“Kid, don’t make a scene now.” Fang Zhe yanked Yanfengle behind him, brusque as a gust snapping a banner.

“...” Yanfengle swallowed his words, silence sitting in his throat like a stone.

“Shame Youdie, our shadow-slick scout, isn’t here,” someone muttered, like a cloud noting the missing moon.

“Instructor! I’m the di—”

“Don’t butt in.” Fang Zhe clapped a hand over his mouth, a lid on a boiling pot, and hauled him back like a stray cat.

“I’m a Messenger of the One God!” His voice rang out like a struck gong, sharp and bright.

The unreliable god finally held steady for once; power surged in Yanfengle, a tide rising to Fang Zhe’s shoreline.

Everyone stared, dumbstruck, as his aura flipped like a storm front.

“Hmph—did you forget I’m the One God’s messenger? I’ve got trump cards tucked up my sleeve, like knives in velvet.”

“Since it’s come to this, I won’t keep hiding.” Yanfengle stroked the bridge of his nose, preening like a rooster on a wall.

“Truth is, I’m damn strong. Next, I’ll unleash my full power to… to complete the mission of getting us out of here!”

“Escape... I figured you were about to say ‘wipe out everyone outside,’” Fang Zhe said, eyebrows jumping like startled fish.

“How could that be! My unleashed power’s on a timer; with a fuse hissing this fast, escape comes first!” Yanfengle said, dead serious.

“Mr. One-Second…” someone in the crowd muttered, a needle of a word, and Yanfengle burned red as a brand.

“Alright. Since Student Yanfengle has divine backing, he’s the best fit to go. Any objections?” Fang Zhe’s voice rang like a bell over water.

Silence rolled in. Most here wore heavy names and heavier life-saving tricks; why not let him drain the enemy while they stayed the peanut gallery, clean as lilies? Even if he failed, their odds of living climbed like dawn up a ridge.

More than that, the title ‘Messenger’ carried weight. In this world, miracles often came on the backs of the chosen ‘brave’; storms made habit of that sky. Since the Church of the One God had named him, he wasn’t likely blowing smoke.

Relief first, like cool rain on a fevered brow—good thing I asked her earlier, or I’d have bragged myself into a pit, Yanfengle thought, neck shrinking like a turtle into its shell.

A female elf classmate noticed his change and couldn’t help asking, “Yanfengle, what are you doing?”

“Eh—me? I’m—warming up! Haha… big fight soon, right? Gotta stretch so I don’t cramp up later.” His grin wobbled like a candle in wind.

He had a hazy impression of her. She was a Forest Elf noble, high rank right under the royal line; the gold of her hair matched the royals’ like sunlight caught in wheat, so her status had to be sky-high. Her name? He’d forgotten. He remembered her because golden hair and green eyes hit his weakness like spring strikes a thaw. Every time he saw her, something strange stampeded through him; in his old words, the bulls were about to charge out of his chest.

Facing her, his tongue tied itself in knots like vines.

“Cramps…?”

“Uh… I mean, avoiding… accidents.”

“Alright ~_~…”

With the pick decided, everyone followed Instructor Fang Zhe’s orders and set their formation, lines weaving like nets, ready to break the mind-sense barrier when the other side ran thinnest.

Meanwhile, in Starfate City, Edgar and the believers of the Flower of the Other Shore were herding every last soul toward the central square, a tide pushed by red moons.

They moved on Fan Chen’s request. He wanted to peel the mask off that demoness before all eyes, then lure the siren hiding in the sea into Starfate City. Inside the walls, Fan Chen could claim the city lord’s right, then trigger the post-raid upgrades and spear the siren with iron rain.

Edgar had no objection. His main goal was to draw out Vinoena Qianya; two hawks with one arrow suited him fine.

Half a day later, they’d driven every race in the city—except those within Heavenly Melody Academy—into the square. It went smooth as oil on glass. Edgar didn’t spot Vinoena Xuewei, but he did catch an unexpected fish.

“Well, well—if it isn’t the former-former Queen of the Duskmoon Empire. What brings Your Majesty out for a stroll?” a Flower of the Other Shore believer called, voice slick as spilled honey.

“Oh?” Edgar turned toward the voice, the corner of his mouth lifting like a blade’s tip.

He smiled at the white-haired slip of a girl standing in a ring of space carved by the crowd. “If they’re right, this lady would be Vinoena Yuqiu?”

“Yup~ Any problem?”

“…You’re calm,” Edgar said, eyes narrowing like shutters. “If I recall, you’re the aunt of the former Queen of the Blood, aren’t you?”

Yuqiu smiled like dew on a knife. “It’s the current one~”

“Heh… Then if I hang you on the city gate and drive poisoned needles into that pale skin, let it rot blossom by blossom… tell me, will Vinoena Qianya come save you?”

“She will~” Yuqiu’s smile stayed light as falling snow. “That child has many virtues, but her temper runs her like a river.”

“In that case…” Edgar’s eyes went cold, a frost rim on steel, and he moved to strike.

“Shame for you. If you think you can use me, you won’t get the chance. I’m the principal of Heavenly Melody Academy. Do you really think I’m standing here in the flesh?”

“…”

“Don’t bother guessing. This old hag’s main body isn’t here,” drawled the same believer from before, yawning like a wolf after a kill. “If I’m right, she stashed it in Heavenly Melody Academy. This is just an external avatar.”

Edgar frowned and reached out to Qing Feng Yuelian, a silent thread cast through night, seeking confirmation.

Qing Feng Yuelian stayed quiet, a lake without ripples.

So that’s a yes.

“Tsk.”

“If you’re here, then Vinoena Qianya must be inside too, right?!”

“Who knows~”

A thin black arrow hissed toward the still-distracted Fan Chen, a snake’s tongue flicking from shadow.

Edgar moved faster than thought, snatching the shaft. The venom chewed his right hand to ruin in a heartbeat, but he only shook it once; flesh knit back like water closing over a stone.

“Oh? Didn’t expect a fish to slip the net.” A smile cut across Edgar’s face as his gaze locked onto a point in the city, a hawk fixing prey.

A heartbeat later, he became a red streak and knifed through the streets.

An empty lane exploded with thunder. Red and violet crashed together again and again, sparks in a storm. Suddenly, the violet figure was hurled away, smashing through over a dozen houses before coming to rest, a comet trail of dust behind her.

“Your speed is decent,” Edgar said, strolling from the smoke like a lord from mist, “but to me, you’re just a snail that crawls a bit faster.”

“If I remember right, you’re called Youdie… Weren’t you the one pecking at me from the dark last time?!”

His kick sent Youdie’s slight frame flying. Her single ponytail broke loose, violet hair spilling like silk, and her pale-gray eyes didn’t spare Edgar a glance. They fixed on Fan Chen instead, hard as a needle of ice.