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"Even unarmed?"
At her words, Sarah raised an eyebrow, glancing at the Youkai Blade, Tailless, lying nearby. It seemed she believed that without the blade, Miyabi could still be defeated by ordinary means.
"You don't even need the sword to deal with you."
Miyabi's response was ice-cold.
In her view, the Youkai Blade was just a sharper-than-usual weapon. Indeed, she rarely relied on the blade's inherent powers—sometimes even resisting its influence. Ordinary people using it? Pure fantasy. With its specialized sheath, it wasn't even possible to draw the blade.
"Alas… such a pity. That Null_Face is useless—sent to gather data, failed miserably, and even got themselves caught in the process."
Sarah sighed regretfully.
At this, Miyabi's expression shifted slightly. She hadn't expected Bringer's allies to wield such influence—even Null_Face was part of the same faction. No wonder they had never been exposed, allowing Bringer to climb to a high rank within Public Security.
"Of course, we have contingency plans. Your so-called villainous schemes won't hinge on a single thread, hehe."
Sarah smiled lightly; only a fully considered plan makes a competent villain.
Click!
Her words fell as Sarah opened a case.
"What… is that?"
Miyabi saw a container inside, filled with a swirling, multicolored liquid resembling the Ether of the Hollow.
"Remember the Outer Ring Hollow, when you used the Youkai Blade to split bullets? Just a little of this substance, and the blade almost went out of control."
Sarah shook the container.
"If you coat the entire blade with it… guess what would happen?"
Before Miyabi could respond, Sarah poured the shimmering liquid onto Tailless.
"!!"
A sense of danger struck her instantly.
She hadn't understood why the blade had gone berserk before, but now she realized—and also understood one more thing: the true target had never been Perlman. From the Outer Ring onwards, it was always her—the heir of the Miyabi family—and her ancestral blade, Tailless.
"No!"
Crack… crack…
Miyabi instantly broke free from the alloy handcuffs and lunged at Sarah to stop her.
Though she had decided to switch to the promised Red Sky Sword once it arrived, Tailless had been her companion for years—a family heirloom. She could not watch it lose control.
"Miyabi, Void Hunter, you're right. No one can harm you, so the best way is to make you a threat!"
Sarah laughed and raised her hand, then smashed the Ether container onto the blade and kicked it.
In an instant, the multicolored liquid wrapped around Tailless, striking Miyabi, drenching her.
At the same time, the prison vehicle's side door opened. The driver swerved sharply, flinging Miyabi and the blade out.
As she was thrown, she felt her consciousness blur, the blade spiraling out of control, her father's old restraining seals being broken layer by layer.
"Ugh…"
Before succumbing to darkness, Miyabi bit her lip. The bright red blood dripped down her slender neck, staining a small section of the talisman hidden there.
"Daoist Arden… please, I'm counting on you!"
All her confidence had once convinced her she needed no one's help. When Arden had given her the talisman, saying, "Use it if you're in danger," she had appreciated the gesture but never thought she would need it.
Now, facing this crisis, she could only grasp it and hope it worked, calling Arden through the talisman.
Hum~!
The blood-stained talisman radiated golden light, illuminating the darkness inside her mind.
Clinging to the light as if it were a lifeline, Miyabi held it close.
"Uhh… Miss Miyabi, you know, I am a married man… this is a bit inappropriate, don't you think?"
The golden light manifested Arden before her, though their positions were… somewhat compromising.
Miyabi's fox ears twitched at his voice. She opened her eyes and met Arden's gaze, a playful smile on his face.
"Sorry!"
She quickly released her hold, realizing just how awkward their posture had been.
Yet Arden's presence brought an immense sense of relief. Looking at her surroundings, she saw nothing but gray-blue skies and ground, no one else.
What made her truly feel safe was Arden himself, bathed in golden light.
When facing a seemingly hopeless situation, having a powerful presence nearby felt like explorers lost in Amphoreus spotting the shadow of the Herta Space Station—nothing could bring more reassurance.
"Hmm… judging from my experience, this should be your consciousness world."
Arden surveyed the area and sensed the connection. "You activated the talisman; it serves as our link, so I followed in."
Even he had never encountered this situation before. Yet having trained at Yunkui Summit for so long, his knowledge of consciousness, mental worlds, and inner demons was second only to Master Yixuan.
"After entering the Hollow, we…"
Miyabi recounted the events inside, including Bringer's trap and, most critically, the multicolored substance Sarah had used. She hadn't expected that Tailless—her family's highest secret—could be targeted by outsiders.
"I understand."
Arden nodded after hearing her account.
"Making Tailless go berserk is probably just an intermediate step," he reasoned. "But what would the other side gain from it?"
Even villains, Arden knew, rarely act purely for chaos. Unless they were insane, every action has a purpose.
As for Sarah, Arden had only heard of her through Yiji's report—he hadn't met her personally.
From his past experiences, Sarah wasn't the ultimate mastermind. She was backed by a powerful cult—the Exaltists.
He remembered from his game knowledge: the Exaltists aimed to merge humans with the Ether, surviving outside Hollow environments.
If successful, they might enhance humanity's ability to contend with Hollows—but their methods were morally reprehensible. And, knowing such narratives, their plans would likely backfire, creating even greater problems.
Ultimately, resolving the Hollow threat required righteous intervention—by Arden, Yunkui Summit, and their allies.
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