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Chapter 1021. Cross

Xio hesitated when she heard Fors’s question.

“We were discovered…”

They had said something similar before, but they were repeating it again now. However, it didn’t have the same meaning. Previously, it was referring to being discovered by the guardian or monitor when she recognized Sherman. Now, the crux of the matter was that their choice and corresponding actions were expected and arranged by the person behind the scenes. They had no secrets to speak of.

This meant that the chance that Xio had been longing for might’ve really appeared, but what lay behind this matter was inconceivable.

“If we follow the intention behind this ‘message.’ The final outcome will depend on whether she has good intentions, but that’s not something under our control,” Xio added from a rational angle.

The reason why she had used “she” to represent the person behind the scenes was because she had recalled the fragrance she smelled when she lost Sherman the other time.

Fors listened quietly and nodded in agreement.

Yes, we’re too passive in this matter. The best option is to leave this place…”

As soon as she finished speaking, she looked at the warehouse. She opened her mouth but didn’t say anything further.

She was reminded of the possible situation Sherman was in, and she suspected that “he” was in grave danger. However, she deliberately ignored it in the end and didn’t mention it.

To her, Sherman was a person who existed in Xio’s descriptions. He was no different from a character in a novel. If she had the strength and opportunity to save him in passing, she was willing to do so, but to bear the risk because of that and allow her friend to be rash, putting her life in danger was definitely not something within her considerations.

Xio nodded and said, “Alright, we’ll leave now.

“However, the person who left that ‘comment’ definitely wouldn’t be happy to see us do so. She will definitely hinder us.

“Uh, let’s do it this way. We’ll escape in different directions and make that person choose one person. Whoever successfully leaves this area will immediately cause a commotion and attract the official Beyonders.”

“Why don’t we directly cause a commotion here?” Fors subconsciously raised a question.

“It will definitely be stopped or foiled!” Xio gave her excuse.

Fors nodded thoughtfully.

“Makes sense.

“Alright, let’s not delay it any further. Let’s begin.”

Xio didn’t say another word as she took out her transparent, nearly invisible triangular blade. With her back bent, she leaped out of her hiding spot and ran out of the harbor amidst the shadows.

The triangular blade was a mystical item she had spent 500 pounds through Ma’am Hermit to get the Artisan to forge with the ancient wraith’s powder and remnant spirituality. It was called Wintry Blade.

Anyone hit by this weapon—even if it were a gentle touch—would be frozen stiff. They would even lose control of their thoughts as though they were possessed by a wraith. At the same time, once the battle continued, Wintry Blade’s enemies would gradually have their thoughts turn sluggish and their actions become rigid and dull, even if they didn’t touch the triangular blade.

And Wintry Blade’s negative effects wasn’t that terrifying. Furthermore, there was only one—the wielder would slowly lose their body temperature and transform into an undead. Once a certain time limit was exceeded, this process would become irreversible.

Therefore, Xio had recently enjoyed jogging more or riding a bicycle at lightning speeds to generate heat to resist the loss of temperature.

But even so, she had only managed to extend the time it took before she kept Wintry Blade away from her body from three hours to four hours.

After running a certain distance, Xio turned back and realized that Fors had already passed through a wall and departed. She had vanished from where they were hiding.

After staring for two seconds, Xio bit her lip and suddenly turned around and changed direction.

She headed straight for the warehouse!

Soon, she arrived beside her destination, but she wasn’t in a rush to enter. She looked up and observed the area above her, seemingly trying to find another passageway, one that was less noticeable to the people inside.

At that moment, her keen senses made her turn her head and see a figure appear around the corner of the wall.

The figure wore a black dress with a head of brown, curly hair. She had a pair of light blue eyes. It was none other than Fors Wall.

Didn’t you leave?” Despite being surprised, Xio didn’t forget to lower her voice.

Fors curled her lips and said, “Weren’t you fleeing too?”

Xio was momentarily at a loss for words. After a few seconds, she asked, “How did you notice it?”

