Author's Note: Since I have written a buttload of chapters beforehand, I'll upload it until it matches with my Patreon update schedule. On Patreon, the story are three chapters ahead.

Masaru was speechless.

Hana and K'xug managed to help them finish the fight between them and Ephert's men. Even if they had lesser people on their end. The brothel and the people inside it would be completely safe now.

Ephert's men saw no point in continuing this futile battle where they were on the losing end, retreating hurriedly.

This made Masaru even more speechless.

The owner was really right.

They are not to be underestimated.

Masaru smiled to himself.

Just maybe...they are really the ones to help Lord Haru and Lord Kiba to free this continent from Ephert's grasp.

He approached them and he noticed Hana standing still, staring down at her palm. She had been doing that since earlier, though she still did focus on the fight.

K'xug stood beside her and he covered her palm with his.

"K'xug?" Hana looked up, a questioning look in her blue eyes.

He only shook his head in response.

"You want me to...forget about it?"

K'xug nodded, gesturing at the scene before her. Some of the guards were groaning in pain on the ground while their comrades helped them up, bringing them into the brothel for medical aid.

It was obvious he was telling her now wasn't the time to focus on the change occurring within her body.

"Oh, that's right, Cecil! Kai!" Hana gasped. "Haru and the others, they are still...not back."

K'xug shook his head.

"If it is about Lord Haru and the others," Masaru stepped into the conversation, bowing. "Do not worry, just like the Owner, they are strong."

K'xug looked at Masaru, nodding his head.

If Ryo is being considered as a vessel to ascend to the heavenly or demon realm, there is no doubt the others are just as capable.

To think I would meet such strong mortals in this journey, how fascinating.

K'xug was someone who rarely visited the mortal realm, hence, he hardly saw any strong mortals. In fact, even if mortals ascended to the heavenly or demon realm, they were mostly low-ranking in terms of their fighting skills.

Being beside Xue, the Supreme God-in-training and one of the most powerful warriors to have existed in the heavenly realm, K'xug could not even catch a glimpse of these "mortals" that ascended.

"I...I know they are strong, but--"

"Heeeeyyyy!" Someone hollered out.

Everyone turned to look and at the end of the empty street, there were three people running towards them...carrying along a person in the air.

"Lord Haru!"

"Haru Haru!"

The three of them picked up their pace and despite the bumpy ride, Ryo still managed to stay asleep in the air.

Haru grinned at K'xug, Hana and Masaru, wanting to wave to them only to realise his arms were preoccupied carrying a certain battle maniac.

"Are you guys okay? How are you doing? Where's the rest--whoa!"

Haru stumbled, losing his hold on Ryo above him.

Kiyae simply accepted that Ryo was going to fall, not bothering to make the effort to catch him. Meanwhile, Yun attempted to catch Ryo but alas, without the other two supporting him, Ryo dropped to the ground, kissing it.

He seemed content with kissing the ground, laying there and snuggling into it.

Yun and Haru looked at Ryo on the ground.

Kiyae joined in as well, and the two of them looked at her.

She shrugged. "Just let him sleep there."

K'xug stared at Ryo on the ground with a small frown, tilting his head.

Hana couldn't help but laugh.

"Lord Haru." Masaru bowed. "...and Mr. Yun, Ms. Kiyae and...Mr. Ryo."

"Masaru! Where's the others? I don't see Xue, Cecil or Rugi."

"That..." Masaru hesitated, looking at Hana and K'xug.

Haru and Yun looked at the two of them.

K'xug shook his head silently, closing his eyes.

Hana stopped laughing, looking down. "They are still...not back."

"Ah, damnit." Kiyae sighed out, her palm on her forehead.

"..." Haru let out a breath of frustration.

"Should we just go...and find them ourselves?" Hana looked up at them. "I...I think we should!"

"No, not right now." Kiyae spoke up, offering Hana an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but we really can't, Hana. Ephert is determined to keep us here on this island after burning down our ship and if we split up, they might take advantage of it and surround us again. We are strong but we have limited stamina."

"Yeah, not to mention, they still have those weird weapons with them," Haru shuddered. "I don't want to see any one of us getting disintegrated like that."

Hana opened her mouth to retort. However, she realised they were right and she did not want to be caught in a situation where people were shielding her once again.

