Subtitle: Smile for the camera!
A dark and stormy night, a night for salted fish… Pah! No, a dark and stormy night for murder. *Ding~* A pair of eyes, glinting with predatory intent, snapped open.
Qiweiya nudged Lysander on the adjacent bed. “Tonight, we’re going on a grand hunt! We’ll rid the people of a great scourge! I’d dedicate my life to the nation, regardless of personal fortune or misfortune~ We must love our fellow man! After all, God loves the world~ Nothing wrong with that, right?”
“Milady, these people are not our subjects,” Lysander stated flatly. “We have neither the obligation nor the authority to intervene.”
Qiweiya was momentarily speechless. “Hm-hm-hm~ It doesn’t matter! As aspiring youths of good standing, if we don’t raid the nobility at night to rob the rich and help the poor, I’d feel like a useless salted fish myself.”
Seeing Lysander about to speak again, Qiweiya quickly waved a hand over her mouth. “Ahaha~ Let’s not talk too much! We’re people of action; charging in with our weapons is the only way! Come on, baby!”
Lysander watched Qiweiya’s retreating figure, then followed her without a change in her expression.
‘[We’re all crack shots; one bullet, one dog.]’
“Wind direction.” “Air humidity.” “Range: 3745.78.” “Ballistic trajectory calculation.”
“Damn it!” Qiweiya exclaimed, angrily tossing aside the Ice God Shatter Sniper Form she held.
“I’m a god! Not a human… What am I even doing, aiming blindly out here? By all rights, shouldn’t I just charge in, instead of hesitating? Brothers! Draw your blades and attack!”
“Ice God Shatter Form: Transform! Dual Blades Hengwei, appear!” The ice-blue sniper rifle dissolved into a ball of light, stretching and splitting into two gleaming ice-blue Tang Dao swords.
With a *clang-clang* as she struck her swords together twice, Qiweiya’s emerald eyes glared menacingly at the brightly lit castle before her. “My great blade is already thirsting for battle! Lysander, just provide support from outside~ Here I go!”
****
Viscount Olet’s castle stood squarely in the center of the small town. Truth be told, Olet had always wanted to demolish it and relocate to a scenic spot by the river, finding it utterly beneath his dignity to live so close to what he considered despicable commoners.
However, the Empire forbade such a move. Olet, unable to defy imperial decrees, could only continue his tyrannical, debaucherous, and comfortable life in town, placated by the generous monthly compensation. ‘On behalf of the Empire, I shall allow you lowly commoners to behold the honorable visage of Viscount Olet!’ he mused.
*Bang bang bang!* Olet, in the midst of intimate activity with his second wife, was deeply displeased by the sudden knocking at the door.
His plump body, draped in an outer robe, cautiously reached for a Tier 7 magic scroll—a life-saving artifact he’d purchased at great expense. Despite his seemingly clumsy physique, he possessed every habit of a shrewd noble, especially when it came to preserving his own life.
Olet concealed the scroll in a hidden pocket within his sleeve before approaching the door. “Who is it?! Disturbing me at this late hour? Be careful, or your head might not remain on your shoulders!”
Outside the door, Qiweiya, hiding behind the person she had seized, twitched her lips in exasperation. ‘These nobles in this world are so bold? Threatening to chop off heads at the drop of a hat? Even I wouldn’t dare act so pretentious.’
The tip of her blade prodded the maid, who remained frozen in fear, as Qiweiya whispered a threat. “Answer quickly~ If you don’t respond, I wouldn’t mind sending you to heaven right now.”
The maid, her face tear-streaked, whimpered, “Master, I’ve brought the tonic you requested.” Qiweiya eyed the potent supplement on the maid’s tray, a product clearly intended to enhance virility. ‘How I envy and resent this… I don’t even have the right to drink something like this now! If I’d known this would happen, why didn’t I try it in my previous life? Oh, the regret now…’
Behind the door, Olet’s eyes widened in realization at the mention of the potent tonic. Indeed, he had been feeling a lack of stamina, and to flaunt his virility, he had specifically ordered his servants to bring this medicine. He hadn’t expected it to arrive at such a crucial, albeit inconvenient, moment! ‘No matter,’ he chuckled to himself. ‘It’s only the maid; I can always make her pay with her body~ Hehehe.’
Olet excitedly flung open the door and addressed the maid outside. “Come in! I…”
Cold sweat streamed down Olet’s face as he stared at the gleaming tip of a blade, poised almost against his forehead.
“Little sister, let’s talk this through properly,” Olet stammered. “Look, we have no grievances or enmity between us. It’s truly impolite to just casually threaten people with a knife.”
Qiweiya eyed the corpulent man before her, who was attempting to trick her with such a patronizing tone, with an amused expression. “But Uncle~ I find your expression so amusing! The way you’re trembling reminds me so much of McDull, my pet pig~”
Olet swallowed hard, then managed to ask, “McDull? What is that? Is it your pet dog, little sister?”
