He had to run.
Every nerve in Cao Cao's body screamed for escape. He triggered Horse Treasure, desperate to swap himself out of this nightmare.
He'd thrown everything at Shuo—every trick, every Sacred Gear. Not a scratch. Staying meant death.
Shuo's eyes narrowed, watching Cao Cao's frantic preparations.
"Still clinging to hope? You think you can crawl away now?"
He didn't wait for an answer. In his hand, a bow shimmered into existence. One arrow—unremarkable at first glance, but the air around it reeked of death.
"Meteor Arrow!"
No flashy effects. No wasted motion. The arrow cut straight toward Cao Cao.
Cao Cao's pupils shrank to pinpricks. He wanted to dodge, to scream, to fight—but his body was frozen, outpaced by terror.
The arrow punched through his chest, carving a bowl-sized hole. Blood gushed.
Cao Cao looked down, eyes clouded with despair. He tried to speak, but his knees buckled and he collapsed, lifeless.
For a long moment, silence reigned.
Shuo finally approached the corpse, retrieving the True Longinus. He stripped away Dimension Lost and Annihilation Maker—spoils of victory.
He turned to Jeanne, a wicked glint in his eye, and teasingly lifted her chin.
"I didn't kill you. From today on, you're officially my maid."
Jeanne stared, speechless, no room for protest. She'd never liked Cao Cao or Siegfried—never cared for their methods.
Besides, Cao Cao had just tried to use her as bait. His death meant little.
Being Shuo's maid? She had no idea how to feel.
In the shadows, a figure watched, then sighed and vanished.
Indra—the god of Mount Sumeru, one of the world's top ten powers—had let chaos run rampant, hoping heroes would rise. He'd come to save Cao Cao, but Shuo's ruthlessness left him no opening.
Indra swallowed his pride and retreated. Picking a fight now would be suicide.
Shuo glanced at the spot where Indra had disappeared, a faint smile on his lips. He'd sensed the presence all along.
If Indra wasn't looking for trouble, neither was he.
"Thank you for saving my mother, Big Brother Shuo!"
Kunou ran over, hugging Shuo's waist, her smile bright as sunrise.
Shuo scooped her up, grinning.
"My future wife deserves a hero. Saving my mother-in-law is just part of the job."
Kunou's cheeks flushed red, but she didn't object.
Maybe marrying this big brother wasn't such a bad idea.
Jeanne shot Shuo a wary look, eyes suspicious.
A loli fox? Seriously? Is this guy a total creep?
Shuo snapped his fingers, dissolving the binding spell on Yasaka. She regained her human form and composure, confusion flickering across her face—then anger, as her gaze landed on Jeanne.
Kunou rushed to explain.
"Mother, Shuo saved you and took care of Cao Cao and the others. Jeanne's on our side now."
Yasaka's expression softened. She stroked Kunou's hair, smiling.
"Thank you, Shuo Nangong. You saved my life."
She glanced at the bodies littering the ground, surprise in her eyes.
"Heh, we're all family now, mother-in-law. No need to be so formal!"
Shuo scratched his head, laughing.
"Family… Mother-in-law?"
Yasaka blinked, utterly bewildered.
Kunou stammered through the whole story, face burning with embarrassment.
Yasaka listened, lips twitching in disbelief. She'd heard about Shuo's harem ambitions at the Three Faction summit—but now he was trying to steal her daughter, too?
Kunou was clearly smitten. Yasaka trusted Shuo's character and strength—except for his wandering eye.
"I'll allow you and Kunou to be together," she said at last, "but I expect you to wait until she's grown up before… anything else."
Shuo thumped his chest, all confidence.
"Relax, mother-in-law. I'm not a pervert. I'm a master at loli cultivation!"
For eleven- or twelve-year-olds, Shuo's affection was pure doting—no funny business.
Unless, of course, it was a legal loli like Nayuki. That was different.
"…"
"…"
"…"
You really have the nerve to say that!
Loli cultivation, seducing underage fox girls—if he's not a pervert, who is?
After the dust settled, everyone returned to the Yokai Capital. Once Yasaka had put things in order, Shuo took Jeanne back to Kuoh Town.
Kunou stayed behind—she was too young, and as future Kyoto's Yokai General, she needed to study with her mother.
When Shuo brought Jeanne home, the other girls barely reacted. They were used to it by now.
What shocked them was how Shuo had wiped out the Hero Faction—Cao Cao and all.
That's our man, they thought. Ruthless and bold.
Shuo handed Jeanne over to Grayfia, then retreated to his room to tally his loot.
Not only had he taken down Cao Cao and the others, he'd scored three Longinus and three sign-in packages—a haul worth celebrating.
"Ding! Sign-in package opened. Congratulations, Host: [Ah Wei's Eighteen Styles], [Divine Armor Dragon—Bahamut], [Absolute Zero]."
"Pfft!"
Shuo nearly choked.
Ah Wei's Eighteen Styles? What kind of joke is that?
Straight out of "The Outcast"—Feng Baobao's martial arts techniques.
Just shouting the names made Shuo want to crawl into a hole and die of embarrassment.
But… maybe there was potential here. Time to study. Who knows what surprises lay ahead?
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