With a deafening roar, a police motorcycle dropped from the sky, skidding around the scene in a tight arc as it smashed through the ranks of black-clad assailants. The rider, clad in a full helmet, concealed her identity completely.
"Who the hell are you?! Daring to ruin my plans, you little—!" Wind Patriarch roared at the mysterious rider, only to be cut off mid-sentence.
Bam!
Another strike—this time from a silver spear.
A man in traditional robes, holding that spear with deadly calm, landed between the biker and the black-cloaks. Zixuan immediately recognized him.
"'Wine in Cup,' you're here too!"
"Wine in Cup?" Wind Patriarch sneered. "What kind of dumb name is that? You think you're some kind of master drinker?" But the man didn't answer. Instead, he silently raised his spear—and launched an assault.
He was a man of few words, but every strike spoke volumes.
Wine in Cup widened his attack radius, forcing Wind Patriarch to retreat. Despite his famed speed, Wind Patriarch couldn't break away. Wine in Cup had already predicted his every move, and just as he thought he had dodged—slash!—a sweeping strike came from behind, cutting him off again.
"Tch! One after another, why can't you all just die already?!" Wind Patriarch snarled, clearly rattled. He started lashing out recklessly, but Wine in Cup was relentless, pinning him down without giving an inch.
"As expected from the top-ranked long-weapon player! He's completely suppressing him!" Zixuan shouted, impressed.
Only Mo Yan was still wallowing in despair over his shattered sword.
Just then, the biker pulled off her helmet, revealing a familiar face.
"Let's save the hugs for later. First, we need to get out of here," said Wastesea Ranger. She handed her helmet to Zixuan, then pulled out three more from her pack, passing them to the boy and Mo Yan.
"Alright folks—on the bike! Oh, 'PurpleApple,' no need for you. Your staff flies, remember?"
"Then… why did you give me a helmet?" Zixuan deadpanned.
"Ceremonial, duh." Wastesea Ranger grinned with obvious smugness—definitely some lingering payback from the match.
She turned to Mo Yan, who was still clutching the pieces of his beloved sword.
"Hey, crybaby, snap out of it. We don't have time for grief here!"
Sniffing, Mo Yan wiped his eyes, quickly bundled up the broken shards, and hopped onto the right seat of the bike. The boy took the other side.
Once everyone was ready, Wastesea Ranger shouted ahead: "All set! Hey, stiff-face—let's go!"
Wine in Cup gave a silent nod, then leapt onboard, squeezing in beside the boy. Wastesea Ranger gunned the throttle—
—and drove straight into Wind Patriarch.
"Huh?" The black-cloaked leader barely had time to react. "Wait, wha—?"
CRASH!
"Whoa! He got launched!" the boy burst out laughing as Wind Patriarch flew like a ragdoll.
"Dammit! What is that thing?!" the black-cloak groaned, clutching his head in a daze.
Wastesea Ranger spun the bike and aimed at him again.
"Wait—again?!"
BAM!
Second launch.
Thankfully, all the passengers were used to this insanity. If it had been anyone else, they'd be demanding to see her driver's license by now.
"Hehe, see ya, suckers!"
With a smug wave, Wastesea Ranger tossed down a pair of smoke bombs, revved hard, and blasted off with everyone aboard.
To shake pursuit, she drove them ten li outside the city, stopping in a barren field.
"Whew. That should do it," she said, finally removing her helmet and letting out a dramatic sigh.
"Thanks for the rescue, Miss Ranger," Zixuan said sincerely. "Although I still have issues with having to ride a staff to catch you… I'll admit, if not for that, we wouldn't have escaped."
Mo Yan gave her a grateful nod as well.
"No worries. I've got my own gripes, y'know. Like someone raining fire spells on my head during the finals? So now we're even." She smirked and gave Zixuan a wink.
"Even? You attacked me first with those illegal bike mods—ugh, forget it. How did you two even get there so fast?"
"Easy," Wastesea Ranger replied cheerfully. "Your magic, duh. That firestorm? Who else could cast something like that?"
Wine in Cup added, "We'd just arrived in town when we saw you bombing the sky. Hard to miss."
"I see…" Mo Yan nodded slowly, half-understanding.
"By the way," Wastesea Ranger turned serious. "What's with that town? Everyone looked soulless. Don't tell me you did something in there during the fight?"
Before Zixuan could answer, the boy finally spoke.
"Oh? So you saw the townsfolk with Lightloss Syndrome too?" He stepped forward to face them.
"Lightloss Syndrome? Wait, that's an actual thing?" Wastesea Ranger asked, narrowing her eyes. "Also… who are you, exactly?"
"Yeah," Zixuan added. "We helped you out, but I think we deserve some answers."
Mo Yan wiped the last of his grief from his face and glared. "Spill it. Who were those people, and why the hell were they chasing you?"
The boy gave a helpless smile. "So many questions at once… I don't know where to start. But first—thank you. I'm Yue Tianlang. Judging by your moves back there, I'd say you're not locals. And… I can't sense any Contract energy from you either."
"…Contract energy?" the four echoed in unison.
Yue Tianlang blinked. "Wait… you don't even know what that is? Don't tell me you're actually foreigners?"
Wastesea Ranger scratched her head. "Uh… yeah. You could say we're not from around here."
Wine in Cup nodded. "There was a… mishap during a competition."
"And now we're here," Mo Yan added with a shrug.
"Well, that explains it," Tianlang sighed. "Alright then, since you saved me, I'll fill you in."
"The Contract-Bearers are the eight major factions in this world. Ten thousand years ago, when the world was nearly destroyed by the Calamity Dragon of Ice, a divine 'Contract' was made. That contract bound the dragon's elemental powers to the earth, granting all living beings the ability to wield elemental magic."
"But, as with any power, it stirred greed—and led to chaos and rebellion."
"Five thousand years ago, the Holy One descended—a true god. Their presence ended the chaos, and to maintain order, they appointed eight Guardians: the Ice Emperor, the Thunder Lord, the Flame King, the Moon Saint, the Venom Spirit, the Shadow Tyrant, the Dread Fiend, and the Blood Empress."
"These Guardians became known as the Divine Envoys, the ones who could forge Contracts with the Holy One and grant power to others. Those who received such pacts are known as Contracted."
Zixuan fell silent, murmuring, "So… actual gods… This really is a theocratic world. It's… beyond what science can explain."
Mo Yan shrugged. "You're still trying to explain anything with science? We crossed into a video game, Zixuan. Science already checked out."
Tianlang grinned and raised a hand dramatically.
"Well then—surprise! The one standing before you now is none other than me, Yue Tianlang… also known as one of the Eight Guardians: the Moon Saint!"
"…Huh?"
~~------------------------
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