Chapter 36

The heavy black door opened. The group entered the oppressive building and walked down a long, winding staircase. After a while, they reached the widest underground level, crowded with anxious people.

Hearing sounds from the stairwell, many looked up. When they saw the golden-haired, golden-eyed teenager surrounded by the group, someone exclaimed.

Some shouted "Your Highness Sykes!" and performed grand bows toward the figure on the stairs.

More people noticed the imposing figure. From above, the crowd looked like surging waves, surprised heads lifting before obediently and uneasily lowering again, as if they had seen a true god.

Calling him a god was not an exaggeration. Five hundred years ago, a pope with prophetic talent had foretold:

Five hundred years later, a super-S-class aberrant realm would descend upon the empire again, bringing a world-ending catastrophe. The incarnation of the God of Hope would once more save the nation.

Indeed, five hundred years later, aberrant realm activity grew more frequent. At the same time, the Sacred Citadel Empire welcomed a prince with 3S-level talent just like the God of Hope, practically confirming the prophecy.

People waited fearfully for the super-S-class realm to arrive. They hoped the Cloud Soarers would win and bring dragon bones to protect the lower district, while also wishing Sykes, as the incarnation of the God of Hope, would slay another demon dragon, bringing new dragon bones and freeing them forever from the threat of aberrant realms.

Sykes looked down indifferently at the dense crowd. Timid, hopeful, reverent emotions were directed at him, yet his heart remained perfectly calm, far less stirred than by Ye Zheng earlier.

Someone had told him that it was normal for a transcendent god to lack the burdensome emotions of ordinary people, but occasionally he wondered if "monster" was a more fitting description.

Sykes raised a smile and lifted one hand in a wave. Just this simple gesture caused the crowd to erupt in intense cheers, as if believers had finally awaited the god who would spread hope. No one could imagine that this divine son had just moments ago tried to destroy the fortress they depended on.

"Your Highness, your prestige is even more astonishing than we imagined. Truly remarkable."

Yu Tianming's praise held some sincerity, but Sykes could not be bothered to acknowledge it. Amid the frenzied atmosphere, he turned his head slightly and took in the calm, indifferent profile of the girl beside him.

Ye Zheng had not expected Sykes's reputation in the lower district to be quite high.

She could understand it. In such a precarious, life-or-death situation, the arrival of such a noble, legendary powerhouse was like an oasis in the desert. How could it not drive thirsty travelers mad? Unfortunately, Sykes was no oasis. He was a mirage.

Sykes did not continue descending. Ye Zheng could tell he had no intention of squeezing into a public space with his subjects.

"We should leave."

He dropped this sentence and turned to walk back upstairs. Even Lu Qi, who had followed them, was stunned. "What do you mean? You just went through all that to get the door..."

Yu Tianming's brow twitched at Lu Qi's loud voice. He tried to cover her mouth with his hand, only to find someone had beaten him to it.

Ye Zheng pressed a finger gently against Lu Qi's lips, and Lu Qi immediately fell silent.

Lu Qi might have some protagonist aura, but there was no need to continue provoking Sykes and the imperial family right now. Ye Zheng could not guarantee she would be able to stop Sykes a second time.

Perhaps because of that aura, or perhaps for another reason, there was no need to keep antagonizing Sykes and the royal family at this point. Ye Zheng could not guarantee she could stop him from acting again.

Only she herself knew that blocking Sykes's 【Destruction】 at the door just now had been pure luck. Sykes probably had not even used a tenth of his power against that door, yet she had already felt strained.

Lu Qi stared at her with wide eyes, watching her lower her finger, watching her follow that group of annoying people as they left.

What a strange woman! Were they that familiar? Her hand had almost touched Lu Qi's lips.

The heavy black door opened again. The blazing light stung Ye Zheng's eyes, forcing her to close them for a moment.

As they exited the shelter, their next step was to eliminate the core of this aberrant realm. Then, tales of Sykes's heroic deeds would spread among the successfully rescued people, if everything went smoothly.

Ye Zheng pressed her hand to her forehead to block the sunlight, narrowing her eyes slightly as she examined the figures not far away.

For Sykes, things were destined not to go smoothly, because he was the villain, and the righteous protagonist was also in this aberrant realm.

Pei Xi and his two teammates were leading dozens of people toward the shelter. In the aberrant space, many could not find the original location of the shelter, so the Cloud Soarers had discussed leaving Lu Qi to watch over the shelter while the other three rescued ordinary people and brought them to the absolutely safe place.

As for destroying the core, this area was close to the crown prince's territory. With the Royal Academy team's strength, they would surely resolve it faster than the Cloud Soarers.

Therefore, Pei Xi had anticipated encountering Sykes, yet when he actually saw the golden-haired, golden-eyed teenager standing before him, Pei Xi could not help frowning.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, it has been a while."

The black-haired, blue-eyed teenager greeted him coldly.

Sykes glanced at him and lazily withdrew his gaze. Perhaps the weather was too hot; he seemed to have lost his earlier intense interest and only spoke in a languid, mocking tone. "I would not have guessed you had an interest in shepherding."

Pei Xi was clearly unhappy with the metaphor. He restrained his emotions, face taut as he said, "My hobbies are none of your concern. We are going in."

