153. The Night of Parting
Through the efforts of Xiling and [Kevin], the first world bubble for the trial has been completed.
Following the original world's trajectory.
The Fifth Herrscher is the Herrscher of Ice, and the world bubble is also a world shrouded in ice and snow.
Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent will join forces to travel to this world to pass the Fifth Trial…
"Sister Lemuen~ Do I really have to go?" On the living room sofa, Kiana clung tightly to Lemuen like a koala, rubbing her cheek against her soft chest, her voice drawn out, her big eyes blinking pitifully.
"What do you think? This is your world; you should offer your power to help it." Lemuen gently stroked Kiana's head.
However… in her heart…
"Just go already, you're always disturbing our time together."
Before she even noticed, this girl was always snuggling up to Xiling, and in all sorts of ways, she wondered where she'd learned it from.
However, the thought of her leaving for that world bubble made Lemuen… a little sad.
Their time to part was approaching. Although the other party always seemed to be trying to steal her man, she actually quite liked her.
Seeing her usual coquettish tactics fail, Kiana wasn't truly disappointed—she simply wanted to cling to Lemuen and act cute. Just when Lemuen thought she would let go, Kiana suddenly stood up, her warm breath instantly brushing against Lemuen's ear:
"Sister Lemuen..." Kiana's voice was extremely low, tinged with a sly smile, "You...aren't you going to completely 'win over' Xiling?"
Lemuen's forehead immediately creased with annoyance.
"We've already expressed our feelings; you don't need to worry about it."
"Hmph," Kiana chuckled triumphantly, finally releasing her hold and nimbly jumping off the sofa. Standing two steps away, a bright smile bloomed on her face:
"But—my offense won't stop, Sister Lemuen!"
...
Supermarket.
"Sigh...what should I do now?" Xiling stood frowning in front of the chilly meat counter, his fingers unconsciously poking at the glass.
"Boss, cut me two pounds... never mind, three pounds of pork belly, please."
"If you ask me, just take both! Why overthink it?" The Tarnished leaned against the shopping cart, looking at his friend's predicament with an expression of utter indifference.
"Life is short, enjoy it while you can."
"...Isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Kevin, the pure-love warrior who had just emerged from the Elysian Realm, pushed a shopping cart full of instant noodles and fast food, expressing his disapproval.
Xiling had already told both of his best friends about his situation, waiting for them to offer their advice.
"What's inappropriate about it! The key isn't what we think, it's whether they're willing! Don't hesitate, Xiling, don't let waiting turn into regret!" The Tarnished patted Xiling's shoulder heavily, as if imparting a life lesson.
"Hey! You perpetual bachelor, don't spout nonsense here!" Kevin, having taken the meat, pointed at the Tarnished.
"How dare you!" The Tarnished instantly straightened up, as if deeply insulted.
"I've been through countless relationships, at least seventy or eighty! Experience speaks for itself!"
"Enough! Don't mistake your dating simulation game saves for your life's highlights, you bastard!" Kevin snapped, finally losing his temper.
"Ouch!"
"Hiss—!"
Two cries of pain rang out simultaneously.
Xiling released his grip, and Kevin, rubbing his side, retorted irritably, "Big brother, we really have no experience with this kind of happy trouble!"
"Exactly!" The Tarnished chimed in, grimacing and rubbing the spot where he'd been pinched.
"The difficulty level is too high, beyond our comprehension!"
"So what's the point of having you two here?"
The Tarnished and Kevin instantly reached a tacit understanding, grinning as they each put their arms around Xiling's shoulders, sandwiching him between them.
"Of course, we came to watch the drama unfold first."
Kevin poked Xiling's cheek with his index finger with a mischievous grin.
"Who told you not to tone down your irresistible charm?"
"In internet parlance, you're like a central air conditioner!" the Tarnished quickly added.
"Now look what happened! You've gone too far. What are you going to do?" Kevin and the Tarnished said in unison, their faces showing identical expressions of anticipation.
"That's why I asked you guys!" Xiling sighed helplessly, feeling like he'd chosen the wrong people to consult.
"Honestly, your situation is quite complicated." Kevin stroked his chin, as if analyzing something.
"The root of all this, of course, lies with you!" the Tarnished pointed at Xiling decisively.