Hana became silent, her usual energetic mien was gone.

Yun and Ryo were the only ones who were clueless about the situation.

"Do you mind explaining our current circumstances to me?" Yun stepped forward, adjusting his glasses.

"Cecil..." Hana whispered to herself, despondent.

K'xug comforted her with a pat on the back.

Yun did not expect K'xug or Hana to explain, looking towards Haru and Kiyae.

"Right, you guys were stuck on the ship when all this happened," Haru nodded, recounting the memories to Yun. "It all started when we went to find Rugi over here and..."

***

Cecil slipped back into the room once her surroundings were safe. Tsuki was waiting for her patiently inside the room, fanning herself with a fan.

"My new dearest dancer," Tsuki raised her eyebrows. "What can I do for you?"

"I apologise," Cecil bowed her head, embarrassed. "That was the only thing I could think of at that time."

Just thinking about her exaggerated acting, Cecil felt her face growing warm.

It was a relief no one other than her and Tsuki knew of it.

"That's the least of your problems now," Tsuki sighed, sitting back down on the couch as she put her fan down, taking her smoking pipe. "I know those men, back in the days, they took care of odd jobs across the continent and were well-known. I know their workstyle, they are careful and scrutinize every detail of their job. There is no doubt they planted a spy to check if you are truly a dancer of mine."

Cecil shot her head up, her eyes wide in disbelief. "So...you are saying..."

"You..." Tsuki pointed to her with her smoking pipe, before putting it in her mouth. "Have to dance. Just once."

"But--"

"Don't get me wrong," Tsuki exhaled, narrowing her eyes. "I do not want to see any kind of violence or chaos here, I have a reputation to maintain. You are already in my place, so you are under my care now."

"..."

"Due to having the responsibility to safeguard the civilians, who were sent here to avoid the mess in other parts of the town, my mind is already exhausted from trying to maintain the peace here," Tsuki clicked her tongue in annoyance. "I want to deal with your problem, quickly."

"Would they...be able to recognise me?"

Tsuki smiled confidently. "Just like how I know them well, they know me well enough. They know I'll send you out there to show your "tattoo" to the customers by dancing, since it is something I do to help build confidence for my dancers."

"Even inexperienced ones?"

"Of course."

"...you are quite mean."

"I am known to be a cold-hearted woman at times, yes," Tsuki flipped her hair elegantly, smiling seductively. "...but I believe if you have the passion for dancing, scars and appearance, they are superficial. Confidence and your personality, that's all I want to see."

Just then, someone called out from the door.

It was the female employee Tsuki sent out earlier to grab a small meal for Cecil.

"Ah, just in time, come in."

The door slid open.

"Change of plans, send her on stage right after her light meal."

"...ye-yes."

The female employee was shocked.

"And as for you," Tsuki smiled once again. "Prepare everything yourself, since you are not an official dancer of mine. Daughter of the Lan family."

Cecil widened her eyes.

"If you get the chance to, say hello to your mother for me," Tsuki chuckled, shaking her head. "To think we used to compete with one another back in the days..."

Cecil smiled, excusing herself. "Thank you, I'll do my best to help maintain your reputation."

"Just remember to show that "tattoo" on your shoulder when you dance. Of course, you are an experienced dancer yourself, I don't need to tell you what to do."

"Of course," Cecil nodded. "I'll prove to you."

Tsuki waved her off.

Cecil sighed to herself once she was out of the room, being led by the female staff.

I guess it's time to apply more numbing ointment.

The familiar ache was increasing on her shoulder.

***

Halfway through the process of finding Rugi, Xue found himself succumbing to the amplification of the seal from Veau. The attack wasn't over just yet and he fainted yet again, much to the horror of the other soul fragments except Isleif.

"Xue!"

"Why...of all times..." Xue groaned out, his eyes closing. "Cecil..."

"Hey--it isn't just him--agh!"

Nevertheless, it wasn't only Xue suffering.

His other soul fragments felt the remnants of the attack on their soul as well. Those who did not deal well with pain in particular almost lost their consciousness. They slowly pushed themselves up from the ground, shaking their head.

Kai: "Wh-what's happening?"

Zasiok: "Xue is--"

Leonaut: "Out of service."

