At the same time.
Luofu, the Shackling Prison.
Blade, confined within his cell, sat motionless with his eyes closed, like a statue carved from stone.
He knew.
According to procedure, Jing Yuan would soon arrive to interrogate him personally.
At the thought, a faint smirk tugged at the corner of Blade's lips.
"How… exciting…"
He had even prepared what he would say.
"Among five people, three must pay a price..."
Yet, just then—
A line of glowing text materialized before him.
Blade recognized it.
This was Silver Wolf's doing.
Reality rewriting.
A message visible only to the Stellaron Hunters.
[Plan changed. Escape the Shackling Prison immediately.]
A fiery glint flashed in Blade's eyes.
He didn't know why the "script" had suddenly changed.
Nor why he had to break out ahead of schedule—without even waiting for Jing Yuan's interrogation.
His current state wasn't suited for overthinking.
So.
He just had to act.
"BOOM—!!!"
The moment his eyes snapped open, the cell erupted in a violent explosion.
The guards stationed inside jolted in shock.
Suddenly—
They saw a shattered sword.
And a hand gripping its hilt.
"The prisoner is escaping! Inform the general at once!!"
But before they could flee—
A crimson light surged before them.
The commotion quickly drew more Cloud Knights.
Yet Blade remained unhurried, dragging his ancient blade across the ground, leaving a trail that unfurled like a scroll—blooming with scarlet flowers of the underworld.
A voice rang out in the distance.
"All units! Hold the outer perimeter! Buy time until the general arrives!"
Blade smiled.
In the next instant, he appeared before them.
A single slash.
His voice was a cold whisper.
"Drowning in sin… yet you dare judge me guilty?"
"A world of filth… yet you dare call yourselves Xianzhou?"
Amid the carnage, Blade felt a long-lost frenzy—a release.
In his eyes, that person's figure flickered to life!
It made him swing his blade with even greater fervor!
Yet—
Soon.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
The shadows in his vision multiplied.
The curse of Mara gnawed at his control.
His breathing grew ragged.
But the Cloud Knights kept coming.
Among them—
Unusually skilled fighters.
"...Strange..."
"How… did you know..."
"I'd break out…now...?"
---
The Astral Express.
Kafka's sudden appearance forced everyone's attention onto her.
"Long time no see, everyone aboard the Astral Express."
March 7th's arm hair stood on end.
"Even her entrance line's the same!" she whispered to Stelle in awe. "Is she about to reenact the game's plot?"
Her concern was quickly dispelled.
Because Kafka didn't follow up with "I'm Kafka. Ah, perfect timing—everyone's here."
Instead, she walked toward another projection.
Gazing at her in-game counterpart on the livestream, she mused, "How lovely. As expected, you're all watching this game too."
Mr. Yang adjusted his glasses. "Since the Stellaron Hunters are also aware of this game's existence, you must realize—"
"There's more than just Elio who can foresee destiny. Now, there's also [Yu Ling], who turns fate into a game."
"Your visit to the Express was already predicted in the game's plot."
"Ah, yes, exactly."
Kafka's smile deepened.
"That *was* my original script. Next, I'd say,*'Forty-five system hours ago, a Stellaron on the Xianzhou Luofu… erupted.'"
Sure enough, the Kafka on-screen delivered the corresponding line.
"But now, the script has changed."
"How about this—let's watch this performance together first. Afterward, I'll explain the purpose of my visit."
March 7th frowned. "Wait, so you hijacked our comms just to watch a livestream with us?"
"Of course not. I have my own demands."
Kafka casually took a seat on the sofa, making herself at home.
(She must have activated the gravity simulation system.)
Himeko knew this was just a remote projection. While they could forcibly terminate the transmission, doing so would be the worst approach.
"Let her stay. We'll see what's happening in the game first."
Mr. Yang nodded in agreement.
March 7th, originally seated at the edge, quickly swapped places with Stelle when Kafka's projection sat beside her.
"No way I'm sitting next to her…"
"You know her better—you deal with it."
Having decided to observe for now, the group settled into an uneasy truce, watching the livestream together.
In the game, Kafka began stating her intentions—
"...It's simple. This Stellaron has nothing to do with us, yet the Xianzhou has pinned the blame on the Stellaron Hunters."
"My comrade Blade was taken by the Cloud Knights. I need to retrieve him, resolve this Stellaron crisis, and clear our names."
With that, her hologram shifted to an image of Blade.
At the sight of him, Dan Heng's expression darkened.
Just as I thought!
Blade was part of this storyline!
And according to Kafka, Blade had been captured by the Cloud Knights…
Earlier scenes had indeed shown the Shackling Prison.
Accounting for time discrepancies…
That meant—
In reality, Blade was currently imprisoned there.
Jing Yuan hadn't interrogated him yet.
But Jing Yuan and the others must have seen these events unfold in the game.
So… what would they do?
If they knew Blade would escape—
They'd have to reinforce the prison's defenses!
Blade's imprisonment was originally just a step in the Stellaron Hunters' script.
But now… he might actually be trapped!
Dan Heng's eyes widened in realization.
What followed was a surreal sense of disbelief.
Had… had his relentless nemesis really just—
Turned himself in?!
Walked straight into a cell?!
To be continued…
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