TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!,
===BREAK===
"Sword of Red Heaven—Draw!"
A streak of crimson sword light flashed past, and the Ethereals were utterly annihilated.
As expected of a genius Void Hunter—after just a bit of on-site guidance from Arden, Miyabi had already mastered most of the Sword of Red Heaven's draw technique.
"It truly is a fine sword!"
Miyabi praised the Sword of Red Heaven without reservation, though there was also a hint of regret in her tone.
When comparing people, one might die of envy; when comparing goods, one might feel compelled to discard the lesser. Though the cursed blade Tailless was far from inferior to the Sword of Red Heaven, a martial artist would never dislike having more well-suited weapons. Miyabi had already grown so fond of the Sword of Red Heaven that she could hardly put it down.
"Uh… Miss Miyabi, how about… when I return to Yunkui Summit, I forge one for you as well?"
This Sword of Red Heaven had been formed from an [Innate Sword Embryo]—there was only one of its kind. However, the original version of the Sword of Red Heaven was available in the system's points shop. Though expensive, seeing how much Miyabi cherished it, gifting her one was not impossible.
"Daoist Arden, then I won't stand on ceremony. Please rest assured—the Hoshimi Family will present a generous gift in return!"
A flash of delighted excitement crossed Miyabi's face.
There were few things that could make her this happy. Aside from improving her martial skill, perhaps only obtaining a new, well-suited weapon could do so. The feeling was like finally farming the equipment you'd been hoping for in a game.
If compared to Zenless Zone Zero, it was like rolling a top-tier Drive Disc—and having every upgrade roll perfectly.
A generous gift in return… if only it were her hand in marriage instead!
Of course, Arden knew that trading a single sword for Miyabi herself was utterly impossible.
"Section Chief Miyabi, Daoist Arden, are you both alright?!"
Urgent footsteps approached—it was Yanagi and the members of Hollow Special Operations Section 6. With them were Zhu Yuan, Qingyi, Caesar, and the people from the Cunning Hares.
Everyone was safe. Only Piper and Perlman were missing.
"Thank you for your concern."
"I'm fine."
Arden and Miyabi responded, putting Yanagi and the others at ease.
"Hm? Section Chief, you changed weapons?"
Yanagi noticed that in Miyabi's usual right hand was now a crimson longsword. Confusion appeared on her face. It had only been a short while—how had the Section Chief switched from blade to sword?
As for the cursed blade Tailless, it was now in Daoist Arden's hand?
"Mm, this sword is excellent to use!"
Miyabi raised the Sword of Red Heaven as she spoke, her eyes filled with affection for it. If someone had offered to exchange it for the cursed blade Tailless, she would likely have agreed without hesitation.
Of course, Arden had already promised to forge her a brand-new Sword of Red Heaven. She was deeply looking forward to it.
"I see. As long as you like it, Section Chief."
Yanagi was at a loss for words. She had never known her Section Chief to be someone who abandoned the old for the new. But now was not the time to discuss swords—there were more important matters.
"The rebels have been mostly eliminated by us. However, Perlman was taken away by another group—he was alone."
Miyabi briefly explained the situation outside.
Whether Perlman was lucky or unlucky was hard to say. When the vehicle flipped, his short and round build had sent him flying out the window. He had not fallen into the Hollow—and was consequently captured by the rebels and taken toward New Eridu.
"Hm… don't you think that's strange?"
Arden stroked his chin thoughtfully. "The rebels didn't silence him on the spot. Instead, they went through the trouble of capturing Perlman alive. One bullet could've eliminated an important witness—yet they didn't do that."
"Maybe… to the mastermind behind the scenes, Perlman still has value?" Yiji speculated.
"That seems likely."
"It's possible."
Yiji's guess was unanimously acknowledged.
"No matter what, we must rescue him. Only when both physical evidence and witness testimony are secured can we bring Bringer down!"
Yanagi's tone was firm.
Bringer was no ordinary citizen. To topple him required sufficient evidence. They already had the material evidence—but Perlman was the only human witness. He absolutely could not be silenced.
"This matter should be handled by Hollow Special Operations Section 6," Miyabi suggested.
Since Section 6 had been summoned here and experienced so much, it made no sense to push the responsibility onto "civilians."
"Miss Belle, I hope you will remain by Daoist Arden's side until this entire matter is concluded."
In other words, Miyabi did not intend to bring Belle back to HAND headquarters for interrogation. However, for safety reasons, she hoped Belle would not leave the sight of someone she trusted—namely, Arden.
"Alright."
Belle nodded. Though it wasn't complete freedom, staying with Arden was far preferable to being taken into custody.
"About… the sword…"
Before parting, Miyabi reluctantly returned the Sword of Red Heaven and once more gripped the cursed blade Tailless.
"Daoist Arden, I greatly look forward to the new sword you promised."
"Rest assured. I always keep my word."
If he said he would gift her a Sword of Red Heaven, then he would—no backtracking.
"Oh, Miss Miyabi, take this talisman."
Arden produced a talisman and placed it in Miyabi's hand. "If you encounter danger that you cannot resolve, drop a bit of blood onto it. I will arrive as quickly as possible."
It was certain that the incident was far from over. More conspiracies awaited them. Unfortunately, Arden could not recall further details—only that the mastermind's true target was likely Miyabi. Thus, he left this precaution in place.
When the time came, if he appeared at a critical moment and staged a heroic rescue, his standing in Miyabi's heart would surely undergo a qualitative leap.
Mastermind behind the scenes, don't disappoint me!
Arden's "home run" grand plan now depended on the villain's assist.
"Thank you."
Carefully storing the talisman, Miyabi revealed a faint smile. Arden's concern pleased her greatly.
The other three members of Section 6 rubbed their eyes in disbelief. Such gentleness—was this truly the Section Chief they knew?
Could it be… she's fallen in love?
As someone who was practically half a parent to Miyabi, Yanagi immediately grew alert.
"Section Chief, it's getting late. We should depart."
"Oh."
"My, my… you young people—have you forgotten about this old lady? I'll be heartbroken, you know!"
At that moment, Piper finally appeared before everyone, looking exhausted.
Having lost their previous vehicle, she had driven over another truck belonging to the Sons of Calydon.
"The Sons of Calydon's losses will be compensated by Hollow Special Operations Section 6."
As they boarded the vehicle, aside from Miyabi, the other three wore expressions as if heading to the execution ground. They had zero trust in the female driver with a girl's appearance but an uncle's vibe.
Especially Harumasa—he had already gone to Arden to ask for motion sickness medicine.
"Um… Daoist Arden, do you still have some of that motion sickness medicine from before?"
"I do…"
"Could you give me some? I'll repay you generously in the future!"
"I want some too!"
"Ahem, if Daoist Arden permits…"
Soukaku and Yanagi also gathered around.
"Heh."
The scene made Arden chuckle. "Don't worry, there's plenty of motion sickness medicine."
"That's great!"
"Yay!"
"Daoist Arden, you're a good person!"
At that moment, Yanagi's opinion of Arden improved considerably.
If the Section Chief could be with Daoist Arden… perhaps that wouldn't be so bad?
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa