The ti was three minutes ago. Tokyo, Japan. Inside the Amamiya Building, within the Mirror World of the auction house.
Looking out from the entrance, the scene inside the auction house could only be described as a complete disaster.
Fragnts of red seats were scattered chaotically across the floor. The smoke from the explosion had not yet fully dispersed, hanging in the air like a hazy fog. A flock of crows flapped their wings, flying lazily through the mist and shedding a cascade of black feathers.
The light from the Crystal Chandelier cast a wide glow over the area, revealing two perfectly intact seats remaining in the center of the auction house, completely out of place amidst the surrounding devastation.
In the very center seat sat a young man in a Sun Yat-sen suit. He rested his cheek against his fist, sleeping as motionlessly as a puppet. No matter how deafening the commotion outside beca, it failed to disturb his deep slumber.
Not far away, in the other intact seat, sat Li Qingping with his fingers interlaced. He lowered his face, staring expressionlessly at the Brigade mbers on the auction stage.
The Second Prince was currently being protected by the Octoprism.
Blue Arc remained silent for a long ti. He glanced up at the ten mbers erging from behind the Wooden Door, then looked straight ahead at the young man—the leader of the White Raven Brigade, Qi Yuanli.
"Where is Kyomori?" he whispered.
"Dead," Qi Yuanli replied expressionlessly. "The crows ate his corpse. You won't find him."
"Why did you kill him?" Blue Arc asked, enunciating each word.
Qi Yuanli lowered his eyes, teasing a crow perched on his fingertip as he spoke slowly:
"Based on my understanding of Celestial Drives, after his death, the exit to the Mirror World will be temporarily sealed for a short while... In other words, during this ti, there is only one way for you to leave here: kill all of us."
He paused. "Oh, right. Since ti flows slower in the Mirror World than outside, my mbers have probably almost finished off everyone outside while we were chatting."
As soon as his voice trailed off, deep blue lightning suddenly reflected in Qi Yuanli's profound pupils, surging right at his face. But in the next second, his figure vanished from his spot, reappearing on the auction stage.
Blue Arc ca to a halt in the center of the flock of crows, looking up at Qi Yuanli, who had just appeared on the stage.
He instantly realized one of the Brigade leader's Supernatural Abilities: Position Swap with the crows he controlled.
At the sa ti, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a spine-chilling scene:
Every single crow in the flock held a Playing Card in its beak, the corners of the cards faintly visible.
In an instant, the Playing Cards in the crows' mouths detonated simultaneously, not even leaving Blue Arc a fraction of a second to react.
Fortunately, his speed was fast enough. Lightning burst from his entire body, expanding outward to form a Magnetic Field.
A long mont later, the flas from the explosion dissipated. Blue Arc still stood motionless in his original spot.
Blue Arc slowly turned his head to look at Li Qingping, the Second Prince, and Zhou Jiuya, who was still dozing in his chair.
A mont later, he turned back to look at the exit of the Mirror World. Just as Qi Yuanli had claid, the mirror surface left behind by Kyomori had already lost its original luster.
Moreover, a web of cracks was spreading across the mirror. To leave this Mirror Auction House now, he feared the only viable route was through the Wooden Door opened by Brigade mber No. 7, Robert.
'But... using the enemy's ability to leave might just an walking straight into their trap,' he thought.
Thinking of this, Blue Arc took a deep breath. "No, I need to go back and find Xiaomai. If the Brigade's door is the only way back to the real world, then I'll go through there..."
Hacker and Robert had already left the auction stage, heading to the Vault in the back to transfer the auctioned items. Therefore, the only mbers remaining on the Mirror World stage were Jack the Ripper, An Lunsi, Andrew, and White Wolf.
"Leader, how are we distributing the targets?" Jack the Ripper asked expressionlessly.
"Oh man, my little gun is practically crying from boredom. Leader, hurry up and give
sothing to do," Andrew declared, beaming with joy as he dropped to one knee and set up his Sniper Rifle.
The body of the gun flowed with a night-like gleam, resembling a wild beast ready to pounce.
Qi Yuanli replied without hesitation: "Ripper, An Lunsi, and Andrew will take on Blue Arc." He paused. "White Wolf, test out that Anecdote Envoy sitting in the chair."
