At the entrance of the Poison Fog Swamp stood two graceful women.

One was enveloped in deep crimson flames.

The other, similarly cloaked, had russet skin shrouded in deep blue fire.

Yet despite both being flames, their colors clashed wildly—and their very natures were utterly opposed.

One was forged from Battle Qi.

The other, pure magic.

“What a thick stench of blood…”

The woman wreathed in crimson flames pinched her nose with delicate fingers, her brows adorably scrunched together.

“Xier, be careful. There’s lingering aura of a Fighter King here.”

The speaker was Saori, the Tyrant of the Radiant Ten Stars. The other was her personal maid—Xier.

Saori raised a sword finger. Blue flames flickered at its tip, shifting shape until they hardened into a sharp cone.

With a sudden flick, icy killing intent flashing in her eyes, she launched the cone. It slammed into a violet rune.

The rune hissed like a dying serpent before dissolving into a small purple snake that slithered deep into the swamp.

Saori watched the serpent—condensed purely from Battle Qi—her expression thoughtful.

Xier had clearly sensed it too.

The two women locked gazes, stunned.

“Young mistress, could it be…”

Saori gave a slight wave. Xier instantly sealed her cherry lips.

A withered leaf clung stubbornly to its branch, buffeted by the last gust of wind—until, inevitably, it drifted down.

*Crack… crackle… crack!*

A faint snapping sound echoed from the dead branches—faltering at first, then growing louder, closer.

“Xier! Back!”

Saori shielded Xier with her left arm while gathering Battle Qi in her right.

An eerie blue flame radiated chilling energy.

*CRACKLE-CRUNCH!*

The noise swelled, vibrating right beside their ears.

Saori snorted lightly. With a flick of her wrist, the Battle Qi in her palm bloomed into a fiery lotus and shot forward.

At that exact moment, a colossal serpent formed from violet mist burst through the dead branches ahead—fangs bared—just as Saori’s lotus struck its maw.

The serpent didn’t flinch. It swallowed the lotus whole.

Saori’s lips curled into a bewitching smile. From between her flame-red lips, a single syllable slipped out:

“*Burst.*”

***BOOM!***

Blue flames erupted inside the violet serpent. Fiery shards splattered onto the surrounding deadwood, crackling and popping.

*Battle Qi? It can truly transform into flames?*

The serpent thrashed wildly before dissolving into mist. The vapor swirled back together, retreating behind a giant withered leaf.

Just then, a young woman pushed aside the leaf and stepped forward. The faintest smirk played on her lips as her bright eyes locked unflinchingly onto the russet-skinned woman ahead.

“Worthy of the Tyrant of the Radiant Ten Stars. That fusion of magic and martial arts is indeed impressive. No wonder you rank fifth.”

Kozi covered her mouth, laughing softly.

“Heh… So you’re ‘Serpent,’ then. Ever since the last selection match, I heard you vanished to train in secret. Didn’t expect to run into you here. Four years… finally broke through from Great Fighter peak to Fighter King?”

Saori’s smile didn’t reach her eyes.

Kozi’s grin turned strained.

“Heh… *heh*… Tyrant indeed. Sharp tongue as always. Spit it out—what do you want?”

“What? Has the Poison Fog Swamp become your personal territory, Luo Hua October Fragrance?”

Saori stepped carelessly over dead branches, utterly ignoring the other woman.

“Don’t think your dual cultivation lets you rule the world! Remember—I rank *just* above someone.” Kozi shot back, laughter brittle. “My apologies!”

“Heh… Ancient history, Miss Luo Hua. Clinging to the past hinders cultivation. But then again…”

Saori’s gaze turned contemplative.

“Y-you…!”

Kozi’s pearl-white teeth ground together.

“Um… Young mistress… and Miss Luo Hua… we’re all Radiant Ten Stars. Let’s be… harmonious…”

“*Silence!*”

Kozi and Saori snapped in unison.

Xier shrank back half a step, hurt, leaning against a dead tree. A reckless black tumor snake slithered near, forked tongue flicking, *hissing*.

Xier glanced down—screamed—and instantly blasted it with three fireballs. Nothing remained but ash.

Her outburst ignited the battlefield between the two women.

“So… Miss Luo Hua refuses to let us pass?”

“Not at all! Our Tyrant need only state her purpose!”

“Nothing much. Just tired of the Imperial Capital. Came here for fresh air…”

“Heh… Looks like communication failed…”

“Indeed. As my certain… *inferior* student would say: This is the Mariana Trench.”

Blue fire lotuses floated above Saori’s palms. Kozi wasn’t idle either—violet mist coiled around her, forming hissing serpents…

Xier slumped to the ground, a cloud of fire drifting beneath her skirt.

