The world spun violently, tilting and flipping as if plunging into another dimension—memories surged and vanished in an instant.

*Whoosh!*

Yan Lingxuan snapped back to consciousness just before blacking out. He stabilized mid-air but face-planted on landing.

No time to wipe the dirt from his face—the next attack was already coming. Spotting three heavy-duty trucks parked at the edge of the field, he bolted toward them as cover. Skimming the ground to dodge pursuit, his supersonic dash carved a swirling trench into the earth.

At the hurricane’s core, Bernie Butterworth sneered in triumph. With a flick of his wrist faster than Yan’s movement, he targeted the trucks.

*Whiiine—*

Compressed air shrieked in agony.

“Shit!”

Yan slammed his feet down, skidding to a halt just as he leaped. The supposedly solid trucks split cleanly in half, exploding into 30-meter-high fireballs.

“Attack incoming from six o’clock! Dodge left—seven meters!”

No breathing room. Yan lunged left. Razor-sharp wind sliced past, shearing off strands of silver-white hair (dyed from black to impersonate Lingyue). No physical wound, but his fragile psyche was scarred anew, cold sweat drenching his back.

Only now did Yan grasp the true terror of Bernie Butterworth, Waste Law Society cadre. His compressed Wind Blades were lethally sharp and nearly undetectable. Worse, altered magic properties blocked Yan’s Magic Sense—he was dodging invisible blades. Without Alice calculating atmospheric pressure shifts via satellite to predict attacks, he’d have been minced meat long ago.

*Damn, Alice’s computational power is insane—even a general-purpose WD pulls this off.* But then… why did Atlantis keep getting hacked by “Veritas”?

No time to dwell.

“Attacks incoming from twelve, two, ten, seven, four o’clock—”

Alice’s warnings couldn’t keep pace with the barrage. Yan had to save himself. *Was I arrogant? Thinking I could stall a Waste Law cadre alone?*

No room for regrets. No time for them.

“Hmph. Think I’ll let you stall?” Bernie’s sneer cut through the chaos.

In the unseen data realm, Alice had already calculated the outcome: Yan’s left arm and right leg severed, Wind Blades tearing through his back to pierce his heart. The prediction was instant—but translating it to words was too slow. All hope seemed lost.

Adrenaline jolted Yan’s brain into overdrive. His eyes blazed with unfamiliar light. *Boom!* A mental explosion erupted just before impact—every neuron firing beyond his limits, blood boiling with power, the world falling silent around him.

*Huff…*

A Magic Shield flickered on his left arm. Yan exhaled sharply, escaping the storm of blades with only an eight-inch gash on his right arm.

Seeing the glow in Yan’s eyes, Bernie knew: *He’s activated Magic Sense.*

Releasing condensed magic power and linking it to his nerves, Yan could now perceive spatial data beyond the five senses—a sixth sense detecting attacks from all directions.

He fired his Magic Gun at Bernie. Crimson light flared—but shattered against an invisible barrier inches from Bernie’s skin.

“How’s this ‘fun’? I’m just getting punched while you stand there!” Yan’s face must’ve mirrored pure despair. Bernie’s thick magic shield deflected everything. The Magic Gun in Yan’s hand was useless.

“Alice! How do I break his defense?”

Uncharacteristically, Alice paused over a second before replying.

“Database updated. Revised simulation complete. Clarification: Mission objective is delay, not elimination. Answer: Given the power gap between you and Bernie Butterworth, you cannot breach his defense.”

“Got it…”

While Yan spoke, Bernie showed no mercy. His attacks intensified.

Dozens of Wind Blades materialized, converging from all sides.

But this time, Yan moved without hesitation. Even without Alice’s prompts, he dodged flawlessly. Alice stayed silent—her updated calculations confirmed he could handle this level.

“156 armed hostiles in the theater: 133 neutralized. 6 mages: 5 subdued. Containment rate 85%. Full suppression in 43 seconds. Bai Lingyue will arrive 3 seconds after securing hostages. Minus conversation time… 42 seconds to delay.”

*Forty-two seconds…*

*Enough time to watch porn and jerk off?*

For Yan, bleeding and battered, those seconds stretched like hours. *Can I hold on? Screw it—I’ll hold on till the end!*

Bernie knew the theater situation too. Time was up. Yet the silver-haired girl dodged with growing precision, maintaining a 30-meter gap. Every attack grazed her but failed to kill. He could try an Air Explosive ambush—but she stayed agile, never locking in place.

“37 seconds.”

“35 seconds.”

“33 seconds.”

“31 seconds.”

“Clever fake. I planned to kill you before facing the real deal. Didn’t expect you’d last this long. Consider yourself lucky—I’d finish you given time, but I’ve no more to waste.”

Bernie’s form blurred. Yan couldn’t tell if it was blood-loss delirium or quantumized teleportation—he only knew Bernie was retreating to the theater. Even if he returned, Bai Lingyue’s team would crush him. But the hostages…

Yan pictured the slaughterhouse scene awaiting them: his otaku trio buddies, the nagging homeroom teacher, the homework-chasing class rep, Qi Jun’s smug face, Zhou Mengying—the senior he’d once idolized, now disillusioned—and dozens of classmates he’d never spoken to.

