With her hands on her hips, Kiana delivered that line with absolute conviction, and the teahouse fell into a strange silence.
The phrase "ambassador of peace", paired with the still-lingering aura of Destruction around her, felt wrong in every possible way.
March 7th twitched at the corner of her mouth. "Um... Miss Kiana, do you realize you're still leaking black smoke right now?"
Kiana looked down at herself. It was true. For maximum dramatic effect, she had deliberately released her Destruction aura during her entrance, and she had not fully withdrawn it yet.
"Oh, that." She waved a hand casually, and the power of Destruction that had put everyone on edge vanished completely.
"I'm used to it. If I don't add some effects when I show up, it never feels grand enough."
Everyone: "..."
The explanation was painfully flimsy, yet somehow... not entirely unreasonable?
Jingliu, however, was not about to let the matter be brushed aside so easily. She stared at Kiana with an exceptionally sharp gaze.
But naturally, Cecilia was not about to let Jingliu bully her "daughter" like that.
"Jingliu dear, are you jealous?"
Jingliu's face stiffened. "I am not."
"Really not?" Cecilia tilted her head, amusement dancing in her eyes.
"Then why have you been staring at my little Kiana this whole time?"
Jingliu fell silent for a moment, then ultimately chose to surrender.
Fine. She would say no more.
At the side, Stelle suddenly felt a little sour.
She wanted Cecilia to shield her like that too.
But her relationship with Cecilia was still only at the just-met stage. They were nowhere near that point.
March 7th, on the other hand, was far simpler. She had already bounced right up in front of Kiana, eyes sparkling.
"Miss Kiana, are you really an Emanator of Destruction? But you don't seem nearly as scary as Phantylia!"
They had only fought a Lord Ravager a few days ago.
But this girl looked so harmless. She was an old acquaintance of Mr. Yang's, and Cecilia's daughter too.
So... she should probably be fine, right?
At that, Kiana raised a brow slightly. "Phantylia? The heliobus who stabbed my mom?"
"Yes, yes, her!" March nodded furiously. "She was terrible! She disguised herself as Miss Tingyun and tricked us, and she tried to destroy the Luofu!"
"Oh, her." Kiana sounded utterly casual. "I happened to run into her on the way here, so I dealt with her."
"Dealt with her?!"
March looked like she wanted to ask more.
But right then, another wave of Destruction suddenly spread over the Luofu.
This time, however, it was not directed inward. It was facing outward.
I am Xingxiao, a Lord Ravager.
All unrelated persons, stand back. Any who approach will be killed.
The pressure came from outside. It seemed another Lord Ravager had clashed with the Luofu.
The atmosphere in the teahouse instantly tightened.
"Another one?" March blurted out. "What is it with this place lately? Are the Lord Ravagers holding a convention on the Luofu?"
No one responded. They all quietly picked up their weapons.
Then Kiana spoke again.
"Relax, everyone. She's one of ours. That's Xingxiao—my bodyguard."
"Bodyguard?!" March was shocked all over again.
"A Lord Ravager as a bodyguard? Miss Kiana, what exactly is your background?"
That question voiced what everyone present was thinking.
An Emanator of Destruction seemingly even stronger than Phantylia... and another Lord Ravager acting as her escort. Was that not a little too outrageous?
A Lord Ravager was not some common weed by the roadside. Such beings were enough to make the entire Xianzhou Alliance treat them as a major threat.
And now one of those figures was merely Kiana's bodyguard?
...
Meanwhile, outside the teahouse—
General Jing Yuan of the Luofu looked grimmer than ever.
Not long ago, he had just sent one Lord Ravager away, and the matter of sealing the Ambrosial Arbor had not even been properly settled yet.
He had barely managed to breathe easier, and today had originally been meant for entertaining honored guests.
But before he had even finished making preparations, two distinct auras of Destruction had suddenly appeared within the Luofu.
At this point, Jing Yuan could not help but wonder whether the Luofu's defensive systems were simply too outdated.
It was starting to feel as though any villain could infiltrate the place with absurd ease.
And this newcomer was even more direct than Phantylia had been, standing openly in the center of Cloudford with her aura of Destruction fully on display.
Frankly speaking, such an openly provocative arrival did a number on Jing Yuan's dignity.
The surrounding Cloud Knights had already formed ranks, but every face was taut with visible tension.
It could not be helped. Though they had witnessed the defeat of a Lord Ravager, beings of that level were still utterly insurmountable mountains to ordinary soldiers.
"Xingxiao," Jing Yuan said slowly, "you and your companion have descended upon the Luofu with such fanfare. Are you here to avenge Phantylia and declare war on the Xianzhou Alliance?"
But Xingxiao merely glanced at him indifferently and said nothing.
That attitude made Jing Yuan's brow twitch.
Yet what she did next was even more startling.
She abruptly withdrew the massive aura of Destruction, then released it again—
Only this time, it was no longer the sort of pressure used merely to announce one's presence. It was true, unrestrained Destruction authority.