“Ugh… I give up! Do whatever you want! Hope you fight until you lose each other! Then regret it forever!”

Kozi and Saori turned simultaneously, staring at Xier.

“W-why are you both staring at me~?” Xier squeaked.

Saori and Kozi drew deep breaths together, voices sharp:

“*Why didn’t you say so earlier?!*”

For Kozi: Entrusting the Holy Dragon Lord to that giant was only safe because he was in deep slumber. If he woke suddenly and fled with the giant… where would she find him?! She should’ve left a ‘mark’ on that brute!

For Saori: After sensing the man she’d secretly admired for years, she’d abandoned her steed Thousand Mile Snow at Crom City. She’d raced here nonstop on Battle Qi alone. With him *right there* ahead—how could she wait? If he slipped away, with his strength… where would she ever find him again?!

They both shot into the swamp.

“Stop following me!”

“Miss Serpent, clarify—who’s following whom?”

“You… asking for a beating!”

“I’ve never feared anyone.”

A slender violet snake silently coiled behind Saori—but her flaming Battle Qi shattered it instantly.

“Oh? Were all your wins in the selection match won by ambush?”

“You—!”

Countless violet serpents erupted from Kozi’s body. Saori’s Battle Qi flared into roaring flames.

They sprinted side by side, exchanging blasts of energy.

***Crackle-BANG!*** Like fireworks painting the gloom.

Neither gained an inch on the other.

Low-level monsters in the Poison Fog Swamp hid deep, trembling before these two calamities.

“So… your seclusion wasn’t wasted…”

“Hmph! Likewise!”

“Not *just* an ambush artist, then…”

“N-none of your business!”

Xier panted desperately just trying to keep up.

*Ridiculous! I’m a genuine mage! Don’t lump me with these brutes!*

“Why are you even here?!” Kozi finally burst out.

“None of your damn business!” Saori shot back—*truly* the Tyrant.

“You—!”

“Fine! I’ll tell you! I’m here… to protect my little brother!”

Kozi’s cheeks flushed faintly.

“Your brother?” Saori frowned. *Could that heavenly phenomenon earlier… not be his doing?*

“What happened to him?”

“He… my brother… was attacked by an Emerald Dragon! He’s in danger…”

From a certain angle, Kozi’s words held a shred of truth.

“Attacked by an Emerald Dragon?” Saori’s suspicion deepened—but the worry on Kozi’s face seemed genuine. *Could I really be wrong?*

“Take me to him.”

“You—!”

Kozi was helpless against this shameless Tyrant.

“Fine! Look all you want! But no funny business!”

Saori shook her head, a bitter smile on her lips. *Men worthy of my notice? Fewer than three in this world.*

*He… is one of them.*

They pushed aside a curtain of dead leaves. A vast clearing lay before them.

Even Saori—who’d survived the Dragon Fang Mountain battle—sucked in a sharp breath. *What ferocious fight could carve such devastation?*

The ground was cratered. Thick green and red fluids coated the earth. A burly old man lay collapsed, half his body withered. Cradled in his arm was a sleeping silver-haired youth. Nearby lay a massive skeleton—so shattered its species was unrecognizable.

*Surely… some high-tier creature.*

Saori never imagined this skeleton was one of the Poison Fog Swamp’s overlords—

—the Emerald Dragon.

“Ah! Little brother!”

Kozi cried out, relief flooding her when she saw the youth still breathing. She lunged forward, snatching the silver-haired boy from the giant’s arm.

Saori finally studied the youth in Kozi’s arms. Covered in green slime, he’d been unrecognizable at first glance.

She stared for five full seconds…

Even the ever-composed Tyrant couldn’t suppress a startled cry:

“Sima Liangjie?! What is this delinquent Silver Demon King doing HERE?!”

Xier finally caught up, flushed and gasping.

“Young mistress… you… wait for me…”

But seeing the silver-haired youth in Kozi’s arms, her reaction matched Saori’s—

She leaped straight up, jade finger trembling as she stammered:

“A-ah! Th-that missing delinquent… S-silver Demon King!”

Kozi tightened her hold on the boy, glaring at the two stunning girls before her.

“What? He’s my brother! Don’t you dare lay a finger on him! He’s—!”

Saori and Xier exchanged a stunned glance, then stared back at the Radiant Ten Star whose face burned crimson—

—Luo Hua October Fragrance.

Kozi’s cheeks felt like they’d burst into flame. She stamped her foot, voice fierce with the most mortifying words she’d ever spoken:

“**He’s MINE! Don’t you dare take him!**”