The aroma of food grew richer, and the noise from the kitchen gradually died down; it seemed only the final step remained before the feast was served.
At this moment, the "kids' group" on the sofa welcomed another heavyweight new member—
Accompanied by a crackling ripple of magic in the air, a brilliant white-gold spark portal suddenly snapped open in the center of the living room.
"Sister Mo Die~!"
Before Su Modie could see clearly, a figure carrying a chill pounced out of the aperture like a swallow returning to its nest, diving headfirst into her arms and planting a "smack" on her cheek, her voice crisp and loud: "Merry Christmas! I missed you so much!"
The newcomer was none other than Lux, who had just returned from Kamar-Taj after picking out gifts.
She was wearing a set of Kamar-Taj mage robes, her small face flushed red from the cold.
"Mmm... Merry Christmas, Lux."
Su Modie was just about to say something helplessly when she felt a heavy object added to her arms.
Lux giggled as she handed the large, constantly squirming gift box in her arms to Su Modie: "This is a gift for Sister! A special surprise!"
Looking at the box shaking violently and even faintly emitting hissing sounds, the corners of Su Modie's mouth twitched.
She naturally knew roughly what kind of thing was inside.
For a moment, she actually didn't quite dare to take it, but the commotion here attracted Kotetsu Isane, who had just finished hanging the colorful lights nearby.
"What is this?"
She leaned over, and seeing Su Modie hesitate to act, she kindly helped lift the lid.
"Wow..."
The instant the box was opened.
A black creature only the size of a puppy, its mouth and limbs bound by rings condensed from light elements, suddenly poked its head out.
Strictly speaking, it looked like a small foal, but it was pitch black as ink, with a pair of small wings still fluttering on its back. The mane on its neck was actually composed of purple-black spectral fire, sparking from time to time.
This was a juvenile Nightmare Beast.
Su Modie recognized it; this was a mythical creature existing in other dimensions.
In the Marvel Universe, the dimension lord Nightmare, who was as famous as Mephisto, had an adult Nightmare Beast as his mount.
Adult Nightmare Beast
Juvenile... cough, cough, wrong one.
Heaven knows where that unreliable Lintra had taken Lux to have actually caught such a dangerous thing!
"Ta-da! This is a pet I caught specifically for Sister Mo Die!"
With an expression practically begging for praise, Lux pointed at the struggling little fellow with the stubborn gaze and said, "It's really powerful! When it grows up, it can fly and breathe fire. It's much stronger than those ordinary cats and dogs!"
Seeing the little Nightmare Beast tied up so thoroughly, even with its mouth sealed, Su Modie felt a wave of embarrassment.
Lux had essentially carried the concept of "kidnapping... ah no, adoption instead of purchase" to the extreme... "Um..."
Seeing the little beast shivering, the soft-hearted Yone couldn't help but frown and asked with some concern:
"It looks so small... is it really okay to just snatch it away like this? Won't it be pitiful if its mommy and daddy can't find it? What about its family?"
True, while Nightmare Beasts weren't exactly benevolent creatures, this looked way too much like a child abduction scene.
This fits the horse persona a bit better... However.
Facing Yone's soul-searching question, Lux revealed a pure and innocent smile, waving her hand matter-of-factly:
"Oh, it's fine!"
She patted her chest with an "I'm very thoughtful, aren't I?" expression and said:
"I thought of that too, so I caught its whole family!"
"It's just that our house is too small to fit so many horses, so I brought its whole family back to Kamar-Taj!"
"..."
Yone was stunned.
The... the whole family?
What kind of family extermination case is this... "Pfft—!!!"
Su Modie, who was just raising a cup to drink water, spat it right out, nearly choking herself to death.
Holy moly!
I'm calling it right now, holy moly!
This isn't finding it a home; this is straight-up raiding its home!
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Earth.
Kamar-Taj.
Originally, this was a peaceful, serene Christmas Eve full of Zen.
But now—
Ancient One: Having you is my "blessing"... "Quick! Over there! The training ground over there is on fire! Someone come help, fast!"
"Stop that Nightmare Beast! Don't let it charge into the Sanctum!"
"My god, why are there so many Nightmare Beasts here?! Who did this?!"
The once solemn and dignified holy site of cultivation was now in complete chaos.
The sky was filled with rampaging adult Nightmare Beasts, breathing purple-black flames and shrieking as they dashed about, setting several ancient wooden buildings on fire.
Hundreds of Kamar-Taj mage disciples had to use their magical artifacts to fight the fires and catch the horses, their faces covered in soot as the scene became incredibly chaotic.
「villainess value +68」
「simulation value +326」
And at the center of this mess.
The Ancient One stood atop a high platform, fanning herself with a folding fan, the veins on her temples throbbing slightly as she watched this "spectacle" before her.
In her behind.
Lintra the Minotaur was shrinking his neck like a coward, trying his best to hide his massive frame behind a pillar, drenched in sweat and not daring to even breathe loudly.
Clearly.
If looks could kill a bull, he would have already been served on the table by the Ancient One.
Of course, Lux had no idea of the "good deed" she had done, nor why she had suddenly received several deposits of villainess and simulation values, still immersed in the joy of giving gifts.
Su Modie looked at this little Nightmare Beast with its mouth sealed, still desperately spitting sparks, and tentatively reached out her hand, wanting to pet the little horse's head which looked like it would feel quite nice.
"Hiss—!"
The moment her hand reached over, the little fellow began to struggle violently, its pair of glowing red eyes staring fixedly at Su Modie.
If not for the light ring seal on its mouth, it probably would have lunged forward to give Su Modie's hand a nasty bite in the next second.
"..."
Su Modie silently withdrew her hand.
Forget it, this isn't a pet; it's clearly a living ancestor.
"Kumashi! I'm leaving it to you!"
Having no choice, Su Modie could only turn to look at the stuffed bear nearby.
"Hoi!"
Kumashi came trotting over and took over this "hot potato."
Although he was a plushie and had no pain receptors, the Hellfire on this Nightmare Beast was no joke.
As soon as he touched it, Kumashi's two furry paws began to smoke.
"Ho! Ho! Ho!"
Although Kumashi didn't cry out in pain, he clearly knew he was being scorched. He could only juggle the little beast like a circus performer, his two paws constantly tossing the little creature back and forth like a red-hot coal, then he marched with comical steps, leaving a trail of sparks and lightning as he locked it in the storage room at the end of the hallway.
With a "bang" of the door closing, peace was finally restored to the living room.
Now, with Lux's return, the house's liveliness had finally reached its peak.
Reze and Unohana Retsu were busy in the kitchen; Kotetsu Isane and Annie were helping hang the lights; and Perona and Lux were sitting on the sofa playing games and watching the show.
Su Modie looked around and silently counted in her heart.
There was still one person missing.
So, who was it?
Just as Su Modie was wondering, the front door at the entrance was pushed open once again.
"Ding-ling-ling—"
The bell on the door let out a crisp ring.
A tall figure walked in.
This time... everyone was truly here.
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