You didn’t even mention Sherman. That’s completely unlike you! I’ve already prepared a reason to persuade you!” Fors quickly replied.

Xio was taken aback as she said with a complicated expression, “You didn’t have to come back.”

Fors ignored her and pressed on the wall of the warehouse and said, “If we keep talking, perhaps we will no longer need to be stumped because it would already be over.

“Man, I actually didn’t think of such a good idea just now. I should’ve immediately insisted on going with you to save her. You definitely would’ve persuaded me otherwise and would think of doing it yourself. If we repeated the conversation a few times, everything would’ve ended on its own.”

Xio gave her friend a look and, without any hesitation, stood by her side with Wintry Blade in hand.

Fors immediately flipped Leymano’s Travels and augmented her friend with Beyonder powers. Then, she put away the spellbook and grabbed Xio’s shoulder with one hand, pressing the other on the wall again.

While Xio was waiting for Door Opening, she realized that Fors hadn’t immediately used her powers.

This best-selling author took a deep breath and quickly said, “After entering, we’ll hide and observe. After confirming that there’s a chance to do something, we’ll take action.

“If there’s really no chance, or if we can’t seize an opportunity for sure, we’ll leave as soon as possible. That way, we can at least avenge Sherman and not be buried alive with him!

“Only by being alive will all kinds of possibilities open up for us…”

Xio immediately nodded and replied in a stern manner, “Okay.”

Fors wanted to say a few more words, but considering how she had wasted some time and couldn’t afford to waste any more time, she “opened” the illusory door and passed through the wall with Xio, coming behind a row of wooden crates.

With her no longer being a greenhorn in such operations, she instinctively crouched down and pulled out Leymano’s Travels and flipped to a particular page.

Xio similarly didn’t dash in. She bent down and moved her eyes to a gap between the crates and observed the empty region.

The female-looking Sherman was sitting on a wooden crate without any signs of anger. Her brown hair was gently fluttering in the wind.

And standing in front of her was Viscount Stratford. This captain of the royal guards tightened his collar and was surveying the area, a mystery as to what he was looking for.

“Unfortunately, you’re only a Demoness.”

“Don’t worry. I will let you die without any pain. You will be completely purified.”

As he spoke, he took out an item from his inner pocket.

Xio used her enhanced vision from the Interrogator potion, and she clearly identified the item.

It was a cross accessory covered in bronze. There were a few sharp, jagged protrusions, looking as though it had once impaled someone.

Its style and characteristics were things that the various nations in the Fifth Epoch’s Northern Continent didn’t possess. It exuded ancient vibes.

Very good. You know that resistance is futile,” Viscount Stratford said as he pressed one of the fingers he used to hold the bronze cross onto the spike.

His bright red blood immediately flowed out and was absorbed by the spike, seeping into the object.

The mottled bronze on the cross’s surface disintegrated, revealing a corporeal form beneath that was a blob of light.

In just a second or two, the item Viscount Stratford held had turned into a resplendent cross!

It emitted a pure and flawless glow, illuminating the surroundings in an abnormally bright manner.

The wooden crate’s shadows quickly receded as the dark splotches on the wall evaporated like water.

Beside Shermane, the countless spider webs that originally belonged to Trissy floated up and struggled in the fire, melting in just mere seconds.

The light grew brighter, but they weren’t blinding. Black flames burst out of Shermane’s body along with crystalline ice. They turned dim, transparent, and eventually vanished under the illumination.

Within the range of the resplendent cross, there weren’t any traces of evil or abnormalities present. Not one inch of darkness remained!

Seeing Sherman’s expression slowly distort, Xio couldn’t help but shoot Fors a glance.

She could clearly sense the terror of the resplendent cross, and she was beginning to waver about saving her.

Fors also noticed what was happening and pointed to Leymano’s Travels. She raised her left index finger and whispered into Xio’s ear, “There’s only one chance.

“I will work hard to create it for you. If it’s not successful, or if you can’t be certain of it, we will give up.”

