a gale. The clash of blades and swords, the intertwining of firelight and ghostly light, enemies surging endlessly from the darkness like a tide, and the sickeningly sweet, bloody stench growing ever thicker and more nauseating—all ofit terrified Huohuo, her small face deathly pale, her voice thick with sobs, trembling incessantly, looking as if she might faint at any moment.
"Useless! You're really embarrassing me! Daziel's other women are all fighting for MVP, and you're just a freeloader!" Mr. Tail finally couldn't stand it anymore and directly started taunting and cursing her. "All you know is to tremble at critical moments! Pick up that broken command flag in your hand! Be ready to provide support at any time! Do you hear me!"
Huohuo flinched from the scolding, quickly waving the small, almost insignificant command flag in her hand, whimpering and trying to explain with a sob, "Wu........but...but this flag of mine, in this kind of real combat, is absolutely... absolutely useless............" Her voice grew softer, seemingly very embarrassed, "Tail, you know, I...I specially chose a white one.........thinking.........thinking that if we couldn't win.........it would be convenient...convenient to surrender..."
Fu Xuan's indifferent gaze swept over the nearly huddled Huohuo, her voice devoid of any emotional fluctuation, as if all the chaos and crisis of the battlefield could not shake her spirit; everything was under control.
"Huohuo." Her voice wasn't loud, yet it clearly reached Huohuo's ears. "Collect your mind, banish distracting thoughts, calm your qi and focus your spirit. Have the one in your tail fully sense the direction of those evil auras hidden deeper."
Fu Xuan's mind was like a clear mirror. Although these Underworld Martial Officers and Jinren Soul-Reavers were troublesome, they were ultimately just controlled puppets. The truly tricky parts were the insidious, mind-corroding, strangely sweet mist, and... the true culprit behind Judge Hanya's subversive, abnormal behavior—the Heliobus. That was the deeper level of malevolent corrosive power hidden beneath the physical struggle.
Daziel's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, swiftly scanning the chaotic battlefield, finally locking onto a spot not far away like a nail. There, seemingly tightly protected by several Underworld Martial Officers, but actually more like being monitored, was the core position—Hanya.
At this moment, where was the Hanya of the past, who kept everyone at arm's length, utterly uninterested in anything? She leaned lazily against the wall, a demonic and satisfied smile on her lips, her eyes hazy, yet concealing a heart-stopping madness and coldness. Her cheeks, usually pale and lacking color, were now flushed with an unnatural, sickly red.
She watched the slaughter before her, her eyes devoid of any pity or worry, only a kind of......... playfulness. A kind of playful interest and anticipation, as if watching a drama! Especially when her gaze occasionally swept over Daziel, who was fighting fiercely, the heat and possessiveness in her eyes were almost tangible, making Daziel feel an inexplicable heat and alertness. Who would have thought this was still the Ten-Lords Commission's Judge Hanya!?
Too hot... She curved her lips into a captivating smile that could topple nations, her eyes hazy as if veiled by mist, watching the slaughter with great interest, tilting her head. As if it weren't a life-and-death struggle, but a bloody and interesting drama carefully arranged for her.
"Judge Hanya!" Daziel's throat was dry. He shouted sternly, his voice like thunder, trying to awaken her senses, "That 'thing' in your body should get out!"
Hanya, hearing this, far from being frightened, extended a jade-like hand, covered her lips, and giggled. The laughter carried a strange, numbing sensation, as if it could drill into one's very bones.
"Oh? Little brother, what nonsense are you talking? I am Hanya, Hanya is me." She took two light steps forward, her waist swaying, her posture graceful and full of charm, a complete contrast to her usual stern, meticulous judge persona. "Or perhaps... you actually prefer... a different me, like this?"
This alluring, captivating appearance that twisted black and white further confirmed the ominous guess in Daziel's heart.
It's time......... He tightened his grip on the unremarkable fire poker. Only he could feel a scorching power awakening within the staff, a dark red light flowing faintly on its surface like breathing.
Fu Xuan's voice sounded again, this time, her usual deliberately profound tone was tinged with an almost imperceptible urgency—
"Daziel, we can't delay any longer! I just did a divination; the strange mist outside might have already begun to corrode the outer restrictions of the Shackling Prison! We don't have much time left!"
Before the words faded, a cold light erupted in Daziel's eyes, so sharp it seemed to pierce the air. The last trace of hesitation in his heart completely vanished. He sharply turned his head, his gaze meeting Fu Xuan's in mid-air, his tone heavy, carrying an undeniable decisiveness:
"Lady Fu, create an opportunity for me, cover me!"
"Understood! Everyone, heed my command, change formation immediately—shift to containment!" Fu Xuan's star-like eyes glinted, her head nodding slightly, her reply concise and forceful. "That move, let's use it here............"
With Fu Xuan's clear shout, the flowing light of the Matrix of Prescience suddenly changed form! The abstruse formation array, originally scanning and warning like an invisible radar, instantly erupted with several condensed, brilliant beams of light, accurately shooting towards the Underworld Martial Officers and Law-Enforcing Jinren who were madly besieging Guinaifen and Sushang! This was Fu Xuan's ultimate move, one of her few offensive means—Tianjin Dayi, Lije Guiyi! (Great Matrix of Heavenly Ford, Calamity Ends in Unity!)
