The moment Arbiter finished her chant, a pale purple shimmer suddenly enveloped Yan Zheng. His clothes were torn away and reshaped by an invisible force.
In the blink of an eye, a well-tailored black formal suit clung tightly to his body.
At the same time, a wooden conductor's baton, seemingly made of ebony, materialized out of thin air in his palm.
Yan Zheng seemed incredibly familiar with the entire process, showing not a hint of discomfort. Clearly, this was far from his first transformation.
He raised his hand slightly, and the baton danced to his touch.
The next second, a majestic, passionate symphonic movement erupted, its rhythm powerful and resonant. It felt as if they were standing not in a desolate, wild forest, but in a grand golden concert hall.
Hidden within the music were faint magical hums that intertwined with Arbiter's aura, forming an invisible barrier that shielded everyone.
Zhou Caiwei stared, dumbfounded, and subconsciously muttered, “Is this the true strength of a powerhouse? This is insane! Now this is what you call a class. Mine is absolute garbage in comparison.”
To some extent, Zhou Caiwei's words mirrored Bai Ci's own thoughts.
The classes of these two were simply too flashy. Compared to them, her own class was practically plain and unadorned.
Moreover, their classes had incredible synergy. Combined, their skills definitely achieved a result where the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.
With the background music in place, the power within Arbiter began to skyrocket.
A halo of interwoven silver and purple now swirled around Arbiter.
She tilted her head back, her hair catching the light and shimmering with a faint silver glow. A bold, confident smile tugged at the corner of her lips as she chanted once more, “In my name, I draw upon the starlight and shoulder the duty of the end. Magical Girl Arbiter of the End, descend!”
The moment the chant ended, a blinding light burst forth, forcing everyone to shield their eyes.
When the light finally dissipated, Arbiter stood before them completely transformed.
She wore a Gothic Lolita outfit. Her skirt was made of layered black lace, each layer embroidered with silver thorn patterns. The hem of her skirt was dotted with tiny purple sequins that caught the sunlight, sparkling like stars in the dark night sky.
Her collar and cuffs featured dramatic, ruffled purple lace, and silver ribbons wound around her neck and shoulders. Small black crucifixes hung from the ends of the ribbons, swaying gently with her movements.
Her hair cascaded down, the tips dyed a gradient purple. A black bonnet adorned with silver lace was tied under her chin in a beautiful purple bow.
Most striking of all was the massive scythe she held in her hands.
The scythe's shaft was pitch-black and wrapped in silver chains. Its blade was broad and razor-sharp, the tip gleaming with a cold, menacing light that radiated a formidable aura.
Arbiter gripped the giant scythe and gave it a light swing.
As the blade swept through the air, the encroaching black vines were cleanly severed in an instant, their cuts perfectly smooth. The surrounding orchestral music swelled even more passionately.
“Yan Zheng, stand with me and intercept these defiled creatures!” Arbiter cried, swinging her scythe to deflect the incoming vines.
She then ordered in a deep voice, “The rest of you, return to the safe house immediately and investigate. If all else fails, burn it to the ground!”
Yan Zheng waved his conductor's baton, keeping the symphonic movement playing seamlessly. “Leave this to us. We'll hold the line.”
Though he had addressed the group, Yan Zheng did not hold much hope for Vigi to be of any actual help.
His instructions were mostly directed at Zhou Caiwei, his fellow player.
It wasn't that he fully trusted her, but from a purely pragmatic standpoint, not stabbing them in the back was the smartest choice she could make.
This instance wasn't a team-versus-team scenario. Since they were keeping the enemy busy, if she wanted a higher evaluation score, she had to commit fully to the investigation and help advance their progress in breaking the curse.
Otherwise, if she just ran away, Arbiter and Yan Zheng's final scores wouldn't suffer, but hers certainly would.
Zhou Caiwei, whose sole intention was to ride on the coattails of these powerhouses, naturally had no other thoughts.
Knowing how urgent the situation was, she didn't dare waste a second. Grabbing Bai Ci's arm, she urged Vigi, “Hurry, let's go! We need to get back to the wooden cabin right now. Don't stay here and drag them down!”
Though the weather had cleared up, the mountain path remained muddy and slippery. However, none of the three cared about that now. They sprinted forward with all their might, leaving the dramatic orchestral music and the sounds of battle far behind.
It had taken them nearly half an hour to walk here, but in their frantic rush back, it took only about ten minutes before the outline of the wooden cabin came into view.
But the moment they saw the state of the cabin, all three of them froze in their tracks.
The cabin was completely engulfed in roaring flames that shot high into the sky, accompanied by thick plumes of billowing smoke. Part of the roof had already collapsed, and the wooden walls were blackened and cracked from the intense heat.
Bai Ci stepped closer. Ignoring the scorching heat and the choking smoke, she squinted and peered inside.
She spotted Violita lying on the floor, his body crawling slowly. He had managed to reach the doorway and was desperately trying to drag himself out.
His clothes were singed and tattered, and his breathing was shallow and rapid. He had clearly exhausted every ounce of his strength.
Since he was already at the threshold, Bai Ci didn't hesitate for a second. She rushed forward, grabbed Violita by the arm, and pulled him out of the blazing heat with all the strength she could muster.
The exact moment Bai Ci dragged Violita clear, a support beam inside the cabin suddenly collapsed, crashing heavily right onto the doorway and sending a shower of sparks flying.
Had she been even a second later, Violita would have been crushed by the beam and consumed by the flames.
Seeing that the two of them were almost out of danger, Zhou Caiwei quickly stepped in to help. She grabbed Violita's other arm, and together with Bai Ci, they helped him over to a safe area far from the fire.
“Mr. Violita, are you alright? Are you hurt?” Bai Ci asked.
Violita leaned heavily against Bai Ci, coughing violently. He trembled so hard that he couldn't even speak.
Vigi hurried over. Looking at the burning cabin and then at the frail Violita, he asked in a flurry of panic, “What happened? How did the cabin catch fire? What do we do now?”
While patting Violita's back to soothe his coughing fit, Bai Ci looked up at the blazing cabin, her eyes filled with deep concern.
Violita's coughing didn't stop, but he desperately wanted to say something. He gently nudged Bai Ci and pointed a trembling finger in a certain direction.
His lips parted with great effort, squeezing out fragmented words, “The fire... it was me... for the sake of... the person there...”
Everyone followed the direction of Violita's finger, their hearts instantly leaping into their throats.
Standing on a nearby hillside was a familiar figure.
He still wore his dark train uniform, standing tall and straight. A mask-like smile was plastered on his face, devoid of any genuine emotion.
Only this time, pinned prominently to his chest was a blooming sprig of wisteria.
Rate on N.U.
