Black Herta watched the four Flame-Chasers in the hall, who were swaying and nearly fainting from the residual power of the "immortal salted fish," and her brow twitched slightly.
She raised her hand to signal, and Jack immediately, without expression, retrieved the salted fish emitting a strange aura back into the Dimensional Space.
"How is the situation over there?" Black Herta turned to Jack and asked.
"Kosma, Kevin, Kalpas," Jack reported concisely, her voice steady, showing no sign of having just gone through a fierce battle.
Black Herta raised an eyebrow, her tone carrying a hint of amusement: "Oh? Sending these three to 'greet' you, they certainly think highly of you."
Her gaze swept across the empty hall, and her eyes gradually sharpened. "However, the aura of these three... has actually disappeared from the Paradise's perception?"
Her gaze shifted toward the deeper, more profound Data Space in the depths of the hall—Eternitys Elysium, an area within the Elysian Realm that she had not yet fully explored.
A distinct repulsive force field blocked her perception like an invisible wall.
"Interesting..." Black Herta curled her lips into an arc of excitement. "Jack, follow me."
Eternitys Elysium · Path
Stepping into Eternitys Elysium, the surrounding scenery was drastically different from the solemnity of the previous Paradise.
The light here was soft, the colors bright. Giant mushrooms stood like houses, glowing vines intertwined to form swings, and in the distance, there were small houses built of candy and biscuits. The entire space seemed to be cut directly from a Fairy Tale Picture Book, filled with a dreamlike atmosphere.
"Quite unique."
Black Herta strolled through it, appreciating the incongruous scenery with great interest.
However, this tranquility was soon broken.
At the end of the path, a figure stood quietly, blocking the way.
He was thin, and beneath his short hair, his brown-yellow eyes calmly watched the uninvited Guest. It was Kosma.
Black Herta was slightly surprised and stopped. "You intend... to block me yourself?"
Kosma did not reply, merely adopting a silent battle stance; his resolute gaze said it all.
The curved horns belonging to "Vishnu" on his head shimmered with a dark luster under the fairy-tale lighting.
Black Herta gently shook her head, seemingly regretful: "Actually, I truly wanted to communicate with you normally, but..."
She couldn't finish her sentence.
Intense fluctuations suddenly erupted around Kosma!
Eerie blue, flame-like energy shot toward the sky, enveloping his entire body—Artificial Collapse · Activation!
The originally thin young man's body rapidly swelled and twisted, instantly transforming into a terrifying monster predominantly colored black and blue.
It lost its basic humanoid form, resembling a demon crawling out of the abyss. Its massive body emitted a suffocating sense of pressure, and the eerie blue flames danced and burned on its surface, radiating an ominous light.
The youth who once dreamed of becoming a hero had now transformed into a ferocious beast existing only for battle.
"Roar—!"
Collapsed Cosmo let out a deafening roar, and his massive body, carrying the momentum to crush everything, instantly tore through the air and charged fiercely toward Black Herta!
The intense wind pressure distorted the surrounding fairy-tale scenery.
Black Herta stood still, her expression unchanged, not even the corner of her clothes fluttering.
She simply spoke indifferently:
"Jack."
The moment her voice fell, a gray figure suddenly appeared between Black Herta and the terrifying monster, acting as the most solid shield!
"BANG—!!!!"
An extremely dull massive sound exploded within Eternitys Elysium!
Collapsed Cosmo's impact, powerful enough to shatter mountains, was firmly held back by Jack using the Flame Lance in her hand!
The spear shaft trembled, emitting a strained hum, but Jack's feet were rooted to the ground, and she did not retreat an inch.
A faint golden halo appeared around her, combining Gepard's robust defensive power to form a barrier that looked fragile but was indestructible.
The monster's eerie blue flames attempted to spread along the Flame Lance but were forcibly blocked by a stable force field.
Jack raised her golden eyes, which lacked highlights, and calmly gazed at the terrifying giant beast before her.
She flicked her wrist, lifting the Flame Lance to skillfully deflect a portion of the impact. At the same time, she clenched her other hand into a fist, and the concentrated force landed a straightforward punch onto Collapsed Cosmo's armored forelimb!
"Thud!"
Amidst the dull sound, the monster's body swayed slightly, and its momentum was forcibly interrupted.
Xianzhou Luofu · Street Stall
Baiheng sat listlessly on her Small Stool, with a dazzling array of "Herta" merchandise spread out before her.
The business at her stall... couldn't be called slow; it was better described as deserted.
The reason was simple: sitting steadily beside her was a "Door God"—Jingliu.
(Ha... this is unbelievable...)
(How did she do it? Every time I set up the stall, she appears in the exact spot in less than three minutes! This can't be explained by coincidence; it's practically defying nature!)
Jingliu's mere presence was a powerful aura suppression.
That icy Sword Intent, that aura of 'keep away from strangers,' caused passersby who might have been interested in cute dolls to stop short a few steps away and walk around her instead.
Jingliu seemed completely unaware that she was affecting business, or perhaps she simply didn't care.
She was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke, her voice still so cold and clear: "You resemble a friend of mine."
Baiheng's heart skipped a beat, and she forced an incredibly stiff smile onto her face: "Haha, really? That must be... a coincidence, a coincidence."
"Where are you from?"
Jingliu asked again; her black eye patch seemed capable of piercing through sunglasses and looking directly into Baiheng's soul.
Baiheng's scalp tingled, and she forced herself to answer: "Uh... Yaoqing, Yaoqing."
This was the excuse she had prepared long ago.
Jingliu nodded, her tone flat and emotionless: "What a coincidence, she was too."
Baiheng: "..."
(Help! I can't continue this conversation!)
She tried to struggle a bit and said softly: "Um... Guest, look, you sitting here... well, it's slightly affecting my business... could you perhaps..."
She hoped the other party would understand this subtle Request to Leave.
Hearing this, Jingliu seemed to ponder for a moment, then said, "I can buy everything."
Baiheng nearly choked, stressing again with a bitter face: "Guest! Rules, the rules cannot be broken! There's a purchase limit, only one per person! You can't buy everything!"
She felt like she was turning into a broken record.
Jingliu fell silent.
She sat there quietly, like a perfect ice sculpture.
After a long while, just when Baiheng thought she would sit there until the end of time, she suddenly stood up, said nothing, turned around, and left.
Watching Jingliu's solitary and straight back disappear around the street corner, Baiheng let out a long sigh of relief, as if she had just fought a major battle.
But immediately after, she scratched her face, feeling a bit uneasy.
(Did I... say too much just now? She seems... just a little persistent?)
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