Sylvia chose to forgo a reply.
Ah well, bring on the scolding. She was used to it.
Yet, seeing Sylvia's utterly 'checked-out' demeanor, Acheron found her own nagging urge evaporating.
It was only then that Acheron noticed the trussed-up figure lying at Sylvia's feet.
"Who's this?"
"A Vidyadhara. Was scheming in the shadows. Dan Shu and I caught him."
Noticing that Phantylia hadn't arrived yet, Sylvia took the moment to brief Acheron on the situation.
"…And that's the gist of it."
"The Ambrosial Arbor's revival… Hmm, that might spell some trouble for the General."
Acheron gave a slight nod, thinking of Jing Yuan who was currently hurrying here.
Sylvia looked over, puzzled:
"Trouble? With you here, what chance does Phantylia even have?"
"I'm referring to the internal politics of the Xianzhou Alliance."
Acheron tilted her head slightly, gazing toward the direction of the Ambrosial Arbor.
"For the Xianzhou Alliance, the Arbor is a taboo subject, and its revival even more so. For it to suddenly awaken during Jing Yuan's tenure, with none of the other Generals present…"
As she spoke, Acheron suddenly turned to look at Sylvia, gesturing with her chin toward the greatsword:
"Phantylia is a Heliobus. They rarely even leave a corpse behind. Even if the problem is solved, if the Luofu claims it was the handiwork of the Antimatter Legion, will the other Xianzhou ships believe it? Don't forget, the Master Diviner is no spring chicken either."
"Surely the Xianzhou wouldn't go that far…"
"They would."
Acheron stated with certainty.
Her past wanderings across the cosmos hadn't involved much direct contact with the Xianzhou, yet she'd learned a great deal about them.
The Xianzhou had always been hypersensitive to such matters.
Let alone concerning a relic like the Ambrosial Arbor.
Its revival was a monumental event for the entire Xianzhou Alliance.
They would undoubtedly worry, and then thoroughly investigate whether this was truly the Antimatter Legion's doing.
And not a scheme orchestrated by Jing Yuan himself.
Seeing the seriousness in Acheron's eyes, Sylvia fell silent.
Her knowledge of the Xianzhou was limited to bits of text from the game.
It probably couldn't compare to Acheron's understanding, now that her memories had returned.
If that was the case…
Sylvia's gaze unconsciously dropped to the Vidyadhara warrior at her feet.
Acheron followed her line of sight.
"If he truly is as you say, then his existence becomes crucial for Jing Yuan. Like this, Jing Yuan would owe you a significant personal favor."
The Jade of Allying Oath earlier represented the friendship of the Xianzhou Luofu and its General.
But this today would earn Jing Yuan's personal debt.
Favors—when one possessed sufficient strength themselves—were never something to turn down.
Acheron had brought this up precisely because she realized this point, wanting to remind Sylvia.
This unexpected catch at their feet—best not let him get away.
Handing him over intact to Jing Yuan would be a win.
"I understand."
Sylvia nodded, then looked out over the sea.
When Dan Shu said to come up and take this guy away, was she already thinking along these lines?
"But, I'm surprised you'd concern yourself with such things, Mei?"
"Because I don't need to, but you do."
Acheron settled down right beside Sylvia, not a hint of tension about her.
Her ease made Sylvia relax considerably as well.
The Vidyadhara at their feet showed no signs of waking. Who knew how long 'not long' according to Dan Shu actually was.
Sylvia had already prepared her illusion technique, ready to cast it.
"Speaking of which, Mei, hold off on intervening for a bit later."
Acheron glanced sideways, then nodded:
"Since I'm already here, I won't draw my blade unless it's critical. This is the fight you wanted. Unless you're about to die, I'll only use the scabbard."
Acheron had never objected to Sylvia seeking out opponents to battle.
Sylvia's biggest issue was her lack of combat experience, not enough practice with her swordsmanship.
Put simply, her foundation was insufficient.
In raw power alone, Sylvia matched anyone below an Emanator.
But Sylvia clearly wasn't an Emanator, yet insisted on locking horns with Phantylia.
That was an Emanator!
Even knowing Sylvia's teleportation was fast, without seeing it with her own eyes, Acheron simply couldn't rest easy.
But now that she was here by Sylvia's side, naturally, she'd let Sylvia push herself to the limit first.
This time, Acheron hadn't even given her a life-preserving 'Void Cutter'.
As they spoke, suddenly—
Acheron's eyes sharpened, lifting her gaze to the sky.
"She's here."
Phantylia's arrival was flamboyant, with almost no attempt to conceal her approach.
From a distance, Sylvia too saw that figure shrouded in yellow-green flames, descending from the heavens like a falling star.
Sylvia rose to her feet, cold flames swirling around her without a breeze.
"Leave her to me. Let's see how much I've improved lately."
With that, WHOOSH—
The churning tide transformed into a coiling water dragon, entwined with icy flames, a spectacle of breathtaking brilliance!
The water dragon erupted with immense force, carrying Sylvia upward to meet Phantylia in mid-air!
The mere sight of Sylvia made Phantylia recall her recent defeat on the Xianzhou! Her grievous injuries—all because of this damned woman.
Now, having ruined her plans, she dared to take the initiative?
And within the power Sylvia wielded, Phantylia perceived, with crystal clarity, a portion that belonged to her!
Part Heliobus, part Emanator of Destruction!
All of it, actually being unleashed by Sylvia's hand.
Just this initial clash, on top of her already seething rage, made Phantylia instantly explode with fury.
The humiliation of being provoked by such an insignificant insect made Phantylia yearn to reduce Sylvia to ashes on the spot.
Self-annihilation, manipulation, pulling strings from the shadows?
None of it needed!
She would personally, with her own flames, ensure Sylvia died without a grave!!
So much so that Phantylia let out an extremely piercing shriek! Her thick hatred and wrath echoed throughout the entire Scalegorge Waterscape.
"Sylvia—!!! You again!! I will reduce you to cinders, with no hope of rebirth for all eternity!"
Fresh hatred atop old grudges drove her to summon a spare combat vessel.
The towering figure emitted a sharp, piercing war cry.
Unleashing terrifying flames, like a falling curtain of heaven, carrying dreadful momentum, it pressed down toward Sylvia.
Sylvia was thoroughly pleased with Phantylia's reaction.
She knew that using Phantylia's own power against her would surely stoke her rage.
Though Phantylia getting this enraged was a bit beyond Sylvia's expectations.
After all, in her impression, Phantylia leaned more toward the 'scheming' type.
She hadn't realized her mere existence would affect Phantylia to this degree.
So Sylvia threw her head back and laughed loudly:
"Haha—Phantylia! To think you're so hung up on me, try not to love me too much!"
"Mere cheap talk!"
Phantylia snorted coldly, clenched her fist, whipping up a colossal storm of fire, and with blinding speed, brought it crashing down on Sylvia's head!
BOOM—!!!
The surging flames and the soaring water dragon collided violently high in the sky.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.