Xio didn’t hesitate as she nodded solemnly.

Fors immediately straightened her body and flipped Leymano’s Travels to the charred-yellow page.

This page was filled with complicated, twisted, indescribable symbols and labels. It gave one the feeling of a strong gust of wind.

Sailor pathway’s demigod power—Hurricane!

After observing her surroundings once again and confirming that there weren’t any other enemies, Fors’s gaze penetrated through the gap in between the wooden crates and locked onto Viscount Stratford. She then slid her finger gently across the charred-yellow page.

With an exploding whoosh, a visible hurricane soared up beneath Viscount Stratford’s feet and rushed upwards.

The captain of the royal guards wasn’t able to maintain his balance from this sudden attack. He was lifted up by the hurricane and was slammed into the warehouse’s ceiling.

Boom!

The warehouse’s ceiling was torn apart by the hurricane as portions of it collapsed. Some of the fragments spun around amidst the wind as they flew higher and higher.

Viscount Stratford nearly fainted from being slammed, and he failed to hold onto the resplendent cross, allowing it to fly out of his palm.

When the spike with a sliver of his blood left his finger, the mottled bronze covered the cross’s surface once more.

The flawless light vanished in turn.

Upon seeing this, Xio didn’t hesitate to rush out of her hiding spot. Her eyes first reflected Viscount Stratford’s figure before two blinding bolts of lightning lit up.

Psychic Piercing!

Comments 22

  1. Offline
    Han Sen
    + 12 -
    Good chapter
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  2. Offline
    Lyiuc777
    + 70 -
    Fors with the tactical hurricane
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  3. Offline
    Nemo
    + 332 -
    Xio isn't fleshed out... I don't know, she is to me. She isn't highly nuanced. With that I agree.

    *Info on Xio*
    She's a young adult ex noble lady. Her dad was plotted against and murdered, leaving her alone, without title and, likely, any assets. She took the path of revenge, learning that Stratford is the culprit. She chose to be a bounty hunter, as it's perfect for getting connections and intel. She was lost and lonely, but found a friend. They went through thick and thin. She also easily made friends with those who supplied her with intel or jobs, thinking that responding to their help with kindness is only natural. (That how you build healthy relationships anyway) Abhorring the idea of being the same as the royal guard captain, she focused on the justice within her, making it take roots far deeper, thanks to the positive feedback that being good brought to her digestion of potion. She joined tarot club full of gratitude. She was saved and finally understood how her bestie suffered, only to be helped by the fool. There was nothing to be worried or scared about, based on fools actions and the fact she could do nothing anyway. Being professional, she caught the eye of MI9 and finally found a hope of revenge, within one of her missions. Finally, she caught the smell of his blood (idiom). After arriving, emotions took over. DOUBLE COMBO. Her friend who she pitied ('pitied' is important. You don't flare at a homeless kitten, because it hissed at you. You pity it) was about to die, and her target was seemingly vulnerable. So, her danger sensors dulled by High end tarot club and fool helping them always in a clutch, she took a gamble with her life on the line, BUT Fors isn't stupid. Knowing that her friend gave a tacit approval out of necessity, instead of emotionally blackmailing her to leave, and supported by best escaping pathway, she took action!

    Quite fleshed out, my friends. And that's far from all.

    Nuance is what we've seen with Klein. Him feeling the pinch while buying bread, feeling helpless when his sis won an argument, or smirking while he bribed a great snake of fortune with ice cream. One's about a volume, while other is about depth. Depth is something we mostly find between the lines, when talking about side characters, tho.

