They had said something similar before, but they were repeating it again now. However, it didnât 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 mightâve really appeared, but what lay behind this matter was inconceivable.
âIf we follow the intention behind this âmessage.â The final outcome will depend on whether she has good intentions, but thatâs not something under our control,â Xio added from a rational angle.
The reason why she had used 'sheâ 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, weâre too passive in this matter. The best option is to leave this placeâŚâ
As soon as she finished speaking, she looked at the warehouse. She opened her mouth but didnât say anything further.
She was reminded of the possible situation Sherman was in, and she suspected that âheâ was in grave danger. However, she deliberately ignored it in the end and didnât mention it.
To her, Sherman was a person who existed in Xioâs 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, âAlright, weâll leave now.
âHowever, the person who left that âcommentâ definitely wouldnât be happy to see us do so. She will definitely hinder us.
âUh, letâs do it this way. Weâll 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.â
âWhy donât we directly cause a commotion here?â Fors subconsciously raised a question.
âIt will definitely be stopped or foiled!â Xio gave her excuse.
Fors nodded thoughtfully.
âMakes sense.
âAlright, letâs not delay it any further. Letâs begin.â
Xio didnât 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 Maâam Hermit to get the Artisan to forge with the ancient wraithâs powder and remnant spirituality. It was called Wintry Blade.
Anyone hit by this weaponâeven if it were a gentle touchâwould 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 Bladeâs enemies would gradually have their thoughts turn sluggish and their actions become rigid and dull, even if they didnât touch the triangular blade.
And Wintry Bladeâs negative effects wasnât that terrifying. Furthermore, there was only oneâthe 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 wasnât 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.
Didnât you leave?â Despite being surprised, Xio didnât forget to lower her voice.
Fors curled her lips and said, âWerenât you fleeing too?â
Xio was momentarily at a loss for words. After a few seconds, she asked, âHow did you notice it?â
You didnât even mention Sherman. Thatâs completely unlike you! Iâve already prepared a reason to persuade you!â Fors quickly replied.
Xio was taken aback as she said with a complicated expression, âYou didnât have to come back.â
Fors ignored her and pressed on the wall of the warehouse and said, âIf we keep talking, perhaps we will no longer need to be stumped because it would already be over.
âMan, I actually didnât think of such a good idea just now. I shouldâve immediately insisted on going with you to save her. You definitely wouldâve persuaded me otherwise and would think of doing it yourself. If we repeated the conversation a few times, everything wouldâve ended on its own.â
Xio gave her friend a look and, without any hesitation, stood by her side with Wintry Blade in hand.
Fors immediately flipped Leymanoâs Travels and augmented her friend with Beyonder powers. Then, she put away the spellbook and grabbed Xioâs shoulder with one hand, pressing the other on the wall again.
While Xio was waiting for Door Opening, she realized that Fors hadnât immediately used her powers.
This best-selling author took a deep breath and quickly said, âAfter entering, weâll hide and observe. After confirming that thereâs a chance to do something, weâll take action.
âIf thereâs really no chance, or if we canât seize an opportunity for sure, weâll leave as soon as possible. That way, we can at least avenge Sherman and not be buried alive with him!
âOnly by being alive will all kinds of possibilities open up for usâŚâ
Xio immediately nodded and replied in a stern manner, âOkay.â
Fors wanted to say a few more words, but considering how she had wasted some time and couldnât afford to waste any more time, she âopenedâ 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 Leymanoâs Travels and flipped to a particular page.
Xio similarly didnât 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.
âUnfortunately, youâre only a Demoness.â
âDonât worry. I will let you die without any pain. You will be completely purified.â
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 Epochâs Northern Continent didnât possess. It exuded ancient vibes.
Very good. You know that resistance is futile,â 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 crossâs 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 crateâs 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 werenât blinding. Black flames burst out of Shermaneâs body along with crystalline ice. They turned dim, transparent, and eventually vanished under the illumination.
Within the range of the resplendent cross, there werenât any traces of evil or abnormalities present. Not one inch of darkness remained!
Seeing Shermanâs expression slowly distort, Xio couldnât 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 Leymanoâs Travels. She raised her left index finger and whispered into Xioâs ear, âThereâs only one chance.
âI will work hard to create it for you. If itâs not successful, or if you canât be certain of it, we will give up.â
Xio didnât hesitate as she nodded solemnly.
Fors immediately straightened her body and flipped Leymanoâs 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 pathwayâs demigod powerâHurricane!
After observing her surroundings once again and confirming that there werenât any other enemies, Forsâs 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 Stratfordâs feet and rushed upwards.
The captain of the royal guards wasnât able to maintain his balance from this sudden attack. He was lifted up by the hurricane and was slammed into the warehouseâs ceiling.
Boom!
The warehouseâs 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 crossâs surface once more.
The flawless light vanished in turn.
Upon seeing this, Xio didnât hesitate to rush out of her hiding spot. Her eyes first reflected Viscount Stratfordâs figure before two blinding bolts of lightning lit up.