The Hidden Eagle’s Prey

“A race of little things?”

“Yeah, about this tall.”

Hongye gestured at a point just above her knee, about a third of the way up her thigh.

Barely over a meter… Even by human standards, that was dwarf territory. And the Flame Serpent Clan, who were giants in comparison, were being bullied by this race to the point where they couldn’t even leave their doors.

Nearly half of them had already been captured. If not for sending the children away to preserve their seeds and relying on the terrain for defense, they would have been wiped out long ago.

“A bunch of super-small lolis… Is the Hidden Eagle Clan really that strong?” Qianwei glanced at the red-haired older sister sitting across the table, instinctively wanting to say that the Flame Serpent Clan was all brawn and no brains. But then he thought again—this world wasn’t the Earth he knew.

Even on Earth, differences in size could be compensated for with weapons. But in this world, strength largely depended on control over energy and individual ability.

“They are indeed very strong against our clan.”

“A natural counter?”

An image of an eagle catching a snake flashed through Qianwei’s mind, and Hongye nodded directly in confirmation.

“Pretty much. Besides, the Hidden Eagle Clan’s overall strength has always been a bit higher than ours.”

“Hmm…”

A truly hopeless situation, he mused.

Qianwei glanced again at the red-haired older sister, who spoke with a calm expression despite the dire circumstances.

“Aren’t you afraid? If you lose, won’t you become their slaves?”

“Of course I’m afraid… But at least we won’t die.”

“…”

Being captured and humiliated—death would be preferable! he thought, horrified.

At a loss for words again, Qianwei decided to change the subject. Just as she was about to speak, the entire room abruptly shook, spilling the tea she was holding all over herself.

“Eek! What’s that? An earthquake?”

“Seems like the front line has flared up again. I’ll go check it out. I enjoyed chatting with you. I hope we can do this again sometime.”

“Mm…”

Qianwei nodded slightly. Still, if they lost and she was captured, there wouldn’t be another chance to meet. It was rather sad, even though they had only known each other for about two hours.

“Then take ca—”

Buzz—

[Cough… Cowards of the Rock Serpent Clan, stop resisting and surrender obediently. We’ll go easy on you. At least the captured children won’t have to suffer anymore~ If you continue to resist, you’ll face much harsher punishment after capture…]

Uh… Why does that voice sound like a child’s? But the words are pure villain fodder—fitting for a loli with a nasty personality.

Before she could finish her sentence, she was interrupted by the sudden voice. Qianwei sighed inwardly in exasperation, then saw that Hongye, who had yet to be teleported away, had a dark look on her face and was emitting an intense energy fluctuation.

It seemed even stronger than the energy Qiuyue Han had radiated before facing the giant beast.

Just then, the voice’s tone suddenly shifted.

[Oh? Is that Hongye? Haha~ Looks like you’re pretty angry? Want to see how the captured children from your clan are doing? They’re crying very cutely~]

“Bastard…”

[Oh, and I forgot to mention~ The reason you can hear me now is that the defense barrier has been broken~ Let’s see who’s unlucky enough to get caught. I’m really looking forward to my colleagues finding more plump young ones…]

“Haha~ Jackpot! Look who I found!”

A petite figure appeared above Hongye’s head, accompanied by a voice full of ecstasy that filled the entire room. As her small hand touched Hongye’s shoulder, the powerful energy aura ceased abruptly.

Hongye’s huge body lost all strength and collapsed limply to the ground. The small figure wasted no time, tearing at Hongye’s clothes and pushing aside her massive form.

Staring at the sudden scene, Qianwei’s eyes widened in shock. The few remaining drops of tea in her cup slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.

Plop!

“Huh? Why is there a human here… Pretty good-looking too, hehe~”

“?!”

Damn, I’ve been spotted…

Qianwei shuddered violently, snapping out of her stupor. She had no idea what to do in this situation. The only silver lining was that her identity as an otherworlder didn’t seem to have been discovered. The Hidden Eagle Clan’s lack of strong soul perception was a huge help; otherwise, he would have been killed immediately.

If I don’t do something, I’ll definitely be defiled! he thought in a panic.

“D-don’t come near me! I’m with the White Emperor!”

“White Emperor? Who are you fooling… Don’t be so scared. When we get back, I’ll take good care of you.”

Shit… That bluff didn’t work? I’m screwed~

Seeing that invoking Qiuyue Han’s name was useless, Qianwei’s panic showed. Just as she was about to grab something from her ring to fight back, the small black-haired girl dissolved into a shadow.

The next instant, a small hand grabbed her shoulder, and a powerful sense of weakness washed over her. Her connection to the ring was severed, and resistance failed.

“Hehe, great haul. Not only did I catch Hongye, but I also got a human with such a pretty face and a nice body~ Tonight’s going to be fun.”

Having exceeded her mission expectations, the small girl, with one hand gripping each captive, nodded in satisfaction and decided to return immediately.

At that moment, Hongye, who had been stunned by the attack, finally came to. She couldn’t bother to cover her torn clothes and used all her strength to try to break free.

But it was too late… In an instant, they were engulfed by the shadow, and the room fell silent.

Wrapped in the shadow, Qianwei felt a strange sensation. It was as if she had turned into a gas, carried and pulled through gaps in the floor, walls, and rocks. After about ten minutes, her form gradually solidified, and her senses of sight and smell returned one by one.

Thrown to the ground and landing face-first, Qianwei quickly turned over, pressed her clothes tightly, and curled up. She looked at the small girl who was putting metal shackles and a gag on Hongye.

She clearly doesn’t see me as a threat… he thought, his mind racing. If I secretly take a weapon from the ring and attack, maybe I could succeed?

“You’d better behave and not do anything unnecessary~ Otherwise, it won’t be fun playtime later, but cruel humiliation.”

“Uh…”

“Hehe~ Hongye, I can’t let you speak until your energy is completely sealed off. It would be bad if you burned down the room. In the meantime~ you can think about what to do later.”

In high spirits, the cheerful small girl stood up, releasing Hongye, who was now successfully sealed by the shackles that blocked her spatial abilities. Then she turned to look at Qianwei, who was huddled in the corner by the wall.

“Before the main course, I’ll play with you a little. Crawl over here yourself—I won’t say it twice.”

“…”

Why is this happening to me!

Tears welled up in Qianwei’s eyes as his heart nearly shattered. He had just dealt with Qiuyue Han, and now he was facing another little one who liked to “drive big cars” and humiliate him…

“D-don’t come any closer! I really am with the White Emperor. If you touch me, you’ll regret it.”