Xiling raised an eyebrow.
"How so?" "
"Who's like you! So nice to everyone, practically sharing your affection equally with everyone!" The Tarnished rolled his eyes.
"The thing is," Kevin added quietly, "you're not stingy with your kindness, even to a man! Bro, I'm a little scared!"
"…As a hero, having a kind heart is only natural. Don't worry about the details."
"Stop using being a hero as a catch-all excuse!" The two spoke in unison again, their voices rising, attracting the attention of the aunties picking out vegetables nearby.
"Sigh, never mind," Kevin waved his hand, giving Xiling a knowing look, and nudged him lightly with his elbow.
"Honestly, when something like this happens, we should be envious. After all, two real beauties are vying for your attention!"
He paused, silently adding in his mind:
"Actually, strictly speaking, it's three, hehe…"
"Yeah! I'm so envious!" The Tarnished immediately exclaimed, eyes wide.
"A harem route! My ultimate dream in dating sims! I always choose this route!"
"So," the Tarnished weighed the groceries he had chosen, then glanced at the shopping cart, "there's no point in agonizing over it now. Things will work themselves out. Instead of racking your brains, let's think about what we're missing tonight." He finally steered the conversation back to reality.
"That's right, you can slowly agonize over your 'sweet burden'." Kevin shrugged, and the two simultaneously released their grip on Xiling's arms.
Kevin pushed the shopping cart forward a step, a hint of barely perceptible emotion in his voice:
"Tonight... might be the last time we have dinner with Sirin before we set off on completing this mission. Thinking about it, it's actually a little hard to say goodbye."
While Kiana was heading to the World Bubble, they should also finish the rest of their journey and return to their own worlds. Who knows when they'd see each other again?
"If you're going to miss her, just call her." While picking through tomatoes, Xiling casually tossed out this sentence.
"...Huh?" Kevin was utterly disgusted.
"Here," Xiling pulled a device from his pocket, "a cross-world communicator redeemed with 3000 shop points. You deserve it."
Kevin blinked, finally giving a thumbs up.
"You deserve it!"
3000 points were enough to redeem an A-rank Noble Phantasm.
A Herrscher Core costs 50,000 points.
It didn't sound like much, but in reality, they had only completed two missions, so their points were indeed limited.
The Tarnished looked curiously at the device in Xiling's hand.
"How does this thing work?"
"I guess," Xiling shrugged, "most likely... with the chat group mechanism?"
The Tarnished immediately lost interest; anything related to the chat group was basically inexplicable.
"Alright, stop studying this," Xiling put away his communicator.
"Hurry up and buy the rest of the groceries, it's getting late..."
Before he finished speaking, the three of them bumped into Raiden Mei, who was also shopping for groceries, in the fresh produce section.
Mei had been focused on selecting fresh vegetables, her expression gentle, but when her gaze swept over the trio and precisely caught Xiling's face—
It was as if a switch had been flipped. The gentle expression on Mei's face vanished instantly, and her eyes sharpened.
"Why is it this guy again!" Mei's fingers tightened slightly around the shopping basket.
"Calm down...keep your composure...just a greeting is enough."
Suppressing her irritation, Mei forced a business-like smile:
"...Good afternoon, everyone."
"Good afternoon." *3.
Xiling's gaze naturally fell on the abundant groceries in Mei's shopping basket. After a moment's thought, he extended an invitation:
"Miss Raiden, look how much good stuff you bought. We're having an extra meal tonight. If you don't mind, come join us! Sirin will definitely be happy to see you."
These words were like igniting a fuse! If Mei's expression had merely slumped before, now it was completely "frozen."
"Happy? Kiana will only be happy to see him! This guy… is he doing this on purpose?!" Mei felt an indescribable sense of suffocation in her chest.
She didn't say a word, just tightened her shopping basket, turned around, and her shoes slammed on the clean supermarket floor, making a loud, resounding sound. With undisguised displeasure, she quickly brushed past Xiling and the other two.
"Why does she seem to dislike you?" Kevin asked, somewhat puzzled.
"...Because she likes Sirin," Xiling whispered.
"Holy shit! How do you do this?" The Tarnished was taken aback.