The moment the beams touched the enemies, the puppets' movements clearly became sluggish and heavy, as if suddenly plunged into a viscous mire, their mobility greatly reduced.
Guinaifen immediately understood Fu Xuan's intention. Her body agile, she performed a breathtaking roll, narrowly avoiding a Soul-Reaving Token imbued with a cold aura that smashed heavily onto the ground, successfully creating a safe distance from the enemy. While escaping, Guinaifen didn't forget to shout at the demonic figure in the distance, using all her strength:
"Hey! Smoky-eyed, dark-circled big sister! Hurry up and wake up!"
Sushang was also so anxious her pretty face flushed bright red. She wielded her greatsword with all her might, repelling an advancing martial officer, and anxiously chimed in, "Judge Hanya, wake up quickly, open your eyes, it's Sha... it's Cloud Knight Sushang!"
However, Hanya seemed to turn a deaf ear to their worried and urgent calls. Those eyes, originally clear and cold, but now hazy as if veiled in mist, remained fixed on Daziel's agile figure like a persistent specter, not moving for a moment. She even extended the tip of her pink tongue, with a pathological satisfaction, lightly licking her abnormally bright red lips. Deep within her eyes surged an undisguised, almost insane possessiveness and a hair-raisingly dangerous allure.
In this fleeting, precious gap forcefully torn open by Fu Xuan's formation power, Daziel moved! His leg muscles suddenly bulged, the hard bluestone slabs beneath his feet unable to withstand this explosive force, instantly cracking like a spiderweb! His entire person, like a cannonball shot from a cannon, transformed into a blurry afterimage almost invisible to the naked eye, forcefully tearing through the surrounding viscous, sweet air, charging straight towards the leaning Hanya with an unstoppable momentum!
The target was incredibly clear—capture the leader to capture the thieves! More accurately, it was to capture that strange "evil spirit" hidden within the Ten-Lords Commission judge's cold shell, continuously emitting a decadent and depraved aura!
"Wait a minute!" Just then, a bone-chilling, emotionless voice suddenly sounded. It was Xueyi! She had silently appeared in a shadowy corner further away at some point. Her face, somewhat similar to Hanya's yet more rigid, was covered in a layer of frost, her eyes empty and lifeless.
"Lady Xueyi?! When did you arrive?" Huohuo, seeing Xueyi's figure, was first slightly stunned, then let out an incredulous cry, her voice filled with fear, incomprehension, and a thick sob. "Also, why............why, since you were here, were you just watching earlier...?"
"Could it be...you've also betrayed the Ten-Lords Commission?!"
However, Xueyi showed no reaction to Huohuo's heart-wrenching questions. She extended a hand, like a programmed puppet, coldly issuing the command to obstruct, each syllable striking everyone's taut nerves.........
"Kill them! Don't let them get half a step closer." Clearly, her target was singular—to prevent Daziel from approaching Hanya by any means necessary!
Daziel's expression tightened. At this moment, he noticed that this puppet body of Xueyi seemed to have residual combat damage in its joints, its movements carrying a barely perceptible stiffness. Guinaifen, seeing this, had a flash of inspiration. She once again shouted towards Hanya, who was surrounded by layers of Underworld Martial Officers and Law-Enforcing Jinren like stars around the moon, trying another way to awaken her:
"Hey, dark-circles, if you don't wake up soon, your poker-faced sister is going to attack us again!" She screamed hoarsely, frantically waving her arms towards Hanya, but this effort was clearly like a stone sinking into the sea, stirring not a single ripple.
Daziel's brow furrowed tightly, his sharp gaze locked onto the cold, lifeless Xueyi puppet. Seemingly understanding something, he explained in a low voice, loud enough for his companions to hear:
"Everyone, after that day, Xueyi and I established a...very special connection. Although I can't quite explain what it is specifically, I can indeed sense that this Xueyi appearing now is merely a controlled puppet. Xueyi's own consciousness is not within this shell."
Sushang was completely bewildered. She blinked her large eyes, her face full of confusion, and subconsciously asked, "Uh, Master Daziel, what do you mean.........? You mean, this Judge Xueyi right now is actually just an unconscious doll controlled by that bad thing called 'Heliobus'?" Her brain somewhat short-circuited. She had only heard of Judge Xueyi's formidable reputation but had never seen her in person, nor did she understand the connection between this judge and puppets.
Daziel had no time for detailed explanations. He quickly turned his head, his gaze shifting to Huohuo, who was already trembling with fear, almost on the verge of tears, and asked rapidly, "Huohuo, tell me, in the Shackling Prison's warehouse, how many spare Xueyi puppets are usually stored?"
Huohuo was stunned by this sudden question but still forced herself to recall despite her fear. "Damaged...the number of damaged puppets shouldn't be too many, probably...probably around seven or eight. They were all temporarily replaced when Lady Xueyi's joints malfunctioned a little during previous missions, and stored in the warehouse as spares............"