Yet, from beginning to end, Qi Yuanli's profound gaze lingered solely on one person: the young man in the Sun Yat-sen suit sitting in the center of the auction house.
A strange glint flashed in An Lunsi's eyes as he summoned a massive Slot Machine beside him. Leaning casually against its side, he pulled the lever. Imdiately, the prize wheels of the Slot Machine began spinning at high speed.
Finally, on the digital screen, two of the three icons landed on a Billiard Cue, while the last one stopped on a bomb.
Followed by the cheerful clinking sound of scoring coins, a hatch suddenly opened at the bottom of the Slot Machine. A two-ter-long Billiard Cue dropped out from the slot.
"A dium-quality Billiard Cue... Not the best luck, but it will have to do," An Lunsi muttered softly, reluctantly bending down to pick up the cue from the Slot Machine.
Imdiately after, he and Jack the Ripper vanished from the auction stage at the exact sa mont.
In that very second, Blue Arc suddenly felt a sweeping wind pressure coming from his left and right. The killing intent carried within it felt like two man-eating beasts lunging at him.
Jack the Ripper's Short Blade carved a beautiful dark red arc through the air, slashing straight toward his face.
An Lunsi swung the Billiard Cue like a baseball bat, aiming a vicious strike at Blue Arc's waist.
Blue Arc's eyes clearly tracked the trajectories of both weapons.
Crossing his arms, he raised his left palm toward the right and his right palm toward the left. Instantly, roaring lightning erupted from his hands, forming two thick Lightning Pillars that blasted into the Short Blade and the Billiard Cue!
The Ripper and An Lunsi were simultaneously knocked back dozens of ters. An Lunsi flipped smoothly in mid-air, his blond hair dancing upward.
He assud a billiards-playing stance, and an Invisible Billiard Ball suddenly materialized in his left hand.
An Lunsi narrowed his eyes, adjusting the position of the ball in front of him before thrusting the Billiard Cue forward with imnse force.
Catching sight of this from the corner of his eye, Blue Arc sharply leaned backward to dodge. The Invisible Billiard Ball grazed past his face, plowing a web-like trail of fractured ripples through the air.
Even so, the fierce wind pressure wrapped around it still tore several gashes into his armor.
"Nice shot," An Lunsi said with a smile.
The next mont, a booming gunshot rang out. Capitalizing on the split second Blue Arc was suspended in mid-air while leaning backward, Andrew pulled the trigger of his Sniper Rifle from the stage.
The bullet burst from the muzzle, transforming into a streak of pitch-black light that flew straight toward Blue Arc's heart!
In that fleeting half-second, the oncoming bullet reflected in Blue Arc's pupils!
Continuing his backward lean, he moved with godly speed, throwing his arms up and crossing them defensively in front of his chest.
In a flash, wildly dancing arcs of electricity ford an Electrical Net that enveloped the space before him.
However, the massive net failed to completely absorb the bullet's kinetic energy. The streak of light slamd Blue Arc's body backward for a hundred ters, smashing him into the wall of the auction house and carving out a gigantic crater.
Before he could even catch his breath, An Lunsi swung his Billiard Cue, firing another Invisible Billiard Ball into the pitch-black crater! Amid a deafening boom, the wall of the auction house shattered completely, revealing the boundary of the Mirror World—a void of black nothingness.
The next second, An Lunsi suddenly blinked. A deep blue trajectory had appeared in the darkness without him noticing, wrapped in layers of terrifying electrical arcs.
Moving with the speed of a thunderbolt, Blue Arc dashed behind him. Pressing the five fingers of his tal Gloves tightly together like a knife blade, he chopped downward, wreathed in blinding lightning.
But in that exact mont, a dark red Short Blade spun through the air, slashing over to block the path of the tallic hand chop.
The dazzling current traveled up the blade of the Short Blade, illuminating Jack the Ripper's eyes, which were as dark as an arctic night. Yet, acting like a lifeless machine, she completely ignored the numbing sensation. The force she applied to her wrist didn't wane in the slightest; instead, it surged higher.
With a sharp crack, the dark red Short Blade violently slashed through the tal surface of the glove. Amid a shower of flying tal fragnts and electricity, the three figures simultaneously bounced back a short distance.
Then ca another deafening gunshot. Suspended in mid-air, Blue Arc's back was intercepted by one of Andrew's bullets.