Zasiok blinked, looking at Leonaut.

Alric: "Le-Leonaut is right."

Leonaut just did what he always did for Alric, he threw the unconscious Xue onto the couch. Sid was startled awake at someone squashing him on the couch. He simply rolled out from under Xue, landing on the ground and falling back asleep.

The soul fragments who watched this scene were speechless.

With their ideal tracker lost again, Kai and the others were left to head in the direction Xue last pointed them to.

Isleif: "All of you are useless."

Isleif spoke up suddenly. With those words, it was no wonder Islief was beaten up yet again.

For once, Kai could understand the pain Xue went through, listening to all these arguments and voices inside his head.

Shin and Alric were the only ones who stayed out from the fight, Alric was pacing up and down, worried. Whereas, Shin fidgeted anxiously since they still hadn't found any clue of Cecil.

Shin: "...can't you just throw yourself towards the direction Xue pointed us to...?"

Kai: "Th-throw myself? Do you think I am some kind of masochist--ah!"

All of a sudden, the soul fragments snapped their heads to Shin at the same time. Even Kai skidded to a stop on the outside, his expression becoming a full-blown grin.

Zasiok, Leonaut and Alric rushed towards Shin, ruffling his hair and nudging his head with their fists.

Zasiok: "You little brilliant kid!"

Leonaut: "Brat!"

Alric: "Throw ourselves, yes!"

Isleif: "Maybe not so...useless after all."

Isleif winced, rubbing at his cut lips as he sulked in the corner.

Shin: "...ow."

All of them remembered how Kai was thrown away by Rugi, and how Rugi himself escaped.

A water current.

Since Rugi himself was actually Xue, why wouldn't they be able to do it themselves?

Kai licked his lips, starting to tap into the water element inside the body. With his aptitude for adapting and learning quickly, something like this wouldn't require any effort from Kai at all. The only tricky part was riding on the water current and throwing himself into the direction, literally.

...alas, it turns out Kai's aptitude to learn was too impressive.

There was a large water current gathered around him now and Kai was losing his ability to control it. The water current started to build up energy, preparing to launch Kai into the air.

"..."

"Uh oh." Kai gulped nervously. "Maybe I...overdid it?"

Zasiok: "You idiot, that's clearly too much!"

Leonaut: "At least he got the direction right."

Alric: "W-we are going to land on the ground! Wi-with a splat!"

Shin: "..."

Shin headed back to his own room, hugging the painting of a familiar raven-haired woman to himself.

Isleif: "It's not useless, it's hopeless."

Sid rubbed his eyes sleepily.

Sid: "What's...what's going on--"

Boom!

Kai was launched into the sky with the water current he created. They were all screaming at the top of their lungs, both on the outside and inside.

"We are gonna die! We are definitely gonna die! We are really going to die!" Kai cried out from the top of his lungs, spinning in the air. "Where is Xue when you need him?!"

Kai wanted to cry without tears.

Next time, he definitely did not want to take control of the body any more.

Zasiok: "Xue, now is a good time to wake up--"

Leonaut: "Out of service!"

Zasiok: "Stop saying that!"

Alric: "Ol' al-almighty Supreme God, please grant us a safe landing..."

Shin: "Xue is the Supreme God himself."

Alric paled.

Alric: "Ol' al-almighty Xue, please wake up and grant us a safe landing--"

Sid: "Ugh...I feel like puking..."

Isleif: "Hopeless. Useless. Pathetic."

Shin still hugged the painting to himself.

The handsome ash blonde-haired man was still lying unconscious on the couch. Compared to them, he seemed utterly serene.

***

Haru finally finished his explanation to Yun.

Yun pinched his chin with his fingers, his expression contemplative. "All of their whereabouts are unknown...civilians evacuating in the same direction."

"That's what me and Kiyae noticed." Haru nodded.

Yun nodded as well, making some conclusions of his own.

"I have a few guesses in mind but the most accurate one has to be..." Yun trailed off, nodding once again. "The guards that were stationed all around were prepared by Rugi beforehand, not to only catch the unruly customers but to prepare in advance."

"You mean...Ephert?"

"Ephert had probably stationed many of his men here, after all, his current actions are clearly to stop us here," Yun explained. "Mercenaries in our continent are known to do jobs of all kinds, even odd jobs. Hence, them being undercover for a long time on this island is no surprise."

