The golden disk bloomed in Fu Xuan's hand.
What had once appeared inert and unremarkable unfolded with quiet authority, its surface splitting into concentric rings that expanded outward in perfect synchronization. Bands of light snapped into existence, not violently, but with the inevitability of a calculation reaching its conclusion. They surged forward and wrapped around Kafka's wrists, locking into place with a soft, resonant chime that seemed to echo through more than just the air.
Sunny felt the change immediately.
Kafka's Soul Essence did not falter or resist. It simply stopped.
The steady, lethal flow that had defined her movements moments earlier vanished as if a switch had been flipped. Her Soul Core, once radiant and active beneath Sunny's perception, dimmed to a muted glow. It remained intact, but it no longer answered her will. The severance was total, precise, and unmistakably deliberate.
Kafka exhaled, shoulders loosening as tension drained from her frame. There was no frustration in her expression, no anger or alarm. If anything, she appeared mildly amused, as though the outcome had been expected all along.
Sunny inwardly sighed. This had obviously been apart of her plan.
Every exchange, every narrowly avoided strike, every apparent escalation had been carefully controlled. Kafka had never been pushed to desperation. She had simply tested, observed, and then stepped aside when Fu Xuan decided the performance was over.
Sunny released the shadows beneath them.
The massive platform unraveled without resistance, its interlocked layers dissolving into drifting fragments before gravity reclaimed the space they had occupied. Wind rushed past as they fell, the Navalia rising rapidly to meet them. Sunny landed first, alloy cracking beneath his boots. Fu Xuan touched down moments later, perfectly balanced and composed.
Kafka simply hovered in the air, as if an in isible string was still holding her up — there were none.
Sunny straightened and let his Essence settle. The lingering pressure in his veins faded into a dull ache as Nightmare's influence withdrew. He had made plenty of discoveries when it came to u derstanding how his Aspect functioned — particularly on how to optimally use his Shadows.
Unfortunately, these grand discoveries were found in front of the stranger before him.
He had revealed too much. Far more than he would have liked. His Aspect Abilities, his general fighting capabilities, and if she had been watching long enough, even the existence of Saint. Masters were not meant to fight Saints like that.
Wasn't he supposed to be discrete and lowkey? Since when did shadows have to always put on a grand spectacle?!
Fu Xuan maintained control of the Memory effortlessly, one hand raised as her halo rotated slowly behind her. Then, the halo flickered and dispersed into white sparks, vanishing as if it had never existed.
With a casual motion of her wrist, Kafka disappeared.
There was no dramatic distortion, no violent spatial collapse. Space folded inward for a fraction of a second and snapped shut again, leaving nothing behind. Sunny's shadow sense brushed against the absence and found no trace. Whatever containment Fu Xuan had employed was thorough enough to deny even Kafka an immediate escape.
Fu Xuan turned toward him.
Her demeanor had shifted. The sharp scrutiny remained, but it was now tempered by formality. There was a clear distinction between how she had regarded him during the fight and how she addressed him now.
"That concludes this incident. Kafka has been placed into a sealed space designed to suppress spatial traversal and Soul Essence manipulation. She will be transported to the Divination Commission for questioning."
Sunny regarded her in silence for a moment, then spoke.
"Who are you?"
Fu Xuan blinked, then inclined her head in a restrained bow.
"Fu Xuan. Master Diviner of the Divination Commission."
'…Sounds like money?'
A memory surfaced, unbidden. Jing Yuan mentioning that a Diviner had once taken a glimpse into Sunny's background. At the time, Sunny had to accept the fact and hope they haven't seen anything to problematic.
He was sure that he could have been convicted of gang violence, theft, and just murder in general. Sure, the Outskirts had laws, but nobody who wanted to live for more than three days actually followed them…
Here, however? It would be inconvenient if anyone investigated his past.
Fu Xuan continued, seemingly unconcerned with his internal calculus.
"I will personally oversee the Stellaron Hunter's containment and ensure she remains secured until her interrogation concludes."
Sunny nodded once, already turning away.
Whatever came next was no longer his concern. The Stellaron Hunters had not invoked Mongrel. Kafka had not pushed further. And he had no intention of lingering under the scrutiny of the Luofu's most dangerous Diviner.
He began walking toward where March and Welt should have been, faintly puzzled that the former had not already appeared given the scale of the disturbance. Was she truly unable to defeat a couple of brainwashed Awakened?
Behind him, Fu Xuan arched a brow.
She watched him go for a moment before dismissing the last traces of her control, folding her hands behind her back with a soft huff.
"Young people. No manners at all."