That voice, like a divine oracle, directly branded itself deep into Ruzuki Rin's soul.
It was gentle and clear.
Yet, it carried an absolute dominance that brooked no refusal!
"Come in and sit?"
These four words crushed the faint thought of escape that had just arisen within her!
Ruzuki Rin's body completely froze.
Her proud, battle-hardened ninja body was now like rusted machinery... She struggled, expending all her lifelong willpower.
But it was useless.
Just as she thought she would be forever fixed in place, the villa's main door silently opened.
A figure emerged from within the door.
It wasn't the owner of the voice.
It was a girl who looked no older than sixteen or seventeen, dressed in simple pajamas, with a face as delicate as a doll, but eyes that were hollow and devoid of any emotion.
The moment she appeared, Ruzuki Rin's pupils suddenly constricted!
No footsteps?
As a top-tier agent of the Amaterasu Group, Ruzuki Rin had absolute confidence in her perception abilities.
Yet, in front of the girl, she couldn't even... see through her strength!
The girl walked up to her, staring at her as if looking at an inanimate object.
Then, she reached out and, ever so lightly, grabbed the back of Ruzuki Rin's neck.
A surge of power came, and Ruzuki Rin's proud jujutsu and physical techniques were completely useless; she was effortlessly lifted by the girl as if she were a small kitten.
"Let... let go..."
She struggled to utter a few words, but what she got in return was a simple glance from the girl.
That look seemed to say: You have no right to speak to me.
Despair, like a tidal wave, completely engulfed Ruzuki Rin's heart.
Held by the girl, she was carried through the courtyard and into the brightly lit villa.
When she was casually tossed onto the floor, she finally saw the owner of that voice.
On the luxurious sofa in the living room, a young man was lounging lazily, so handsome he seemed otherworldly.
Beside him, a girl, seven or eight parts similar in appearance to the girl outside the door, was kneeling, gently massaging him with a pair of flawless jade hands.
The entire scene was warm and pleasant... However, this sight, in Ruzuki Rin's eyes, was more terrifying than any depiction of hell!
Because she knew that this seemingly harmless young man was the very shadow she had spied upon with the yata mirror just now... the one sitting on the pedestal!
In other words... the man who had devoured Dragon Kingdom's National Luck!
Lu Cheng's gaze slowly shifted, falling upon Ruzuki Rin.
That gaze was very calm, devoid of killing intent, only a pure curiosity.
"Ruzuki Rin."
Lu Cheng spoke lightly, uttering her name.
Boom!
Ruzuki Rin's mind went blank again!
He knows!
How could he know my name?!
"Amaterasu Group, top-tier agent with the'Sakura' codename."
Lu Cheng's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly entered her ears; each word was like a heavy hammer, striking hard at her mental defenses.
"Your mission: monitor Wei Guoan, find an opportunity to infiltrate and steal Dragon Kingdom's National Luck."
"Am I right?"
A playful curve appeared at the corner of Lu Cheng's mouth.
Ruzuki Rin's pretty face beneath her mask had completely lost its color.
If her previous fear stemmed from awe of an unknown power...
Then her current fear was because all her secrets had been laid bare in the sunlight, with nowhere to hide!
This was no longer just power; this was... omniscience!
However... this was merely Lu Cheng's system's basic function.
"You... who exactly are you...?"
Her voice carried an uncontrollable tremor.
"Me?"
Lu Cheng chuckled softly, sitting up from the sofa and looking at her with interest.
"I am the one who helped you complete your mission."
"Wei Guoan and his National Destiny Guardian System, I ate them both."
"The taste... wasn't bad."
He spoke with an air of nonchalance, as if evaluating a dessert after a meal.
But the word "ate" froze Ruzuki Rin's soul!
She finally understood that Wei Guoan hadn't disappeared, hadn't evaporated!
Instead, he, along with the vast National Luck he carried, had been treated as... food by the man before her?
Stealing National Luck, in the Amaterasu Group's plan, was an astonishing gamble risking everything.
And this man was... devouring it!
"Now, it's your turn."
Lu Cheng stood up, slowly walked to her, and looked down at her.
"The National Luck of Dongying, that mixed flavor of cherry blossoms, sharp blades, and servility, while a bit complex, is barely qualified as my snack."
His words sent Ruzuki Rin into an icy abyss!
He not only wanted to devour Dragon Kingdom's National Luck, he also wanted to... make a move on Dongying!
"No... you can't..."
"I can't?"
Lu Cheng seemed to have heard an amusing joke; he extended a finger and lightly tapped Ruzuki Rin's glabella.
"Look."
Buzz—!
An indescribably grand will, flowing from his fingertip, instantly surged into Ruzuki Rin's sea of consciousness!
Her "vision" was infinitely heightened at this moment!
She "saw" it!
She saw that on the distant Dongying Island, the Ise Grand Shrine, which enshrined Amaterasu Omikami, its core, representing "divinity" and "National Luck," intensely flickered!
...Ruzuki Rin knew nothing of what was happening outside.
She only knew that the man before her, with just a thought, had touched the very foundation of her entire nation!
"Now, do you think I can, or can't?"
Lu Cheng withdrew his finger, his voice still gentle.
"Thump."
Ruzuki Rin could no longer support herself; her knees buckled, and she completely prostrated herself on the ground, her forehead pressed tightly against the cold floor.
All her pride, all her will, were crushed to dust at this moment.
"I... I am willing..."
"I am willing to do anything for you! Please... spare... my organization, my country."
She pleaded humbly, like a dog wagging its tail for scraps.
"A smart choice."
Lu Cheng was pleased with her reaction but offered no response to her pleas.
"Verbal submission is the cheapest thing."
He extended his finger again, and a profound rune slowly condensed above its tip.
[Divine Kingdom Imprint]!
"From today onwards, you will be my little eyes."
"This imprint will bestow power upon you, making you stronger than before."
"But it will also monitor your every thought."
"Any disloyalty to me will cause your soul to scatter in endless torment."
"Your life and death are mine to command."
"Do you understand?"
Lu Cheng's voice was like a devil's whisper, yet it carried the majesty of a god.
Ruzuki Rin trembled violently, feeling the imprint slowly merge into her soul... She knew that her life, from this moment on, no longer truly belonged to her.
But she had no choice.
Or rather, becoming his servant was already the only, and best, choice.
"Yes... Master."
She used all her strength to utter these two words.
In her voice, there was a hint of relief, and a hint of... fanaticism.
"Very good."
Lu Cheng withdrew his hand, as if he had done something insignificant.
"Go back and tell your Amaterasu Group that Wei Guoan died in an internal conflict within Dragon Kingdom's Tianming Pavilion."
"As for me... you saw nothing, you know nothing."
"Yes, Master!"
Ruzuki Rin respectfully kowtowed, then stood up, her movements devoid of any previous hesitation, only absolute obedience.
Like a phantom, she silently exited the villa and disappeared into the night.