"Uhm...I have also noticed..." Hana jumped into the conversation. "These people here are also using the weird weapons that the others were using..."

Masaru realised Hana was pointing towards him.

"Ah, Miss Hana must be referring to the strange equipment we were holding in our hands when we first met?" Masaru nodded in understanding. "The owner had seen this coming from the start, and we were ordered to launch a raid on one of their warehouses hidden in this town."

"Those weapons were stolen from them?" Yun questioned.

"Indeed, finding those warehouses were hard since their disguises and codes they used were complicated," Masaru sighed out. "The owner did not want to raise any panic among the civilians, hence, he did everything in secrecy. The public is none the wiser."

"Rugi did not manage to steal and destroy the warehouses in time?" Kiyae asked.

Masaru shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. The owner has been fighting like this for a long time, and Ephert seemed to have an endless supply of these weapons and troops. Moreover..."

"What? There's more?" Haru widened his eyes.

"The owner said someone way stronger than Ephert and anyone else combined...has been aiming for him as well. One day, he came back severely injured and he recovered not too long ago..."

"Ah, so it's him."

Haru and Kiyae spoke at the same time.

"As expected, all of you know who he is but the owner wouldn't tell me," Masaru sighed. "There is also the issue with the auction house but it is currently being supported by different factions across the four continents..."

"What a mess. It's no wonder we haven't been receiving any messages from Rugi for a while now." Yun frowned.

"The biggest problem is, even I do not know where the owner is at right now."

"We need someone to scour this area quickly," Yun turned around, knowing the perfect person for this job. "K'xug--he's gone?"

Yun looked at the empty spot beside Hana.

"Mhmm!" Hana nodded with a hum. "Ever since Haru Haru started talking, K'xug flew away!"

"How could he disappear without saying a word--oh right." Haru scratched his head.

Masaru did not even notice K'xug disappearing, blinking rapidly.

All of a sudden, they were all startled by something dropping out of nowhere, landing in the middle of their group.

It was a person tied and gagged up, scanning around the area in fear. His roguish outfit was similar to that of the mercenaries that everyone saw.

It was also the same mercenary that got beaten up miserably by Cecil.

The next second, a familiar man with heterochromia eyes stood beside Hana.

"Oh my god!"

"Wah!"

"What the--"

"Ahh!"

They all screamed out in shock.

Hana was already accustomed to K'xug appearing out of nowhere, standing there with an innocent stare.

Yun only jumped slightly before recovering quickly, he looked at K'xug as he pointed to the man on the ground.

"Who's that?"

K'xug stared at Yun.

I went searching around the area.

He has been spying on us in the shadows.

I caught him and brought him here since he knows something.

...but it's not like you can hear me.

Yun stared back at K'xug. "Is he someone that can give us information?"

K'xug paused before nodding.

The mercenary looked up at K'xug in fear.

He would never forget the sight of seeing this man donning wings and landing in front of him. The sight shocked him so much, he wasn't prepared when K'xug knocked him out in a hit.

However, he knew one thing.

This man isn't human!

I don't even know what he is!

The fear of the unknown was causing his composure to crack.

Haru squatted down, removing the gag from the mercenary's mouth. "Now that you are here, how about you tell us--"

"I'll tell you everything!" the mercenary burst out, glancing at K'xug. "I'll tell you so, don't...don't leave me with him!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Everyone looked at K'xug.

K'xug rubbed at his nose awkwardly.

"K'xug, did you...khhhh!" Hana faked a threatening growl, like she was trying to scare someone. "And then..."

Hana slid her hand across the neck.

"Did you do all this to him?"

"...?"

"...??"

"...???"

Everyone tilted their head at Hana.

K'xug only looked at her with a bewildered expression.

What do you take me for?

A gloomy Xue?

It seemed like K'xug was the only one among them that understood Hana's animated gestures.

Haru cleared his throat, coughing.

"We won't leave you with him so..." he leaned in closer with a grin. "Tell us everything, like you promised."

***

《 start 》

We are going to die.

We are gonna die.

We are definitely gonna die!

On the ground!

With a splat!

Ol' almighty Xue!

Please wake up and save all of us!

《 stop 》