Jing Yuan's pupils contracted sharply.
This aura... was even stronger than Phantylia at her peak?
The surrounding Cloud Knights fared worse still. Some collapsed where they stood, weapons clattering loudly to the ground.
A deathly silence fell over all of Cloudford.
And Xingxiao simply stood there.
She did not attack. She did not rage. She did not even spare Jing Yuan another glance.
She was only doing one thing:
making it crystal clear that she and her master were not existences these people could afford to provoke.
Jing Yuan tightened his grip on his formation saber, his heart shaken.
He knew she was issuing a demonstration of force.
What unsettled him more was that he could not even judge how much of her power she had used.
Fortunately, the Luofu did not currently have only one general.
At that moment, a clear female voice broke the suffocating silence.
"Lord Ravager Xingxiao, since you have come from afar, why not sit down and have a cup of tea?"
As the words fell, a figure emerged slowly from the opposite end of Cloudford.
The newcomer wore a green robe, her hair pinned high, her features cool and scholarly.
A bamboo scroll rested in her hand, and her pace was unhurried, as though the confrontation before her were nothing more than an ordinary street scene.
This was none other than Yaoguang, the Rongtao General from the Xianzhou Yaoqing.
At the sight of her, Jing Yuan finally let out the breath he had been holding.
After the Heavenly General Council concluded, this Rongtao General had volunteered to come to the Luofu in person.
Her original purpose had been to meet Cecilia face to face and lay the groundwork for the Xianzhou Alliance's future plans.
After all, as the Alliance's greatest master of divination, perhaps she could personally uncover more clues regarding Theresa or Chiyuan.
But no one had expected her to arrive just in time to run into yet another Lord Ravager's incursion.
"Yaoguang. You finally made it," Jing Yuan said.
Yaoguang stepped to his side, gave him a slight nod, then turned toward Xingxiao.
At once, the balance of power shifted as the presence of two generals countered the pressure in the air.
"So. Yaoguang, Rongtao General of the Xianzhou Alliance. I didn't expect you to appear on the Luofu," Xingxiao finally said, her voice still cold as frost.
Yaoguang merely smiled, not answering the point directly.
"A Lord Ravager has personally graced the Luofu. If I did not come to greet you, would that not be discourteous?"
She slowly unfurled the bamboo scroll in her hand, glanced over it, then raised her eyes again.
"Still, I am rather curious."
"The other one with you—where is she? There were clearly two Destruction auras just now, not just yours."
That question struck at the heart of everyone's doubts.
Indeed. Two separate Destruction presences had appeared over the Luofu earlier, one stronger, one weaker.
And yet only Xingxiao stood here now.
Where had the stronger one gone?
Xingxiao remained expressionless, with no sign of answering.
That silence only darkened Jing Yuan's mood further.
The whole situation reeked of ulterior motives.
And this was the Luofu—the very heart of it, at that.
If four Emanator-class figures were to truly fight here, victory or defeat would scarcely matter.
Even if the Luofu won, it would pay dearly for it.
Just as both sides stood poised on the brink, a crisp voice rang out from the direction of the teahouse.
"Ahem. Xingxiao, we're here as guests. At least give the hosts a little face."
Everyone turned.
A white-haired girl was walking over, followed by an entire group—Cecilia, Jingliu, and the members of the Astral Express.
Xingxiao turned at once and lowered her head respectfully.
"Miss."
That single title made both Jing Yuan and Yaoguang freeze.
Miss?
A Lord Ravager like Xingxiao was calling this girl Miss?
Kiana walked up to Xingxiao and said blandly, "Didn't I tell you to wait outside the Luofu? Why did you come in?"
Xingxiao lowered her gaze. "This subordinate was concerned for Miss's safety."
"Concerned for me?" Kiana sounded genuinely puzzled. "What danger could I possibly be in?"
Then she seemed to realize something and glanced at Jing Yuan and Yaoguang.
Oh. So that was it.
She had entered the Luofu without concealing her aura, after all.
Jing Yuan must have sensed her arrival and come to intercept her, which in turn prompted Xingxiao to step in.
...Right, now she needed to figure out how to smooth this over.
In an instant, Kiana switched accounts.
Cecilia stepped forward.
"My apologies, General Jing Yuan. This is my daughter, Kiana."
"I've spoiled this child since she was little, so she can be a bit careless in how she behaves. If she has offended anyone, I hope you can forgive her."
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 138)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League ( 126 )
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter160)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter98)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter175)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 163
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 150
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 100
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 170
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 145
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 125
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 69
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 90
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 66
Uma Musume: From Beginner 100
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 70
Uma Musume: I Want All 90
I Can Copy Unique Skills 65
Summoning an Evil God, but the 52
Supernatural Multiverse 65
My Harem Is Indescribable 55
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 55
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 66
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 55
Still playing traditional Honk 35
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 35
What Should I Do After Switchi 24
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 35
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 27
Transmigrated as Sukuna 27
Checking In in Demon Slayer 32
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