After eliminating March 7th, Kiana immediately grew smug, taunting Hu Tao, who was staring at her nervously from across the field.
Though Kiana spoke boldly, her wariness of Hu Tao hadn't diminished in the slightest.
After all, she had just witnessed how a careless swordsman had thrown away his advantage in the match—there was no way she'd make the same mistake.
Her overconfident demeanor was merely a facade to mislead Hu Tao.
Having experienced the trials of the story illusion and grown into the Flamescion Herrscher, Kiana understood the importance of appearing dismissive while remaining vigilant.
"..."
Hu Tao glanced at the four black spirit rings behind Kiana and her long-range weapon, the pistol.
Then she looked down at her own melee weapon, the staff, and the two purple spirit rings behind her.
After silently calculating the distance between herself and Kiana, a sense of helplessness washed over her.
Damn it, dozens of meters apart, and she's a ranged attacker. How am I, a close-combat mage, supposed to fight this? This is hopeless!
Even if I summoned a god to possess me, there's no way I could win like this.
"I surren—"
Just as Hu Tao was about to concede, something small wriggled in her palm, lightly scratching it.
She looked down, and her plum blossom eyes lit up at the sight.
Crimson Spirit.
Her little white ghost companion.
Her partner-in-crime for pranks.
Crimson Spirit's subtle movement sparked a question in Hu Tao's mind.
Kiana is strong, but… is there a chance she's afraid of ghosts?
Hu Tao herself wasn't afraid of ghosts, but that was due to her unique circumstances.
She knew full well that for most people, the fear of death and spirits was instinctive.
This realization kindled a glimmer of hope in her.
Memories flashed through her mind—Xiangling screaming in terror, Treasure Hoarders fainting from fright—and Hu Tao's gaze grew brighter as she stared at Crimson Spirit.
Maybe… I should try?
Better safe than sorry.
If Kiana was afraid of ghosts, victory might still be within reach.
Little Hu Tao was just as eager to win as anyone else.
A mischievous grin curled her lips.
She subtly shot Crimson Spirit a meaningful glance as the little ghost peeked out curiously.
Having been Hu Tao's prank partner for years, Crimson Spirit immediately understood her intent. Its usually blank expression twisted into an equally devious smirk.
Poof—
With an almost imperceptible sound, Crimson Spirit vanished from Hu Tao's side.
Silently, it began creeping toward Kiana from behind.
Meanwhile, Kiana, noticing Hu Tao's sudden silence after nearly surrendering, grew wary.
This sudden change of heart is way too suspicious.
Kiana swore to herself that if this wasn't a trap, she'd go without Mei's cooking for a whole week!
Wait… a week might be too harsh. Maybe five… no, three… one day!
Though her inner monologue was lively, Kiana kept her eyes locked on Hu Tao.
Yet she never considered that the real threat might come from behind.
Why did Hu Tao change her mind? Does she have some secret weapon up her sleeve?
Her fingers tensed on the pistol's trigger as she braced for an unexpected attack.
...
Spectator Stands
The crowd watched the match intently, thoroughly entertained by its dramatic twists.
Then, a voice rang out—soft, but impossible to ignore.
"Hey, look behind Kiana! Isn't that Hu Tao's Crimson Spirit?"
At once, all eyes snapped to the field.
"Whoa, it really is! Did Director Hu just break the fourth wall or something?"
"This… is unbelievable."
"If anyone still calls this a cosplay, I'll slap them awake. This is clearly not normal."
"Exactly! Even if it's a coincidence, it's way too perfect. Aside from the martial spirit, everything else is identical!"
"Right? That Crimson Spirit doesn't match the ghosts in our world at all."
"Who are you? How do you know what ghosts here look like?"
"Just a humble lackey from the Tianxia Hui. I've seen Chairman Feng in action, so I know."
"Ah, a brother from the Tianxia Hui! Respect!"
"Damn, the more you talk, the weirder this gets."
"Now that I look closely, Hu Tao is exactly like her in-game version—even her chest is as flat as a saint's (lol)."
"You little—"
"Let's wait and see. Whether it's real or not, I'm getting her autograph later. If it's legit, I'll be rich!"
"Count me in…"
...
"Class Monitor, what do we do? Kiana's revealing too much—could it expose that we're from another world?"
Bronya, uneasy from the murmurs around them, turned to Fu Hua.
Before Fu Hua could respond, a gentle voice answered.
"Don't worry. Even if it's exposed, it's fine. At worst, the people here will just have their worldviews shattered and rebuilt."
Everyone turned to see Angel彦 standing there.
Huh? Why is she here?
Didn't Haxi and the two junior angels go abroad to observe other outcasts?
Did they return already?
Ignoring their puzzled looks, Angel彦 smiled and added,
"Besides, before inviting us here, Zhang Chulan and the others must've prepared for this. So exposure isn't a big deal."
...
Poke poke.
While Kiana was focused on Hu Tao, Crimson Spirit had reached her back.
Since the little ghost bore no ill intent, Kiana remained completely unaware of its presence.
(End of Chapter)