A Distorted Reflection

Upon hearing this, Li Tianming froze.

Xie Haizhu had uttered these words the moment they stepped into the office. It was so sudden that he even forgot to kneel.

‘No, this couldn’t be an act.’

Li Tianming knew Xie Haizhu was gathering past information, intending to feign memory recovery. However, her current demeanor diverged so drastically from the Xie Haizhu of old that it was impossible to deceive him.

“This is all thanks to Lady Haizhu.”

Li Tianming quickly knelt.

He wasn’t lying.

Their success this time was entirely due to applying the teachings of the former Xie Haizhu.

Yet, to the current “Xie Haizhu,” such praise would undoubtedly be jarring and uncomfortable, a clear overstatement. He fully expected her to grow angry once more, perhaps even flash a look of disgust. With this thought, Li Tianming eagerly raised his head.

What he saw next was—

“Thank you for your praise. I will continue to work even harder in the future.”

Xie Haizhu smiled gently, her expression mild as she spoke.

Though the world knew Xie Haizhu as an ‘Ice Beauty’ and ‘Ice Saintess.’

A radiant, sun-kissed smile blossomed on her face, fitting her perfectly and proving breathtakingly beautiful.

It was the kind of sweet sight that made one feel both mind and body were healed.

Of course, the current Li Tianming felt no such sensation whatsoever.

Rather, he felt as if a fishbone was lodged in his throat, a sickening urge to vomit.

But he quickly composed himself.

‘So that’s it. Now she’s pretending as if nothing happened… How utterly ridiculous.’

“Lady Haizhu, now that matters have concluded, please refrain from taking any unnecessary actions that might jeopardize our plans.”

“No problem at all. However, if you ever need my help, please don’t hesitate. I’m not afraid of trouble.”

“Rest assured, Lady Haizhu, there will be no need for your intervention.”

Li Tianming spoke with a sarcastic undertone.

“I hope so.”

Even then, Xie Haizhu’s expression remained unchanged, a faint smile perpetually gracing her lips.

Li Tianming found it utterly repulsive to behold.

He had no choice but to take his leave, escaping the suffocating atmosphere of the Captain’s office.

Fortunately, with the main forces of the Western Faction already apprehended, there were indeed no major matters requiring Xie Haizhu’s intervention.

‘No… the Shogunate Faction is still out there.’

After a moment’s thought, Li Tianming sent messages to Duanmu Yun and Dongfang Qinglong. He then departed the Deep Sea Crimson headquarters, rushing towards the Shogunate Faction’s hidden location.

But the place was deserted.

“Heh, quite vigilant, aren’t they? Too bad, I already know your escape routes.”

Li Tianming swiftly headed towards the South District Port mentioned in the intelligence, simultaneously contacting the Deep Sea Crimson members stationed there to watch for suspicious vessels.

“There’s one. They seem to be preparing to leave port tonight. We’ve already intercepted it.”

“Well done! I’m on my way!”

“No problem… Huh, what’s that?”

The call abruptly cut off.

In the final moments, Li Tianming heard the roar of an explosion.

A terrible premonition instantly surged within him, and he began sprinting towards the port, disregarding any magical energy expenditure.

BOOM!

Before he even drew close, he heard an earth-shattering bang, followed by towering flames and thick smoke erupting from the direction of the port.

By the time Li Tianming arrived, he saw flames devouring ship after ship on the ocean, the very surface of the sea ablaze.

On the shore, numerous guards and members of the Deep Sea Crimson Knight Order lay fallen. The remaining few had erected a barrier, struggling to maintain a defensive shield that was now crumbling under the onslaught.

In the sky hovered a woman clad in a black Sakura Nation sorcerer’s robe. She coldly surveyed everything on the port, unleashing one wave of black flames after another.

“Tsukuyomi?”

Li Tianming immediately recognized the woman’s true identity.

‘Was this the Shogunate Faction’s final move? Or had the Western Faction, pushed to desperation, lashed out?’

He instantly unleashed a lightning-fire attribute magic bullet, but the black-robed woman above merely glanced at it, and it dissipated.

