Hollow Special Operations Department.
"Chief!"
"You're being far too indulgent with them!"
The female secretary's fists were tightly clenched, her eyes like knives as she glared at the bearded man sitting behind the desk.
"..."
The shouted-at Chief subconsciously shrank his neck and reached up to tug at his collar. Fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead as he let out two dry laughs.
"What can I do? That's the Void Hunter of the Hoshimi family; do I have the authority to manage her?"
Section 6, led by Miyabi Hoshimi, was only nominally under the Special Operations Department.
She was sharp, dangerous, and difficult to control.
Under her command, she had gathered a group of people with extraordinary strength, each possessing unique skills.
As for discipline?
It was like a wild horse that had broken its tether, never following the rules.
Other units were as responsive as fingers to the arm, following orders immediately.
But Miyabi Hoshimi?
Her style had always been "orders are like the wind; whether I follow them depends on my mood," being unconventional in every sense of the word.
"..."
The female secretary's lips trembled with anger, her chest heaving violently. She suddenly pulled out a document and slapped it onto the desk with a "thud."
"Even so, that's no excuse for handing in a 'Secret Operation' report just to brush us off, is it? There's no target, no time limit, no tactical plan—only a single line of text."
"Is this a report? This is a joke!"
The Chief was startled into a shiver. He took the document, glanced at it, and his headache grew even worse.
Secret Operation: Mobilize Yanagi Tsukishiro and Soukaku of Section 6 to assist.
Nothing else.
The bearded man opened his mouth: "This... at least it's better than before; she actually knew to file a 'report'."
Female Secretary: "..."
"Where did they go?"
"Lumino Square."
The Chief's heart sank.
"Previously, Master Yixuan of Mt. Yunkuo came to perform a test."
"What?!"
The Chief felt his head growing even larger, sensing that something big was about to happen.
...
Mt. Yunkuo.
As the wind passed, it kicked up a few withered leaves.
A plaque stood outside the gate: "No visitors today."
Looking at the marble "stone archway" that had suddenly appeared before them, glowing with a cold white luster, everyone was momentarily stunned.
Miyabi Hoshimi's pupils contracted slightly, her fingertips instinctively brushing against her sword hilt.
Beside her, Yanagi Tsukishiro pushed up her glasses, which reflected a cold light.
Soukaku stared with her large, round eyes and couldn't help but lean forward half a step, but unfortunately, she was grabbed by the collar and pulled back by Yanagi.
Yixuan narrowed her eyes, the wings of the "Qingming Bird" on her shoulder trembling slightly, its ink-mist-like body shrinking into a small ball.
After a faint whimper, its small head suddenly tucked into its wings.
In the next instant, a strong light flared up, and everyone instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes. When the light dissipated, the "stone archway" was gone, and three people had appeared out of thin air.
One man, two women.
Miyabi Hoshimi blinked blankly.
The man in the lead, though his features were somewhat handsome, looked "plain and ordinary."
If they hadn't seen him walk out of that stone archway with their own eyes, anyone would have thought he was just a perfectly normal traveler.
Moreover, there was even a hint of lazy weariness between his brows, as if he had overindulged himself.
Especially with two beautiful women following behind him.
No wonder the reward was "service."
First impression score: 60.
However, the two behind him had completely different scenery and could easily score a 9+.
The pink-haired girl had sharp brows and starry eyes, her gaze flashing with the cold edge of a sword blade.
The moment she stepped out of the gate, she was like a sharp blade being unsheathed.
It felt as if the ringing of swords was echoing in their ears.
Miyabi Hoshimi's fingers suddenly stiffened, and she gripped her sword hilt a bit tighter.
As a sword user, she felt it most clearly.
This pink-haired girl was practically a walking killing blade.
As for the other one, she had long red hair like a raging fire, so intense it was almost eerie.
She was violent, bloody, and scorching, as if an ancient beast was lurking under her skin, or more like volcanic lava that could erupt at any moment.
She was practically a natural disaster in human form.
"..."
If he knew that in Miyabi Hoshimi's eyes he was summarized as just "plain and ordinary," Ryuga would probably cry, right?
While the other side was staring at him, Ryuga was also observing the people before him.
Miyabi Hoshimi.
She was particularly obsessed with being 170cm tall, but in reality, she was just over 155cm—a "Denpa-kei," "Hime-cut," "Fox-girl."