The bullet acted like a pitch-black teor. Carrying trendous kinetic energy, it slamd into Blue Arc like a speeding train hitting him head-on, sending his body crashing through one massive pillar after another.
Amid the booming crashes of impact, a thick cloud of dust spread across the area as the pillars of the auction house collapsed in succession.
At the sa ti, Blue Arc's figure was blasted into a corner wall of the auction house. His body was deeply embedded in the crater, looking like Jesus nailed to the cross.
An Lunsi and Jack the Ripper glanced over at the sa ti, walking briskly toward the exaggerated crater.
But in that split second, electric arcs suddenly brushed past their cheeks, bringing a faint numbing sensation. A blood-soaked, Ghostly Figure abruptly appeared right in front of them, his eyes leaving a deep blue trail of light in the air.
The two raised their eyebrows just as Blue Arc grabbed their heads with his shattered tal Gloves and forcefully smashed them together.
An Lunsi and the Ripper's heads collided violently. The impact nearly gave them a concussion, making the entire world spin wildly around them.
A terrifying blast of lightning struck their faces point-blank. Half of their faces were instantly incinerated into a grueso ss of charred flesh. Blood sprayed out, leaving no visible skin or at on half of their faces—only ghastly white bone remained.
Blue Arc took a deep breath. His expressionless face was frad by a shattered mask, with tal fragnts digging into his cheeks. Blood dripped down freely, dyeing his eyes and the bridge of his nose crimson.
He violently ripped off a piece of bone from each of their faces before pulling his arms back. His lightning-wreathed left fist lashed out to smash An Lunsi's skull, while his right elbow drove ruthlessly into the Ripper's chest.
In that fraction of a second, An Lunsi raised his Billiard Cue to block the left fist, while the Ripper held her Short Blade in a reverse grip to deflect his right attack.
The bodies of both mbers were sent flying backward, slamming into the remains of a pillar. Wisps of electricity still danced across their skin as their entire bodies twitched slightly.
The two slowly lifted their heads. Their faces—half exposed bone, half scorched flesh—looked exactly like the visage of evil demons.
A calm smile still hung on the intact half of An Lunsi's face. He slowly picked himself up from the ground, dusting off his suit.
He muttered softly, "I wonder if little sister Lan Duo Duo's Anecdote Fragnts will be able to fix our faces."
"Get serious... or your other half is going to disappear too," the Ripper warned, wiping the corner of her eye with the back of her hand.
The blood trickled down her face and dripped onto her dark red Short Blade. As if drinking the life force within the blood, the blade grew visibly longer. In the blink of an eye, it transford into a three-ter Long Saber.
The Ripper stood up, shifting her grip from a dagger style to a Katana stance. Her eyes, deep as an endless night, reflected Blue Arc's silhouette.
Andrew lifted his head from his sniper scope. His grumbling voice drifted over from the auction stage: "I'm being serious here... You two are seriously getting in the way. It's a hassle to even shoot with you guys standing there! Otherwise, this Blue-whatever guy would have been dead a long ti ago. Can't you see my bullets are doing all the heavy lifting?!"
"Shut up, or I'll butcher you alongside him," the Ripper stated coldly.
"Careful, or I'll stuff your head into my Slot Machine as a prize," An Lunsi added with a smile.
Blue Arc hung his head low. Blood oozed from his shattered armor, trickling down to the tips of his broken gauntlets before splashing onto the floor in a steady rhythm.
Panting heavily, his shoulders slumped as he slowly raised his eyes, looking at the three of them with a frosty expression.
anwhile, in another corner of the auction house.
Li Qingping sat upright in his chair, dressed in his sleek black suit.
He looked up at the slowly approaching White Wolf and said expressionlessly, "I have no interest in fighting you people. I'll take my guy and leave, and we can all pretend this never happened."
"You make a fair point." White Wolf paused. "But the Leader's order was to leave no one alive in this auction house."
He blinked his scarred, cataract-clouded left eye. A cloud of steam suddenly emanated from his body as his muscles bulged like small mountains, enveloping him completely in a blinding white aura.
"What a sha... I actually planned to spare your lives."
As his words fell, Li Qingping summoned his Anecdote Catalog into his hand. With a casual squeeze, he crushed four cards. Silver streaks of light flashed briefly in the air:
Common-tier Anomaly "Phoenix
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