Before her voice even completely faded, accompanied by a series of fine, eerie, phantom-like light footsteps, a full seven puppets, identical in appearance to Judge Xueyi, silently appeared before everyone as if emerging from the void, joining the previous one to vaguely surround them.
These subsequently appearing puppets all bore varying degrees of wear and combat damage. Some had clearly visible cracks at their arm joints; others had leg armor peeled off, revealing the complex mechanical structures and circuits flashing with faint light within. But even so, their movements were still alarmingly smooth, without any stiffness or lag due to damage, exuding an inhuman, eerie coordination.
Almost at the instant they appeared, the eight Xueyi puppets moved in perfect unison, simultaneously raising their metal arms! In their cold mechanical hands, they firmly grasped two identical, standard-issue Demon-Breaking Awls, their edges glinting with a faint, cold light! Heavy bronze chains were connected to the ends of the Demon-Breaking Awls. With the flick of their wrists, the chains rattled like vipers striking, whistling towards them from all directions! Countless cold glints and chain shadows intertwined in the air, instantly forming an inescapable net filled with the aura of death, completely sealing off all of Daziel's possible routes forward!
Sushang, seeing this extremely visually impactful scene of eight Xueyis attacking simultaneously as if copy-pasted, gasped in fright and couldn't help but blurt out:
"No way, when you Ten-Lords Commission people usually store these puppets, you don't even dismantle the weapons?!"
Huohuo was on the verge of tears from grievance, crying out loudly in defense:
"Who.........who would have thought of this situation! We didn't think that much at the time!"
Facing this sudden, desperate encirclement, Daziel's eyes were as focused as the water of a ten-thousand-year-old cold pond, unblinking and unmoving! The unremarkable baseball bat clenched tightly in his left hand suddenly swept out.
Clang!
Clang!
Two crisp, ear-piercing sounds of metal colliding exploded, sparks flying! Daziel precisely parried two chain awls aimed cunningly at his face!
At the same time, the seemingly ordinary, even somewhat shabby fire poker in his right hand, now suddenly erupted with a heart-palpitating heat. A dark red light flowed erratically on its surface as it lashed out with lightning speed, too fast for the naked eye to follow, mercilessly towards the wrist of another Xueyi puppet trying to entangle his ankle with a chain awl!
Zzzt—!
A sickening, slight explosion sounded, accompanied by an indistinct mumble from that Xueyi puppet. The wrist holding the chain awl, where it contacted the fire poker, was instantly seared with a blackened, twisted brand by the terrifying heat. The superficial artificial skin and silicone material curled and melted, exposing the smoking precision mechanisms within. An extremely unpleasant burnt smell permeated the air. The Demon-Breaking Chain Awl also clattered to the cold ground.
In just a moment's clash, Daziel had forcefully torn through the first line of defense of the eight puppets' encirclement! His figure didn't pause in the slightest, his footwork changing, weaving like a phantom through the chain shadows. He was now less than five steps away from the strange Hanya!
Witnessing Daziel so forcefully break through the siege, the smile on Hanya's face not only didn't retract but became even more demonic and strange. Her hazy eyes flickered with a pathological, almost fanatical excitement. Far from showing any fear or intention to retreat, she actively moved towards Daziel's charging direction, taking lotus steps forward.
She extended her slender, fair fingers, exquisitely carved like the finest suet jade, with a chilling curiosity and fascination, seemingly wanting to touch the fire poker in Daziel's hand, which was emitting astonishing heat, enough to instantly scald even a puppet.
"This stick... feels so hot, so comfortable......... I like it so much..." Her breath was like orchids, her voice charming to the bone, each word seemingly carrying an invisible hook, trying to drill into the depths of one's soul.
This extremely bizarre, completely illogical reaction made alarm bells shriek wildly in Daziel's mind! Hanya actually showed no fear towards the fire poker, which contained special evil-warding power and was hot enough to melt metal. She even displayed a pathological fascination and an indescribable interest! How could she not be afraid?! This stick had a natural restraining power against evil spirits and women!
...
A terrifying thought flashed through Daziel's mind like lightning— Could the Heliobus not be in Hanya's body at all?! Is the Hanya before me also acting on instinct?
However, the battlefield changed in an instant, allowing Daziel no time for excessive thought. His wrist suddenly twisted, the fire poker's target abruptly changing, no longer aiming at Hanya's alluringly criminal, demonic body, but striking like a meteor, with unstoppable scorching power, straight towards her face, which was filled with an unusual charm that could make one sink into depravity!
More precisely, her eyes! That was the window to the soul, the place where spiritual will converged! Daziel made an instant judgment: attacking here directly might bypass the defenses of this corroded and polluted physical body and directly impact the true core hidden within, controlling everything!
Whether this core was the completely polluted and twisted Hanya herself, or the incomparably cunning Heliobus's true form, it absolutely couldn't withstand the power of his fire poker! Daziel knew clearly that his stick possessed special attacks against both "women" and "spirits" on a conceptual level!
Just as the tip of the fire poker, emitting destructive heat, was about to touch Hanya's slightly trembling eyelids, the scorching heatwave already causing her long eyelashes to curl slightly—
However, in this critical moment!
A sudden change occurred!
___
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