Her sharp aura was like a pine tree or a sword, especially those red eyes, which held a sharp edge within their blood-red hue.
Her right hand was always resting on her sword hilt, as if the cursed blade would unsheathe and strike at any moment if he made even the slightest unusual move.
(Tsk, her alertness is very high.)
But thinking about the disaster Miyabi Hoshimi faced that night, it was understandable.
If he encountered a mysterious visitor from another world, he would also be on high alert.
Yanagi Tsukishiro.
Intellectual and dignified, a "Megane-ko" who was a "workaholic" and liked "cold jokes," with the light of reason hidden behind her half-rimmed glasses.
Her pencil skirt outlined her capable figure, and even her standing posture was meticulous.
Soukaku.
Carefree and boisterous, her smile was like a little bear that had stolen honey. Her starry eyes blinked incessantly as she curiously observed him.
It was as if she was looking at some rare species, looking like nothing could scare her.
A standard "energetic" and "foodie" "Thiren" "monster-girl."
Don't be fooled by her petite body; she was a "monster-strength freak"—just look at that jumbo-sized cleaver.
Sweat.
Yixuan.
As usual, she was clad in leather, outlining her tall curves and thick thighs—a combination of carnal desire and power.
The Qingming Bird on her shoulder was cowering, its feathers trembling, seemingly in fear of him.
A "black-bellied" "Taoist" "Master" with an "ahoge" and wearing a "single-leg sock."
Beside her was Orange Fufu, who looked like a tiger-person but was actually a cowardly "orange cat Thiren." She was clutching her master's sleeve and hiding behind her, only daring to show half of her head.
Her tiger ears twitched slightly, and her large eyes flickered.
Yes, she was the "energetic," "foodie," "loud-mouthed," "naturally cute tiger king" "Senior Sister Fufu."
"..."
Uh, Ryuga could vaguely see a few glints of tears in her eyes.
Was she scared by him?
My face isn't that ugly, is it?
Further beside them was Yinhu Pan, a "Panda" wearing an "iron pot" on his head, looking naive and cute.
He gave a simple and honest grin, completely unaware of the tense atmosphere.
A "martial artist," "cooking expert," "Panda," and user of the "Mt. Yunkuo Pressure Point Strike."
Ryuga slowly scanned the scene.
"Is Mt. Yunkuo always this quiet?"
The courtyard was empty, the blue bricks were cold and silent, and there weren't many disciples walking around.
Except for the familiar trio, that Ye Shiyuan was also nowhere to be seen.
Just rebuilt and waiting for everything to be done?
"This Mt. Yunkuo is no longer the Mt. Yunkuo of old..."
Just as Yixuan was about to speak, the atmosphere on the scene changed strangely.
"...!?"
Sakura suddenly took a step forward. As her foot landed, it was like a sword being unsheathed, and a cold light of sword intent flashed in her eyes.
She stared at Miyabi Hoshimi, her battle intent surging like a tide.
Her sword instincts told her that this fox-girl was an expert.
"..."
Ryuga opened his mouth; you two actually faced off first.
Between Sakura from the Honkai Impact 3rd era and Miyabi Hoshimi, it was hard to say who was stronger; they might be evenly matched.
But the current Sakura, with her Phoenix Nirvana and clear sword heart, had long since been reborn and would surely win.
"Oh?"
Himeko let out a soft snort. As firelight flickered in her eyes, violent red flames suddenly ignited at the ends of her hair.
Rolling heat waves rushed toward them, even causing the blue stones on the ground to develop fine cracks from the heat.
She had been curiously observing her surroundings, very interested in this "New Eridu"—it looked like a "sub-human civilization"?
Panda-people, orange cat-people, a fox-girl, and a horned Oni-girl.
On the contrary, the two who looked like humans—she wasn't sure if they were pure humans either.
The atmosphere suddenly tightened, filled with killing intent.
"Cough~, it's a misunderstanding. Miss Miyabi just likes to spar with experts."
Yixuan helplessly stepped forward a few paces, standing between the two sides to mediate.
"Miss Miyabi, please restrain your aura."
She gave a bitter smile.
Who would have thought that as soon as they appeared, a conflict almost broke out?
"Phew~"
Miyabi Hoshimi slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. The sharp sword intent between her brows dissolved a bit, and her fingertips slowly released the sword hilt.
