"What are you good for?! How could you let the Holy Son enter this tower?! Three days! Three whole days! If anything happens to His Holiness, every last one of you will be sent to the plains to hunt goblins!"

Outside the Mage Tower, Yanat berated the knights stationed there.

Beside him stood Ye Ying and Nan Fenghua.

Nan Fenghua bit her lip, fighting back tears. Ye Ying watched her silently, her face calm as still water, yet deeply puzzled inside.

*Did he become the Holy Son just to enter this tower? Is there something here worth such an enormous effort?*

Before she could ponder further, Nan Fenghua grabbed her arm, tears welling in her eyes.

"Godmother, please let me go in! Holy Brother must be trapped inside—he must feel so helpless right now!"

Ye Ying shot her Holy Maiden an exasperated look. Though they’d only met a few times, she sensed Zhang Luan wasn’t one to gamble with his life. If he dared enter, he’d have a way out.

*And if he doesn’t come out? Even better. Spares me the trouble of taking orders from a man.*

"No. What lies hidden within this Mage Tower is far more terrifying than you imagine. I once entered with my mentor—but in the end, I couldn’t even recall how I escaped."

"But that was years ago, Godmother! With your current strength, you could surely—"

"Holy Maiden!"

Ye Ying’s voice rose sharply.

"Stop this nonsense. My power may be respectable here, but Acamana City is just a backwater. Compared to truly mighty nations, I’m nobody. This Mage Tower has stood for centuries—its dangers are beyond your comprehension."

It was true. Though Ye Ying was the strongest in Acamana’s region, that meant little in a world teeming with power. Acamana wasn’t even a frog at the bottom of a well—it couldn’t even glimpse the sky the frog saw.

"But—"

Nan Fenghua tried to argue, but the ground suddenly trembled.

Ye Ying frowned. Clasping her hands together, she summoned a silvery-white Iris Lance and thrust it into the earth. Ripples of light spread outward as she shouted:

"Stay calm! It’s just a minor quake!"

The words barely left her lips when she sensed something wrong. If it were truly an earthquake, her divine art would have stilled it. Yet the shaking intensified.

She looked up—and finally saw the source. The nightmare-inducing Mage Tower was…

*Collapsing?!*

BOOM! CRASH!!!

"Scatter! Form battle lines! Prepare to engage!"

Tension tightened Ye Ying’s face. She remembered the terror well. She’d never even seen the monsters lurking inside that tower—but if a single shape-shifting demon escaped, Acamana City would suffer catastrophic losses. Worse, the Mighty Roar Cathedral might seize the chance to declare war.

Dust choked the air. Under Yanat’s command, knights snapped into formation. Ye Ying’s blessing halo enveloped them, amplifying their strength.

*Tap. Tap. Tap…*

Footsteps crunched over rubble within the haze. Ye Ying locked her gaze on the tower’s ruins. A human-shaped shadow flickered into view. She drew a deep breath. Silvery magic circles materialized around her, sinking into her skin to form glowing sacred sigils.

*Valkyrie Form.* Her ultimate battle state. She readied herself to seal this place forever.

The shadow grew clearer. Ye Ying’s eyes turned pure silver. Her Iris Lance hummed faintly. Like a bolt of lightning, she surged forward on a gale-force wind.

*Striking first always wins.* Her master’s greatest lesson.

"Demon! Your end has come!"

The lance descended with thunderous force. The figure halted—then vanished. *WHOOSH!* The shockwave cleared the dust. Ye Ying poised to strike again—then froze.

"Holy Son?!"

Nearby, Zhang Luan eyed Ye Ying’s Valkyrie Form with mild amusement. Her usual icy elegance was striking, but this battle-ready version—with its unrestrained attire—had been quite the fantasy for many otaku back in his world.

"Yep, it’s me. What? Still planning to skewer me with that thing?"

Ye Ying frowned. Clasping her hands, she dismissed the lance. The sacred sigils dissolved into shimmering motes.

"No—I simply didn’t recognize you. What happened? This Mage Tower…"

"I destroyed it. Relax. Everything inside is gone too."

Zhang Luan tossed a coin in the air, grinning.

Ye Ying clearly didn’t believe him. But she merely turned to Yanat, who’d rushed over.

"Lock down the city. Conduct inspections."

Yanat glanced at Zhang Luan. Seeing his indifference, he nodded and left.

*Her distrust is understandable,* Zhang Luan thought. *A newcomer destroying the tower? If even one demon escaped, Acamana would pay dearly.* He didn’t bother explaining that the demons feared sunlight—any stragglers would’ve burned to ash under the sun long before reaching the city.

Nearby, Nan Fenghua spotted Zhang Luan. Her grief shattered into joy. Dropping all pretense of dignity as Holy Maiden, she sprinted through the rubble.

She threw herself into Zhang Luan’s arms, sobbing.

"Waaah! Brother Zhang Luan! You vanished for three days! I thought something terrible happened—I was so scared!"

Zhang Luan chuckled. Just as he moved to comfort the weepy girl, a chilling realization struck him.

"Wait. How long was I gone?"

"Three days. Why?"

Zhang Luan rubbed his temples. He’d spent barely three hours inside the tower. *Time flows differently here.*

"Nothing. I’m just tired. Let’s head back." He paused, then added casually, "Oh, and if I recall correctly, Acamana’s divine arts include one that extends lifespan—right, High Priestess Ye Ying?"