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The shattered blade tore through the air, piercing toward Dan Heng's chest with an unstoppable momentum. In response, Dan Heng's mind stirred, and in an instant, Cloud-Piercer manifested, clashing against the broken sword with a metallic ring.
"Hahaha! Hahahaha…!" The moment Blade saw Cloud-Piercer, the madness in his eyes flared even brighter, and the speed of his sword swings increased. Blades of light wove into an impenetrable net, enveloping Dan Heng in a storm of slashes.
"Break!" Dan Heng tightened his grip on the spear, and the power of the Path of the Hunt surged forth. In an instant, countless afterimages of Cloud-Piercer shattered the sword energy one by one.
"Hahahaha! Yes, just like that, Dan Feng! Let me feel more of that Imbibitor Lunae's power!"
Dan Heng frowned slightly at Blade's frenzied words, then swept his gaze across their surroundings. After a brief moment of thought, his figure suddenly flickered—and in the face of Blade's furious and disbelieving stare… Dan Heng fled.
Blade: "..."
Dan Heng's escape was completely unexpected, and by the time Blade regained his senses, all he could see was Dan Heng's retreating back in the distance.
"Aaaaah! Dan Feng, you coward!" Enraged, Blade raised his sword and chased after Dan Heng with seething hatred. In the blink of an eye, the battlefield was empty—save for Lynx, left all alone.
At this moment, Lynx felt as if ten thousand alpacas were stampeding through her heart. The poor girl had been abandoned in the Underworld with no one to rely on.
"Ugh… This is bad, bad, bad…" Lynx pouted adorably, utterly unsure of what to do. In terms of strength, she was a follower of the Path of Abundance, so dealing with a few vagrants wouldn't be a problem. But this was her first time in the Underworld, and she had no confidence. What if she ran into someone stronger… Eek!
Just as Lynx was lost in thought, a pair of hands suddenly reached out from behind her, covering her ears.
The unfamiliar warmth against her cheeks made Lynx freeze, and a wave of fear surged through her heart.
Who is this? How did they get behind me without me noticing…?
Lynx took a deep breath, intending to secretly channel her Path's power to counterattack while the assailant was distracted. But to her horror, she discovered that the energy within her body had sunk like a stone in the ocean—completely unresponsive!
"Hehehe, let me see… What's a little beauty like you doing all alone? Hehehe, Uncle's house is pretty big—why don't you come home with me?" A demonic whisper sounded from behind her. Feeling the iron-like grip on her shoulders and the forced dormancy of her elemental power, Lynx thought… This is it…
Sensing Lynx's stiffened posture, Yun Fan, who had been teasing her from behind, decided he had gone far enough. He hadn't formally met Lynx before—only exchanging a brief glance with her during the banquet that night. If he pushed any further, she'd probably try to kill him once she found out the truth.
But just as Yun Fan was about to come clean, Lynx suddenly—
"I… I can submit to you…"
Yun Fan: "..."
Now it was Yun Fan's turn to fall silent. Hearing Lynx's words, he wondered if he had gone too far. Had those few sentences really scared the poor girl this much? Well, it made sense—as the youngest child of the Landau family, Lynx had always been doted on by Gepard and Serval. And now…
Swish—!
Yun Fan's hand shot out, catching Lynx's wrist mid-strike. His eyes narrowed as he observed the gleaming dagger in her delicate hand, its cold edge shimmering ominously under the dim light of the Underworld.
'It's really over now… No chance left…' Lynx's heart sank to the abyss. Pretending to submit to lull the predator into complacency, then seizing the moment to strike—this had been her last resort. Yet…
"Hahaha! As expected of a child of the Landau family. Little Lynx, I really underestimated you." A hearty laugh came from behind her, and then she felt the weight on her shoulders vanish. The power of her Path flowed freely within her once more.
But what shocked her most wasn't that—it was the fact that the man behind her had called her by name. He knew who she was.
"It's you!" Lynx spun around, and Yun Fan's handsome, smiling face filled her vision. Yet, at this moment, her heart held no room for admiration.
"Y-You! You jerk! Pervert! A vile, girl-teasing scoundrel…!" Once she understood the whole situation, all the sorrow and fear in Lynx's heart transformed into rage, pouring out in a torrent toward Yun Fan.
Yun Fan, however, remained utterly unfazed. He even yawned and idly picked at his ear.
Only after Lynx had vented her fury did Yun Fan leisurely speak up: "Miss Lynx, if I recall correctly, you've already reached marriageable age, haven't you?"
Lynx's heart skipped a beat. A terrible premonition crept into her mind. Wh-Why is he asking this…?
"I'm not entirely familiar with Belobog's customs, but tell me… If I were to ruin your purity, would you still be able to marry? Or would your family, for the sake of their reputation, force you to submit to me?"
"Y-You…!" Lynx was so infuriated by Yun Fan's shamelessness that she could barely speak. She didn't dare gamble—if Yun Fan really did something unforgivable to her, even with Serval and Gepard's protection, the Landau family might still force her into his arms to preserve their honor.
Uuuugh, damn it! Why does such a handsome guy have such a terrible personality?!
"Oh, and one more thing." Yun Fan flashed a token in front of Lynx—a personal item given to him by Cocolia, one that supposedly held significant authority.
The moment Lynx saw it, she completely gave up resisting. The token was Cocolia's personal sigil, representing the Supreme Guardian's will and granting its bearer the right to act in her name throughout Belobog.
Watching Lynx's mix of fury and helplessness, Yun Fan curled his lips into a wicked smirk. He reached out and pinched her flushed cheeks.
"Hahaha, little Lynx, I love this look of yours—hating me but being unable to do a thing about it."