"My apologies."
Sakura nodded upon hearing this and also released her sword hilt: "It is a sharp blade."
Though cold, there was a hint of praise in her voice.
"..."
Miyabi Hoshimi was stunned and blinked blankly, somewhat bewildered.
Was she talking about my sword?
Or was she referring to me?
...
"Phew—"
Miyabi Hoshimi took a deep breath, her chest heaving slightly.
After evening out her breathing, she stepped forward slowly, each step very steady.
"A Demon God from beyond the sky, is it?"
"Since I have already agreed to the 'reward', then... please demonstrate your strength as a Demon God, so that I can believe you have the ability to achieve it."
The girl looked up, her gaze piercing Ryuga like a blade's edge, a sharp battle intent burning deep in her pupils.
Her gaze was serious to the point of stubbornness.
Only?
Those two furry, soft, large fox ears twitched slightly with her breathing, twitching and twitching, looking innocent and playful.
Because of these ears, the solemn atmosphere of the confrontation was also ruined.
Ryuga's gaze couldn't help but be drawn to them. No other reason—they were too prominent.
They must be very good to Rua.
He was stunned upon hearing her words and looked over curiously.
He saw Miyabi Hoshimi biting her lower lip, a flash of shame and anger seemingly passing quickly through her eyes.
A wave of doubt rose in his heart, and Ryuga couldn't help but glance at Yixuan.
What on earth did you tell her?
Yixuan turned her head away and started whistling, the tune being all crooked—it felt like she was humming some indecent little ditty.
She looked like it had nothing to do with her.
Ryuga sighed inwardly.
Sure enough, he had felt something was wrong during their chat earlier.
He only just remembered that Master Yixuan also had a "black-bellied" trait.
But now was not the time to ask.
"Oh? What do you want?"
Ryuga chuckled.
"Let me see your strength!"
Before her voice had even faded, Miyabi Hoshimi's gaze suddenly turned cold, a chill like an icy river pouring in.
With a tap of her toe, stone fragments on the ground flew up, and she shot forward like an arrow from a bow!
Her left thumb lightly pushed the sword guard, and her right hand tightly gripped the sword hilt.
"Clang!"
The cursed blade was drawn.
A silver light tore through the air. A drawing-slash came from below, sharp as lightning, aimed straight at the side of Ryuga's neck!
The air hummed where the sword edge passed, and even the wind was cut in half.
The situation changed abruptly, and both sides were a bit stunned.
Hum~
Deep in Ryuga's pupils, circles of purple light suddenly lit up, slowly rotating like precise mechanical clockwork.
"Time Clockwork," also known as the Time Corridor.
The clockwork was covered with ancient time runes, flowing with the laws of time.
Just as the tip of the cursed blade was only a hair's breadth from his neck, time froze!
Miyabi Hoshimi's movements came to an abrupt halt, her hair suspended, the sword edge stopped, and even the fluttering corners of her clothes were frozen in mid-air.
Ryuga reached out and smilingly rubbed Miyabi Hoshimi's furry large ears.
"Phew~, so soft and fluffy, so good to rua."
Completely satisfied.
Then, the Time Clockwork rotated in reverse.
Hum—
Ripples appeared in the air, and Miyabi Hoshimi's figure retreated rapidly like a rewinding tape, her footprints retracing inch by inch, her movements restored perfectly.
Until she stood back at the starting point, her sword unsheathed, her aura unmoved—as if everything that had just happened had never occurred.
Most importantly, this only affected Miyabi Hoshimi.
Orange Fufu's mouth hung open, Soukaku's pupils contracted sharply, the "iron pot" on Yinhu Pan's head almost slid off, and Yanagi Tsukishiro's movement of pushing up her glasses froze in mid-air.
Only Yixuan already knew how powerful Ryuga was.
Only Miyabi Hoshimi herself was completely unaware.
"Let me see your strength!"
The girl spoke again, drew her sword again, and the sword light slashed toward Ryuga's neck.
Only the angle was subtly different, slightly more skewed than before.
As for the result?
Without any surprise, she was once again rewound to the starting point.
And this time Ryuga didn't Rua her ears; instead, he used his index finger to gently poke Miyabi Hoshimi's cheek—it was very soft.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice...
By the tenth time, she slashed even harder, her sword qi cutting the air and leaving faint white marks.