Unexpectedly, Sykes did not make things difficult for him. The arrogant crown prince did not spare him another glance and strode away.

Ye Zheng watched the confrontation between the protagonist and the villain from the side. This was her first time seeing Pei Xi and Sykes in the same frame, but unfortunately, the two did not spark much tension, leaving her somewhat disappointed.

『Sigh, why is this different from the original plot? Sykes and Pei Xi were supposed to have several interactions full of gunpowder.』

The system sounded puzzled.

『Even if they're gone, it doesn't affect much. It's just that the Xi-Sy and Sy-Xi shippers suddenly have less candy... But there shouldn't be any changes, right?』

The system thought for a moment. Ye Zheng had not intervened much in the original plot in this chapter. The part where Sykes tried to destroy the door was originally stopped by Yu Tianming, so swapping it to her should not be a big issue.

The system could not understand why Sykes now seemed so uninterested in Pei Xi.

"It is obvious the two have a very bad relationship. If they knew that in a world beyond this one, many people ship them together, their expressions would be hilarious."

Ye Zheng sighed wistfully. It was a shame she could not show Sykes those fanarts and fanfics. As the person involved, he could not appreciate masterpieces like 《Bitter Summer》, 《Growing Pains》, and 《Rose in the No-Man's Land》. What a loss.

[T/N- if someone interested in some fanfic of their favourite character/cp of any form of media check out AO3]

Her gaze shifted to Pei Xi, and unsurprisingly, he was looking at her too. Their eyes met for a brief moment of discomfort before he quickly adjusted and gave her a friendly smile.

As Ye Zheng, she had met Pei Xi a few times, so it was not strange for him to greet her. She returned the signature saintess smile: gentle, giving the illusion of mutual understanding and sympathy.

Suddenly, Ye Zheng's gaze sharpened. Her eyes locked on a man behind Pei Xi.

Pei Xi was a teenager, already tall and sturdy. The man had been blocked behind him, very inconspicuous.

The man had ordinary features, but his build felt strangely off, with an eerie sense of disharmony. His exposed face, neck, and arms twitched slightly. His eyes rolled upward, showing the whites.

"Sir, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Ye Zheng stepped forward to ask. Pei Xi turned in surprise as well. Sykes, who had been walking ahead, stopped at her words and turned back with an impatient glance.

The man suddenly became the focus of everyone's attention. His legs comically slid backward, and he teetered as if about to fall.

Something was wrong. Ye Zheng's expression darkened. She quickly steadied the man's body just as the system screamed in her ear.

『Do not get close to him!』

It was too late. The moment Ye Zheng touched him, the man suddenly deflated like a clothes rack losing its support. As countless black insects burst out, he collapsed to the ground.

"Ah!"

Screams erupted from the crowd Pei Xi had brought. Innumerable black insects scattered and spread. Even Pei Xi froze for a moment. Only when the dense swarm crawled up his pant legs did he transform his left hand into a blade and slash them away.

Ye Zheng finally understood what happened if these insects overwhelmed someone. They not only hollowed out the internals but also burrowed into human skin to disguise themselves as people!

"Everyone, do not run around! Get behind us!"

Pei Xi shouted. Kyle erected a barrier shield beside him to block the insects' advance, while Roy's wide-range flame ability was perfect for countering them.

Since it happened close to Pei Xi, Ye Zheng naturally positioned herself in the safe zone behind him. Her ability was not suited for dealing with these insects, and the current Ye Zheng could not expose her true strength.

Ye Zheng's expression turned slightly cold. She stopped looking at the insects on the ground and observed the fleeing crowd instead.

There might be more than one parasitized person. The current chaos made it harder to spot abnormalities. Her 【Stream】 coiled around her fair arm, ready to strike. If the situation became critical, she would not care about exposing her power.

At Pei Xi's shout, the panicked crowd ran toward them. Ye Zheng's pupils contracted. She spotted a "person" with a mouthpart probing close to a terrified running woman ahead. There was more than one type of monster besides the black insect swarm.

Ye Zheng had no time to think further. Only her water stream could precisely and quickly kill that insect-human!

A thin stream of water slithered across the ground like a ghostly white snake. It soon reached the target's feet and prepared to leap for the kill.

Bang!

A muffled boom echoed in the overcast sky. Countless specks of light fell like holy snow, drawing the attention of everyone and everything, even the non-human, for a moment.

In the unnoticed corner, the water condensed into a sharp spike and pierced deeply into the insect-human's head. The bizarre body collapsed. The woman safely escaped into the protected area.

Only after finishing this did Ye Zheng look up, admiring the serene and holy 【Divine Domain】 amid the chaos.

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"I am seriously done with you. Running all this way here, the boss is probably already going to be taken by the Royal team."

Yinkong could not stop complaining. The usually cheeky silver-haired teenager had lost his spirit in the heat. This was within the Royal Academy's range. Their Divine Academy territory was so far away, yet Bai Muqing insisted on coming here.

The girl's vacant white pupils stared unblinkingly into the void. Her voice was cold and clear. "I told you. I have only one target."

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Authors Note

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From Ye Zheng's perspective, it is hard not to feel like Bai Muqing is a friend. Every time the other side subjectively wants to target her, it somehow ends up helping her instead, haha.