Qiweiya smiled sweetly. “Oh no~ It’s a very famous little pig from where I come from! So round and plump, so adorable~ We love feeding him the most~ And changing his diapers!”
Olet’s smile froze instantly. Seeing that enough time had passed, Qiweiya decided not to play any more ‘you smile, I smile’ games with this super-sized pig, whose cholesterol levels were undoubtedly off the charts.
“Alright! Olet, isn’t it? I’m done wasting words with you~ What I’m here to tell you is that tonight, this old lady is taking your head!”
Olet grew tense, facing a young girl who clearly didn’t play by the rules. “Little sister! I…”
Qiweiya shot him a cold glare. “Don’t call me ‘little sister’! My age is enough to be your ancestor’s ancestor, multiplied by N… Anyway, it’s certainly not calculated by mortal chaos.”
A flicker of hidden shock passed through Olet’s eyes, but he maintained his smiling facade. “Yes, yes, Milady, I haven’t committed any acts that would provoke the wrath of heaven and the resentment of men, have I? It would be too unjust for you to lower your status just to kill me.”
Qiweiya tapped his greasy, plump face with the cold flat of her blade, an expression of utter disdain on her own. “You don’t seriously think I have nothing better to do? That I just came to join the fun, take some bribes, and then run off like some piece of trash, do you?”
Releasing the maid, Qiweiya seized Olet by his collar, her face contorted into a fierce and menacing expression. “I’m telling you! I’m going to kill you! I’m taking your money, and as for your little wives, daughters, and so on~”
“Guhehehe,” Qiweiya chuckled slyly. “They’ll, of course, be kindly adopted by me~ I truly am a great benevolent person!”
Seeing Olet’s face turn ashen, Qiweiya delivered another harsh blow. “Of course, your money and treasures will serve as the cost for me to take care of your women on your behalf. You can just kindly be on your way.”
Enraged beyond measure, Olet ripped out the scroll, preparing to tear it open. Qiweiya’s eyes glinted with amusement. “Good! I was waiting for you to do that!”
[Hengwei: Dimensional Severance] With both blades held horizontally, a *swish—* sounded. A pitch-black dimensional rift instantly severed the scroll. Under Qiweiya’s suddenly constricted pupils, the scroll erupted with violent magical elements, obliterating more than half of the castle… In other words, half the castle was gone.
“Cough cough cough~ Ptooey ptooey! Got a mouthful of dust…” Qiweiya clambered out of the ruins, looking perfectly calm as she surveyed the surrounding guards. “Hey! Lysander, time to get to work~ If you slack off, I’ll spank your little butt, you know.”
“Understood.” *Boom—* A scorching meteor, trailing flames, slammed violently into the densest cluster of guards.
The ground churned and erupted, leaving Qiweiya lying dumbfounded in a massive crater. She glared at the now-vanished Olet Castle, so annoyed she wanted to flick Lysander on the forehead! She’d told her to attack, but she’d delivered an otherworldly, heaven-descending palm strike! How was she supposed to collect any gold coins now?!
Qiweiya marched up to Lysander, who was as expressionless as ever, and pointed a finger at her nose. “How could you be so careless? These were our future living expenses in this world, you know! Now… it’s all gone, completely wasted!”
Lysander offered no reply, instead gazing gravely at the ground beneath her feet as if trying to peer through it. “Milady, I believe we’ve discovered something quite significant.”
Qiweiya, who had been about to continue her scolding, grew serious upon hearing Lysander use the word ‘significant.’ “What have you found?”
Lysander looked up, her gaze solemn as she met Qiweiya’s. “Milady, we’ve encountered a major problem. This is a multi-layered sealing magic array, likely tens of thousands of years old. And…”
Qiweiya grew agitated. “And what? Speak quickly!”
“And we have just destroyed a crucial part of it. The peerless fiend suppressed within is likely about to emerge.”
Qiweiya wanted to cry. “Heavens! Earth! Have I offended you in some way?! Ever since I arrived in this world, my luck has been consistently negative! It’s never been positive. Is it so easy for me to rob the rich and help the poor? Why do I always run into such melodramatic situations?!”
*Boom—* *Boom boom boom boom………* Thunderous spatial tremors reverberated throughout the small town.
Qiweiya’s expression drastically changed. She grabbed Lysander and ordered, “Quickly, gather all the common folk in town and get them out! This fiend definitely possesses Watcher-level strength… Tell them to retreat as far as possible! Go now!”
Lysander observed the constantly expanding spatial ripples in mid-air, knowing she was powerless to help in battle. “Understood.”
Once Lysander had left, Qiweiya turned, her face grim, to stare at the spatial rift on the verge of breaking its seal. She touched her chest. ‘This strange feeling is growing stronger… What connection do you have to me, sealed fiend?’