Blood soaked Yan’s torn battle suit. His left Magic Shield was cracked beyond repair. His Magic Gun lay lost somewhere. *This precious outfit… ruined. Damn it!*

*I won’t let you win. Not for the classmates. Not even for this suit—my sister’s gift. I’ll make you pay!*

To Bernie, the swaying Yan suddenly raised his right hand. Blood smeared his face, but his eyes blazed with raw magic power. The air crackled as ambient magic violently condensed around him.

*BOOM!*

Bernie tasted blood on his lips—only realizing he’d been slammed into the ground when his body registered the impact.

*He used an Air Explosive???*

“Nice move, huh?” Yan grinned, unleashing another blast. This one missed.

Ignoring the fresh crater at his feet, Bernie fixed Yan with a venomous stare. The power was weaker than his own—but undeniably an Air Explosive.

“Shocked someone else knows this spell?”

Bernie’s jaw tightened. Air Explosives demanded extreme mental focus during compression—and near-impossible control. No novice could replicate it.

“Who taught you that technique?”

“No one. I only became a mage recently. Total newbie.”

*A newbie? Impossible. He’s bluffing.*

Bernie’s expression turned murderous. He raised his hand.

The Air Explosive sent Yan flying five meters. Blood streamed from his ears, nose, and mouth—only his eyes spared him from bleeding out all seven orifices.

Dizzy from blood loss and exhaustion, Yan couldn’t rise.

“10 seconds.”

“9 seconds.”

“8 seconds.”

“7 seconds.”

Alice’s countdown continued. Bernie’s death-bringer hand aimed at Yan’s heart.

“4 seconds.”

The theater was lost. This hostage crisis would fail. But this girl—this Air Explosive user—had to die. Only one could wield it.

“3 seconds.”

*Three seconds left… I won’t make it.* Yan’s vision blurred toward the azure sky. He felt weightless, drifting upward—until a cloud blocked his view. No… not a cloud. A skirt hem.

From his angle, he saw sleek black stockings hugging slender calves. Above them, smooth thighs. Higher still, a perfectly curved backside. And beyond that—panties? Or sexy black lace ones!!!

Bernie’s Air Explosive dissipated soundlessly.

He glared at the silver-haired girl who’d appeared before Yan. “So. The real deal arrives.”

Bai Lingyue answered only with an icy stare. Thick magic power erupted from her, warping her silhouette while freezing the surrounding space.

A surreal, beautiful phenomenon unfolded—like plasma swirling around a core, magic light blazing.

“You seem angry.”

“Shut up, scum.”

Her voice was quiet, yet carried glacial fury.

Bernie gathered magic. His crimson hair flared like fire a meter high. The hurricane around him collapsed into a thin white aura coating his body.

Expressionless, he met Bai Lingyue’s gaze. “Do you truly believe you can win?”

As the words left his lips, crushing pressure shattered his confidence. He dropped to one knee. His fiery hair and aura vanished.

“The Association warned me never to go all out,” Bai Lingyue murmured. “But I’m angry now. So… no choice.”

To Yan, his sister radiated ink-black light. Her silver hair bled pitch-black, cascading upward to engulf the entire Cloud Gate City No. 2 High School. Ambient magic power vanished instantly—not gone, but devoured by Bai Lingyue.

The sky over Cloud Gate City suddenly darkened, shrouded by black clouds. Though it was daytime, night had already fallen.

"Bai Lingyue's gone berserk," someone muttered.

Inside the screening room, Katherine and Shan Xi stared toward the playground. At their feet lay six mages bound by special energy beams—badly injured but still breathing.

"What's about to happen?!"

"I don't know..."

In the temporary command center outside Second High School, everyone watched tensely, especially Commander Han Hongbei. He felt utterly innocent, dragged into the Waste Law Society incident. Would he be demoted? Honestly, demotion would be the best outcome...

On a transport plane racing to Cloud Gate City, fifteen mages sat in identical tight combat suits. They were the unit deployed for the hostage crisis.

"Magic Nullification Field?"

A young female mage asked, her voice thick with disbelief.

"This Magic Nullification Field originates from our destination," Squad Leader Cao Qingguo replied. His imposing frame and scarred square face commanded respect. "But we're still fifty kilometers out. Are we facing a field over 100 kilometers in diameter?"

"Impossible..."

The female mage wanted to deny it, but as they neared, the unmistakable presence of the Magic Nullification Field grew clearer.

The moment that terrifying power hit them, all fifteen mages' faces turned grim. A field this massive was unheard of—and likely wielded by their enemy. In an instant, each steeled their resolve.

To Yan Lingxuan, Bai Lingyue—now painted in darkness—was unchanged from ten years ago. Her eyes glinted with cold light; before her, no enemies existed, only lambs awaiting slaughter. That old fear reignited like ashes, searing his heart. That day, he had flinched from his sister's outstretched hand.