Such was the terrifying gap between an initial-level practitioner and an initial-level Martial Lord.

Without interference waves, Li Tianming couldn’t even force his opponent to activate defensive magic.

“Damn it.”

Left with no choice, he drew out Eagle Soaring the Skies.

He aimed, then fired.

*Whoosh!*

The black-robed woman was hit squarely. However, protected by her defensive barrier, she merely shifted back a meter before resuming her furious bombardment of the port as if nothing had happened.

This scene was eerily reminiscent of the past.

Li Tianming’s expression instantly contorted.

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it.’

Yet, no matter how much he cursed, he couldn’t change the fact of his powerlessness.

“That esteemed one, please come quickly to support us! We can’t hold on much longer!”

The personnel responsible for recharging the defensive barrier cried out.

But Li Tianming didn’t move.

It wasn’t that he was too overwhelmed to act.

Rather, he knew that under these circumstances, *that* person would not stand idly by—

“Look there!”

Following the exclamations of the crowd, another figure appeared in the sky.

Deep blue hair, crimson eyes… Seeing this, people were about to cheer.

But as the fire-attribute magic was unleashed, their excitement quickly cooled.

“Is it just a decoy?”

“Could it be a threat?”

“Hard to say. Let’s provide support based on the situation.”

Their initial relief slowly morphed into worry.

Yet, Li Tianming knew clearly that worry was futile.

They could do nothing but watch Xie Haizhu battle the enemy above.

‘Damn it… Why is it like this?’

Just like before, he was still so weak.

So utterly powerless.

****

Feelings, whether affection or camaraderie, often deepen with time.

These ‘feelings’ weren’t limited to romantic love.

For example, Li Tianming, though initially indifferent to war, over time began to yearn for victory.

More precisely, he yearned for his familiar subordinates to return home safely, to live the lives they desired.

Thus, when the child named Xie Shenhong became his superior, his greatest fear wasn’t anything else, but whether she would lead them to their deaths.

Fortunately, Xie Shenhong proved to be an exceptionally talented and capable commander.

Since her arrival, casualties within the unit had become rare.

Previously, it would take him several pages to list just a few names; afterward, it became a few lines, and sometimes, no new casualties needed to be recorded at all.

“Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles. This is what it means to understand strategic warfare.”

The allure of a battle fought with complete knowledge.

So Xie Shenhong had said.

Li Tianming deeply agreed.

He genuinely believed Xie Shenhong would lead them to victory all the way to the end.

Most of the team would return safely to their homeland.

However, the events of that day transformed all these hopes into mere fantasies.

With insufficient intelligence, they launched a surprise attack on the Shogun, engaging in a desperate battle against thousands of elite enemies who possessed the Amaterasu Doll.

Annihilation awaited them.

But—

“Boss, we’re counting on you with the Captain!”

“Please, you must bring the Captain back! She is the kingdom’s hope!”

To protect Xie Shenhong, who had ventured too far, and ensure her retreat, they fought with every ounce of their strength.

Li Tianming was no exception.

Even though Xie Shenhong had suddenly contradicted her long-held theories, leading his beloved comrades into such peril.

Yet, people made mistakes, and war inevitably claimed lives. More importantly, protecting Xie Shenhong would minimize casualties in the long run.

So Li Tianming desperately threw himself into the task.

Just as he was on the verge of success, Xie Shenhong awoke.

Then he understood.

He had been toiling in vain all along.

They had been making meaningless sacrifices.

“Tianming, I am truly sorry.”

Afterward, Xie Shenhong, having resolved everything, approached him to apologize.

But he didn’t need it.

“Why?”

“Were you happy with us here?”

“Was it amusing to watch us fall one after another, rushing to our deaths?”

“You clearly had the power to end the war instantly, so why did you only act so late?”

What he wanted was for his comrades to live.

And then—

“Do you have any idea how much everyone respected you, how much they trusted you?”

“What did you take us for?”

“What did you consider human lives to be?”

He had committed an irreparable error.