On the other side...

White fire serpents danced wildly across the sky.

The once-pristine brick roads and lush grass had vanished entirely, replaced by a terrifying landscape of cooled molten rock.

And this devastation was all because of...

"Die! Die! Die! Die! Just die!!!"

Ouyang Feng unleashed her Imagination Particles without restraint, casting her Magic—Blazing Inferno—again and again. Each burst reached 9,000 degrees, reducing everything it touched to ash. The molten wasteland spread beneath her feet...

Yet within a one-meter radius around Ouyang Shi’s feet, the ground remained untouched. An invisible barrier shielded her, leaving the raging inferno powerless to breach it.

This stalemate had lasted far too long. Ouyang Feng’s assault never ceased, yet Ouyang Shi remained utterly unfazed—not even blinking.

"I don’t want to fight. You can’t win. Just stop."

Ouyang Shi maintained her defensive magic, showing no desire to attack.

"Hah! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!!!"

Ouyang Feng ignored the plea entirely. Her relentless barrage of spells screamed her true intent—

*She’d lost her mind.*

"Is that so? Then... there’s no choice."

Ouyang Shi shook her head and raised her hand. Crystalline blue light gathered from the air, swirling around her right palm.

"Frost Mist—Divine Domain!"

Silver mist erupted, spreading outward at blinding speed.

The serpentine flames writhing in the air dissolved upon contact with the mist... *Just like their last battle...*

Ouyang Shi stepped forward, walking steadily toward her sister.

"Away! Don’t come closer! Don’t come near me!!!"

Terror twisted Ouyang Feng’s face as she scrambled backward, arms flailing wildly. White flames coiled around her like frenzied serpents, incinerating anything they touched—proof she’d lost all control.

Imagination Particles defied physical laws. This phenomenon was called Magic. Its depth depended on the user’s skill and *imagination*. Ouyang Shi, for instance, could slow or accelerate molecular motion—commonly known as "Slow" and "Haste." Though less extreme than Ouyang Feng’s flames, she could heat objects too... but ice suited her better.

Now, consumed by hatred, Ouyang Feng’s thoughts spiraled out of control. Her Blazing Inferno ran wild—raw power without restraint, tearing at reality itself.

More fire serpents burst from Ouyang Feng, lashing chaotically. Ouyang Shi’s slowing field began to falter. Flame and frost mist clashed in a brutal stalemate, neither gaining ground.

"I won’t kill you. But don’t stand in my way again. And if you ever hurt my brother... I’ll show you what true death feels like."

Without breaking stride, Ouyang Shi stepped past her sister, her slowing field intact. The warning slipped between them as they crossed paths. She wouldn’t linger—not caring if Ouyang Feng heard.

"Aaaaaaahhhhhh~~~"

Ouyang Feng clawed at her own face, sinking slowly to her knees. The white flames dimmed, crumbling into dying embers before vanishing completely.

"Hah... hahaha... hahahahaha! I’m the strongest! I am the strongest! I am the strongest!!!"

Jealousy and resentment shattered her heart—shattered by her own hand.

Ouyang Shi didn’t look back. Darkness swallowed the path ahead; only moonlight cut through the gloom. Her brother, Ouyang Ge, had been missing for hours. Dread coiled tight in her chest.

*He’d said it—the entire Ouyang Clan would be slaughtered tonight. And he’d face the killers alone.*

"I can’t leave him unprotected!"

She quickened her pace, jogging toward the banquet hall.

But she stopped abruptly.

"...Sis?"

"Xiao Ge!!!"

Ouyang Ge stood in the middle of the road. Relief flooded her eyes, spilling over as tears. She sprinted to him and crushed him in a desperate embrace.

"Sis... it’s over. It’s all over now."

Tears welled in Ouyang Ge’s eyes too. The nightmare that had haunted him dissolved, leaving only relief and overwhelming joy. They clung to each other as if trying to melt into one.

"Xiao Ge, are you hurt? Let me see!"

Releasing him, Ouyang Shi trembled as she scanned his blood-streaked clothes, hands frantically checking his body.

(He’d faced the Martial Monk unscathed—only exhaustion lingered. An ordinary person would’ve died against such a high-tier Sorcerer. His survival owed to hard-won *experience* and perfectly tailored tools.)

"Sis, I’m fine! Stop groping weird places!!!"

Ouyang Ge batted away her hand with a wry smile as it strayed too close to sensitive spots.

"I have to be sure you’re okay!"

"That part’s perfectly fine! Totally fine!"

He caught her wrist just in time.

"Oh-ho! Sibling love truly moves the soul!"

A third voice cut in. Zokilia lounged on a thick tree branch, arms crossed behind his head.

"You again."

Ouyang Ge’s brow furrowed at the unwelcome sight.

"Why not me? Though I’m impressed you killed that Martial Monk. I’m almost interested in a magicless kid like you. Come with me?"

"Don’t joke. I have duties. A fate I must face. I won’t run away with you."

"...Pity. But time’s up, Miss Ouyang Shi. It’s time to leave."

Zokilia checked his watch, voice laced with regret as he turned to Ouyang Shi.

"Brother, come with me. I can’t bear to leave you."

"Sis, don’t worry. I’ll be fine. *You* behave at the Academy—no freezing bullies into ice cubes with that scary Magic of yours."

"I wouldn’t! ...Unless they insult my brother. Then I wouldn’t mind turning them into *shattered ice*."

Ouyang Shi grinned sweetly. Both Zokilia and Ouyang Ge sweated a bead.

"Let’s go. I have one last thing to do."

"But—"

*Thwack!*

A sharp strike to her neck knocked Ouyang Shi unconscious.

"Thanks."

"Don’t mention it. Though... you really won’t leave? You’re free now."

"No. Take good care of my sister, Mr. Zokilia. When she wakes... tell her her brother will find her someday."

"Fair enough. Good luck."

Zokilia hoisted Ouyang Shi over his shoulder, nodded to Ouyang Ge, and vanished into the night.

Ouyang Ge watched until their shadows disappeared. His heart clenched again.

"You’ve been there. Watching all this time."

He turned toward the roadside shadows.

"Oh? You noticed me? Quite the sharp kid."

Ferna stepped from beneath a tree, resting a hand on the hilt of the longsword at her waist. She stopped five meters away.

(She hadn’t hidden her presence. Ouyang Ge sensed her instantly. Zokilia must have too—that’s why he knocked Ouyang Shi out.)

"Shall we do some real damage to each other? I adore fighting strong opponents!"

Ferna smiled, eyes glinting.

"And if I refuse...?"

"You don’t get a choice. And running? Pointless."

"... ..."

She was right. Ouyang Ge couldn’t escape.

*—Defeating Ferna must be the true ending...*