"Heh, so you guys should understand now, right?" Xiling shrugged.
"Understood." *2
"This mission was definitely worth it!" *2
"I really need to teach you guys a lesson!" Xiling instantly became furious, grabbing two straight, hard cucumbers from the vegetable stall next to him!
Kevin and the Tarnished, seeing the situation was bad, immediately made their escape.
........
"We're back." The three of them, carrying three large bags of things, opened the door.
After putting the things in the kitchen, Kiana suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"What did you buy? Tonight is our farewell dinner. If I am not satisfied, I won't give you any face."
"Tch, today I'll show you the true strength of the three of us! Right, brothers?" Xiling looked at her brothers behind her.
The Tarnished's expression was indescribable.
Kevin avoided Xiling's gaze.
"Hey, what's going on here?"
"Why don't you go sit outside?" the Tarnished suggested.
Hearing the Tarnished's words, Kiana burst out laughing.
Xiling: "?????? I can always chop vegetables, right?"
"I have no objection." The Tarnished visibly relaxed.
So the Hero Squad started cooking!
A soft, rhythmic knock sounded at the door. Raiden Mei, standing at the door, took a deep breath, as if cheering herself on. She had finally come.
The door opened quickly, revealing Kiana's face, radiating pure joy.
"Mei! You're finally here! I've been waiting for you for ages!" Kiana's voice was filled with joy. She opened the door wide with natural ease, a bright, untroubled smile on her face. She could now face her former comrades with complete confidence.
Seeing that familiar smile, Raiden Mei's complex emotions instantly subsided, and a gentle smile bloomed on her face.
"Good evening, Kiana."
Kiana reached out and grasped Mei's slightly cool wrist.
"Don't stand at the door, come in!" She pulled Mei into the house without further ado.
Raiden Mei followed Kiana's lead into the warm, bright living room. However, when her gaze fell towards the kitchen, she froze, as if struck by a spell, her pupils dilating slightly.
A barrier separated the kitchen from the outside world.
In the kitchen, Kevin provided the flames, Xiling wielded a kitchen knife, creating afterimages, while the Tarnished stirred the large fish on Kevin's flames.
"Is this still cooking?" Raiden Mei couldn't help but murmur.
"Isn't it interesting?" Kiana pointed at the three people in the kitchen, cooking almost like a circus act, and couldn't help but laugh.
"They insist this is the most efficient way to cook, and they even put up this barrier to prevent the fumes from spreading… although I think it's mainly to prevent them from blowing up the kitchen themselves."
Raiden Mei could only laugh awkwardly.
Just then, Lemuen also came out of the kitchen, carrying vegetables in her hands.
"Let's cook first, Mei. We will be done soon."
"…Okay."
Not long after, the smoke from the kitchen finally cleared.
The group finally sat down at the table.
Xiling: "Alright, you two, good luck with tomorrow's trial. Consider this a victory celebration."
Kevin: "Remember to be careful."
The Tarnished: "Be careful, be careful, be very careful."
Lemuen: "After we leave, you two should get along well."
"Don't worry!" Kiana pointed her thumb forcefully at herself, a confident smile on her face.
"I will be the one to ultimately shoulder everything! I promise you!" Her posture was just like the vow she made back in St. Freya.
Raiden Mei also looked earnestly at everyone present, nodding solemnly:
"Thank you all for your care and help during this time."
"Then—" Kiana's eyes sparkled, as if she had been waiting for this moment for a long time, "Let's eat!"
Halfway through the meal, at the most relaxed moment, Kiana suddenly and mysteriously pulled a simply packaged bottle of liquor from under the table.
Kevin and the Tarnished took a sip of the liquor, exchanged a glance, and said nothing.
Time seemed to have been accelerated.
The dinner party wasn't officially over, but the living room had already become... quiet and peaceful.
Raiden Mei had quietly slumped over the table, clearly fast asleep.
Kevin leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, while the Tarnished had slid under the table, emitting soft snores.
Lemuen appeared dazed, leaning against the back of her chair, clearly not fully conscious.
Around the long table, the only one still awake was Xiling, no... There was one other person—Kiana.
Xiling's gaze fell on Kiana's slightly flushed face, and his lips twitched:
"...Kiana..."