    *Conclusion*
    While I highly disagree with their choice to meddle, it's sufficiently reasonable to me.
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    1. Offline
      Zer0Wing
      + 61 -
      You just explained how her choice was made partially due to an impaired sense of danger as well as underlying emotional baggage. But somehow you then went on to conclude that it was reasonable.
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      1. Offline
        Nemo
        + 180 -
        Oh, reasonable for a reader. As in, we can find reasons that fuel her actions. It's different from her being reasonable, meaning that she follows reason and logic.
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  4. Offline
    MadCatX101
    + 110 -
    Great now the Church of Storm dick heads will rush over
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  5. Offline
    sticka
    + 220 -
    people! people! chill about the development of the story yet. i was first like you complaining about xio's lack of importance and lack of intelligence.

    until i reread this novel a second time and came across a tiny tidbit info from a Chinese user comment, apparently her character was one of the join development between cuttlefish and some whale premium user (some tier in Chinese premium user can develop their own minor character and included in the story,so you can see how big he was to design xio,which is a pretty major character). it's true that her character was introduced in the first 100 chapters but her joining of the tarot club was already around chapter 900,so the flaw of her relative to the story is partly because of this and also because of the slightly rushed ending of book 1.
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    1. Offline
      kalengkerupuk
      kalengkerupuk
      + 101 -
      you can read chinese? man I'm jealous
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    2. Offline
      HectorAlpha
      + 40 -
      So the conclusion is that xio is created because of a important tier Chinese guy and that she is useless on the story development? Correct me if i m wrong .
      i like xio a bit as a side character
      Read more
  6. Offline
    AinzDiablo
    + 81 -
    Sigh... Life is sometimes a bitch. sigh
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  7. Offline
    Исекайшик
    + 71 -
    My mood: mimo
    Они даже не замаскировались, опрометчиво пользуются путешествием Леймано, я даже не удивлюсь если первыми кого спалят в поклонении Шуту будут эти нубы
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  8. Offline
    The One Above
    + 443 -
    This is incredibly stupid of them. Again, admirable but completely and utterly stupid. They've being way too rash in attacking an individual above demigod level, when one has only been Sequence 7 for some time, and the other is barely into the realms of their newest Sequence.
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    1. Offline
      Nas
      Nas
      + 346 -
      Sometimes you gotta what you gotta do! Whether there’s danger or not.

      Also, who said this viscount character is a demigod??? I’m quite sure he’s not at that level, that Katarina was above a demigod but she’s already gone
      Read more
      1. Offline
        Asterion000
        + 00 -
        Lmao. You don't survive in such a dangerous world by "doing what you gonna do" unless you're a character in a novel that has plot armour
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    2. Offline
      coconutstraw21
      coconutstraw21
      + 254 -
      absolute bots. This is a conflict between demigods with qonas coming over fast and they decide to try to save 1 person putting themselves in extreme danger. If they werent in the tarot club, they dead 20 times over.
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    3. Offline
      Sonic
      + 155 -
      Yep, i can't even begin to understand wtf cuttlefish was thinking when writing this or are these two supposed to be stupid??
      Read more
      1. Offline
        kostoprav
        + 717 -
        if truing to save the frend is stupid, ok i will be stupid)
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        1. Offline
          Sonic
          + 221 -
          look at the world... This isn't modern era its the beyonder world and they are participating in Demigod level affairs to save an acquaintance, the person didn't even talk to you after she got a new life and now u are willing to sacrificing your and your friends life
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        2. Offline
          Asterion000
          + 00 -
          You will die in the first week if you transmigrated in their world lol
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          1. Offline
            kostoprav
            + 00 -
            may be) but world without internet not need for me
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    4. Offline
      equilibrium
      + 253 -
      I think it's because the author is rushing to finish the novel, as mentioned by some users. Xio character is not fleshed out properly. I mean she belongs to a path(sheriff, interrogator) which focuses on intelligence. The number of times she took missions are many, so it isn't reasonable for her not to notice abnormalities while tracking that Viscount. After participating in tarot gatherings, she should have realized the demoness pathway people are cunning and vicious. Her friend Sherman changing into woman, atleast should have alerted her that things may not be so simple, Xio and Fors just jumped into action right away.
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    5. Offline
      golulog
      + 00 -
      Bro sometimes you just gotta go with the "Fu#k It" mindset!!!
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