Yevenko straddled Feixiao's waist, fists pounding her back and shoulders in a relentless storm of blows.
Feixiao's expression shifted.
Slightly softened—her scarlet, furious eyes dimming, losing some of their savagery.
If she had consciousness, as a general she might have snapped: "Night-shifu, quit scratching."
But… if she saw it as massage? Feixiao would have raised a thumb in praise.
The exhaustion of decades seemed to dissolve, leaving her oddly refreshed.
Refreshed—but not freed from madness. Even bound like a caterpillar, she was still the indomitable Dajie General!
And the invincible general wriggled.
A worm's leap.
One bounce—
BOOM—!
Yevenko shot skyward, flung off her waist.
He hit face-first, buried in the ground like a scallion.
His body tilted sideways—
CRACK—
His neck twisted.
His legs thrashed wildly. He screamed:
"OWWW!!"
Raiden Ei sighed softly. Luckily she had drawn the Void's curtain to shroud this scene. No one else saw Yevenko humiliated like this.
As for whether others would object?
With Yevenko's stance so firmly on the Luofu's side, plus the faint Void aura within the curtain—so like the sword-scar that marred the heavens—any objections would evaporate.
She stopped eating her peach and walked toward him.
Soon she reached his side. She gripped his leg and gave a gentle tug—popping his head from the earth.
She steadied him upright, his neck still crooked, and he croaked thanks.
Ei only smiled faintly, shook her head.
She raised the peach from her hand, held the bitten part to his lips.
This wound needed no flesh—just a sip of nectar.
Cool fruit brushed his mouth. Instinctively, Yevenko licked. At once the swelling vanished. He rubbed his neck—it was normal again.
Ei straightened his collar, brushed the dust from his clothes, and gazed at him in silence.
He stared back into her calm violet eyes, feeling embarrassed—beaten by a trussed-up Feixiao.
He stepped to her side, arms folded, facing Feixiao's bound body with grave expression.
"As expected of the General—she even managed to wound me a little. I'll admit, her skill is equal to mine."
Truthfully, he hadn't pierced her defense. But from his "beating massage," he'd harvested plenty of exploration points.
His gift never judged by how injured others were. Exploration was literal.
Combat just happened to be the most direct method.
Though more points remained in fighting Feixiao, his massage had slowed the flow.
So he wouldn't rush. The real harvest was in her inner world.
He turned to Ei.
"Acheron…"
By now he knew.
The sky's black scar like a horizon line, this Void curtain, the little tells in their time together—Raiden Ei was Acheron, the Raiden Mei he had once met in Izumo.
But she bore this identity beside him now. He didn't know why.
When they first met, she had seemed about to speak—but the words were blurred out.
So, for now, he would call her Raiden Ei. When she chose to reveal herself, he'd correct.
The thought flicked past. He said:
"Ei, remove the curtain. My fight with Feixiao is done."
She nodded, biting peach again. The Void curtain melted away.
At once, Feixiao's companions Moze and Jiaoqiu rushed in.
They bowed first to Ei, then turned to Yevenko. Jiaoqiu asked:
"How is the General?"
Yevenko pursed his lips.
"Our clash lessened her fury. Even in madness, she's calmer now."
They looked—Feixiao, still bound and wriggling like a worm, but her expression eased, less hatred in her brows.
Jiaoqiu sighed.
"This is the most we can do. The Red Moon was Hoolay's open trap, but one we had to spring."
"Now it comes to will—hers or Hoolay's. Which is stronger?"
His eyes filled with worry.
He trusted her—but Hoolay had acted with a hero's resolve, too. His will to revive the Borisin rivaled hers.
And besides, Phantylia had not left empty-handed. He couldn't believe a Lord Ravager would simply retreat.
Surely she had planted seeds in the shadows.
Meaning Feixiao might have to face Hoolay—and Phantylia's remnants.
The thought gnawed at him. He clenched his fists, trembling. Useless here, unable to help. The pain of powerless waiting.
Then Moze's voice beside him:
"Why are you dazing? Hurry—we need to go."
Go? Where?
The General's life was uncertain—how could he—
Confused, he lifted his eyes—
And froze.
Beside Feixiao, Tom and Jerry stood.
Above her head, a dialogue bubble appeared, hazy silhouettes of Feixiao and Hoolay flickering within, then vanishing.
Tom jumped, pawing at it, but couldn't reach. Scratched his head.
Jerry's bulb lit first.
He pulled a tiny rapier from behind, poked Tom in the rear.
Tom clutched his backside, face burning red, ears steaming, until he burst into a howl:
"Ooo↑hoo↓hoo↑hooorrrhhh—!!"
He rocketed skyward, clawed wildly, and caught the bubble.
Then plummeted.
CRASH—!
Shattered on the ground.
Jerry pieced him back together, smiling with two buck teeth. He handed Tom the rapier, then pointed at his own rear.
Anyone else would refuse in embarrassment.
Not Tom. He stabbed at once.
DUANG—!
The blade bent.
Jerry tugged a zipper on his back, pulled out a steel pan from his rump, zipped it shut again.
Tom's eyes bulged. He tossed the sword aside and lunged.
Jerry bolted—only to hit the dropped dialogue bubble. Blocked.
With Tom close, Jerry turned, raised a palm to halt him.
Tom paused, confused.
Jerry pulled out a pen, drew an arch of a mouse hole on the bubble, scribbling black—until the ink ran dry.
He shook it, nothing.
Tom snatched the pen, tsk-tsked, sucked the nib, tested a mark on his glove. Ink flowed. He handed it back.
Jerry grinned, finished the hole.
A real mouse hole yawned open.
He scampered in.
Tom's instincts flared—he charged, slammed into it.
Furious, he braced both hands on the rim, yanked—
The hole stretched wider, man-sized.
He spun his legs like a cyclone and darted inside.
Watching them quarrel, Yevenko pressed a hand to his head.
At least they'd built the passage first.
"Feixiao's inner world tour! Enter quick! Ten system minutes left before closure!"
Jade cried:
"Me, me, me!!"
Yanqing and Yunli exchanged glances and lined up behind her.
"No cutting," Yevenko warned. "Queue-jumpers banned for life."
They stooped and crawled into the hole.
Then Jing Yuan, March 7th, and Stelle arrived, evidently finished with the Depths.
Dan Heng and Welt stayed behind to guard Tom's straw.
Jing Yuan stared, baffled—Feixiao bound like a worm, this surreal bubble. Even his strategist's mind balked.
He asked Yevenko:
"Yevenko, this—"
"Don't think knowing me gets you to cut," Yevenko snapped. "Queue up."
So Jing Yuan ended behind Jiaoqiu.
March 7th and Stelle, bewildered, stepped forward.
"This…" March began.
Yevenko shoved them ahead of Moze and Jiaoqiu.
"They're VIP. Friends of mine. Skip the line."
Jing Yuan: "..."
Moze & Jiaoqiu: "..."
March 7th and Stelle crawled in, baffled.
Yevenko timed the entries to avoid trampling. Then let Jing Yuan's group through, then Raiden Ei, then himself.
Outside fell silent.
And then—
Void's black mists seeped from all sides, forming the silhouette of a dark figure with umbrella. Eyes empty as shadow swept the scene.
She stepped forward—color bled into her, deep violet hair flowing, umbrella blood-red.
Then she walked like a puppet—and dissolved into Void again.
Crawling in the passage, Raiden Ei felt it. She froze.
And Yevenko, careless behind her—smacked into her.