"This wine...it's not right, isn't it?"
Kiana, slightly drunk, staggered precisely to him, straddling his lap without hesitation, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck.
"Don't worry..." Her breath, carrying the scent of alcohol, brushed against Xiling's ear.
"Just let them... get a good night's sleep..."
Her slightly flushed cheek slowly drew closer, close enough for him to see the almost obsessive love surging in her eyes.
"But you, Xiling... you really surprise me... I used the power of the Herrscher of the Void to get you so much alcohol..."
"...It didn't work..." There was no disappointment in her voice, only a strange excitement.
"But... it's alright..."
"Xiling... I like you..."
"I told you... don't even think about running away..." Before the words were finished, a golden portal suddenly opened beneath their feet! A feeling of weightlessness washed over them instantly; the chair disintegrated in mid-air, and the two crashed onto the soft bed in Kiana's room.
Xiling felt a sudden weight on him. Kiana, her long white hair cascading down her back, braced herself against him, looking down at him.
"I like you?"
"And what's your answer?"
"You only need to answer, like or dislike."
"...I like you."
"Then...don't reject me anymore."
She propped herself up, straddling his waist, her hand reaching for the buttons on her shirt.
"The world can't stop us...but I want to..." She gazed at him, her fingertips lingering on the last button, her shirt half-open, revealing her delicate collarbone and undulating curves.
The sound of the doorknob turning sounded like a thunderclap!
Kiana turned her head, her face a mixture of shock, embarrassment, and disbelief—how could the special medicine have failed?
The door was pushed open a crack. Lemuen swayed and squeezed in, reeking of alcohol. She glanced at the door, then slammed it shut from the inside with countless intricate parts!
Having done all this, Lemuen slowly turned around, her steps unsteady but purposeful as she walked towards the bed.
Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes glazed, yet a lazy, dangerous smile played at the corners of her lips.
"Sis... Sister Lemuen?" Kiana's voice was flustered and embarrassed.
Lemuen ignored her, walking straight to Kiana's side on the bed. Then—she began to undress! Her movements were unhurried, with a strange rhythm. Coat buttons, shirt buttons, waist belt…clothes slipped away silently like petals.
The air ignited instantly, then fell into a suffocating silence.
Just as Kiana and Xiling's minds went blank, Lemuen moved! She leaned in, and in Kiana's stunned gaze, Lemuen lowered her head and sealed Xiling's lips with hers!
This wasn't a kiss; it was a plunder, a declaration of ownership!
Time froze. Only the faint sounds of lips entwining and the chaotic heartbeats of the three remained.
Until Lemuen herself jerked her head back, breathless, her lips parting, leaving a trail of saliva. She gasped for breath, her chest heaving, her eyes burning with a more intense, frenzied desire and possessiveness than before.
She didn't look at Xiling beneath her; instead, her gaze, like a torch, pierced the stunned Kiana sitting beside her!
"You…"
"Just stand there and watch!"
"Don't look away… not an inch!"
"Um, Lemuen, are you alright?" Xiling began, as if to say something.
However, Lemuen's kiss sealed his lips once more!
Only when her lungs were empty of oxygen did Lemuen finally release him, panting. Her body trembled slightly from the intense breathing, but her voice rang out clearly in Xiling's ear:
"Tonight... you bastard..."
"Don't try to be like a block of wood anymore... get moving...!"
Then, only heavy breathing, barely suppressed moans, and the rustling of fabric against fabric filled the room. A storm of emotions, intense and unsettling, continued to surge.
Kiana's cheeks were already flushed. She was rooted to the spot by an invisible command, her gaze forced to focus, witnessing this all-consuming tempest unfold before her eyes. Every subtle sound, every tremor of her body, became an invisible brand, etched into her senses.
Having weathered countless storms and troughs, Lemuen collapsed at the edge of the already chaotic battlefield.
Kiana's gaze slowly shifted from Lemuen's unconscious body to the only figure in the eye of the storm, still carrying the aura of someone who had survived a catastrophe.
The next second, in the suffocating silence, she didn't hesitate for a moment, taking the place left by Lemuen…
Another long and intense period of time passed. Finally, with a weary sob, the other girl also exhausted her last strength and fell into a deep sleep like a withered flower petal…