But Ryuga still smiled; time was like a wheel, repeating over and over.
The fourteenth time.
"Let me see—"
Miyabi Hoshimi still launched an attack.
(Strange, why am I suddenly so tired?)
Just as she was about to charge forward, she suddenly felt a tightening around her waist.
Soukaku suddenly pounced, her hands tightly hugging Miyabi's waist, pulling back with all her might.
Unfortunately, even with her great strength, she was dragged along and almost tripped.
"Waaa— Yanagi-san, hurry up and hold back Boss Miyabi!"
Soukaku cried out, her feet plowing two deep furrows in the ground, yet Miyabi Hoshimi was still charging forward.
Yanagi Tsukishiro sighed and helplessly facepalmed: "Section Leader, stop. You have already lost thirteen times."
"The first time, the Section Leader's ears were touched. The second time, the Section Leader's cheek was poked. The third time, the Section Leader's nose was pinched. The fourth time, her forehead was flicked. The fifth time, her hair was rubbed. The sixth time, the tip of your nose was lightly scraped. The..."
Yanagi Tsukishiro calmly listed the details as if she were counting her family treasures.
Miyabi Hoshimi's footsteps came to an abrupt halt, and she froze in place.
"What are you talking about?"
Miyabi Hoshimi looked at Yanagi blankly, her voice trembling slightly.
I was just about to slash.
I haven't even made a single slash yet.
"You might as well take a look."
Himeko flicked her wrist and threw over a phone.
The phones in New Eridu were very old, and the pixels were quite coarse.
Glancing at the video on the phone, Miyabi Hoshimi was also stunned, her eyes widening into perfect circles.
In the video, she drew her sword over and over, was rewound over and over, and each time Ryuga took advantage of her.
Gradually, the girl's pupils contracted violently.
She finally understood why her body was so tired.
The moment she saw Ryuga touching her ears, Miyabi Hoshimi's teeth clenched angrily, but her cheeks burned uncontrollably.
They turned as red as a peach.
(He... he really is a lecher; no wonder he wants my body!)
Scapegoat Ryuga: I don't know anything.
The phone was thrown back into Himeko's arms.
Miyabi Hoshimi straightened her back, even though the tips of her ears were crimson.
"I lost! You are powerful!"
Because of Miyabi Hoshimi's 13 consecutive losses, Yanagi Tsukishiro, Soukaku, Orange Fufu, and Yinhu Pan completely cast aside their doubts.
The opponent could easily kill Miyabi Hoshimi; when she was unable to move, he would only need to stick a small knife into her neck.
Job done.
...
"Demon God, may I ask when we will go to..."
Before Miyabi Hoshimi could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by Ryuga raising his hand.
"No rush, let's have a meal together first."
"Oh, is it time for me to show off my skills? For this meal today, I must be the one to take the ladle and let the Demon God see Old Pan's culinary skills!"
Yinhu Pan's eyes lit up, and he vigorously waved his sturdy arms.
"Since it's our first meeting, let me treat you to a meal."
Ryuga waved his hand.
"Eh? I've lost my job before I even started?"
Yinhu Pan was deflated.
"You're treating? How can that be?"
Everyone was polite for a while, but in the end, Yixuan and Miyabi Hoshimi jointly paid.
The group of people walked through the streets and alleys in a grand manner, heading toward the Tea Immortal.
Vermilion carved windows, eaves with hanging bells, and the scent of tea like silk.
At the door, a graceful woman in a qipao's eyes lit up. The black and red qipao hugged the girl's waistline perfectly. From a distance, she looked charming but not demonic, beautiful but not vulgar.
The corners of her eyes were slightly upturned, and the smile on her lips was soft and warm, with a hint of cunning.
"So it's the distinguished guests of Mt. Yunkuo. Hongdou has been slow to welcome you."
The girl opened her vermilion lips, her voice as sweet as honey, making one's heart sway slightly.
Ryuga smiled; he had finally met Qingque's diligent and shrewd cousin, the Herrscher of Lewdness Hongdou.
With an exquisite character design, a qipao, and seductive thighs, she was a cute and very lewd Chinese-style girl.
A cup of Hongdou brew—at first scent it was fragrant, and upon careful tasting, it was intoxicating.
Is MiHoYo serious about such a cute child being just an NPC?
To be continued…