Cosimo stood dazed in the center of the colosseum, his figure subrged by the overwhelming applause. The clapping felt like nails driving into his body, rendering him completely immobile.
In the end, he rely slumped his shoulders, staring with a dark, brooding expression at Xize'er as the boy departed on the sleigh.
Li Qingping tilted his head back and muttered, "His Highness Xize'er... won?"
In the royal stands, gazing through the Crystal Ball at Xize'er approaching on the flying sleigh, Yagubalu thought to itself,
'To think even the mbers of the Royal Court Squad nearly failed to stop him. This kid is truly an out-and-out genius. If I maintain this partnership with him... he might just prove useful when the day cos to assault the Salvation Society.'
After watching this battle, Yagubalu understood that Xize'er's talent among Anecdote Envoys was undeniably on a completely different level.
Not only had he resonated with a Generation-tier Wonder at such a young age, but he had also displayed astonishing psychological fortitude during his very first fight. Xize'er was too calm for a novice; he carried himself like a battle-hardened general.
With such aptitude... perhaps even Li Qingping, hailed as a once-in-a-century genius, would find it difficult to catch up to him.
Moreover, the King, who held the absolute most prestige and authority in the Whalegarden, had once stated that if Xize'er grew up properly, he would undoubtedly beco the greatest monarch in the Whalegarden, as well as its most supre Anecdote Envoy.
If not for Xize'er's frail constitution, which made him unable to endure the power of Anecdote Fragnts for extended periods, the King would have allowed him to begin his cultivation long ago.
Truthfully, even if Xize'er managed to master a Mythic-tier Wonder in the future, Yagubalu would not be surprised in the slightest.
This monster of a boy could absolutely be put to good use.
A mont later, Xize'er descended from the Christmas Sleigh, stepping through the snowstorm to stand firmly on the floor of the viewing stands.
He raised his head, his lukewarm gaze sweeping past Lorenzo before finally resting on Caliliana's face. His expression softened considerably, and a smile graced his lips. "You see, Mother? Isn't everyone's reaction quite enthusiastic?"
Caliliana's eyes were filled with shock. She stared at the white-haired boy who now seed so unfamiliar to her, parting her lips slightly, yet unable to utter a single word.
Seeing her silence, Xize'er stated calmly, "Mother, since the exhibition match is over, I will go back and rest now."
Pausing for a mont, he caught Lorenzo in the corner of his eye. "Brother, I hope you can find the letter I gave you... I wrote it very earnestly."
With those words, Xize'er scooped up the Crystal Ball resting on the chair, boarded his sleigh, and sped away.
Caliliana stared blankly at his retreating back. Had her frail third son actually defeated his older brother?
A lingering shock clouded her heart. A short while later, she suddenly recalled the King's words and murmured, "Your Majesty... perhaps this child's potential is even more astonishing than you imagined."
Li Qingping kept his head tilted up, quietly watching the sleigh soar toward the canopy of the sky until it was swallowed by the clouds, only then withdrawing his gaze.
To be honest, he had fully intended to step in and protect the Third Prince, but in the end, his intervention was completely unnecessary. Xize'er stood firmly on the winning side.
In fact, the maneuver with the Christmas Sleigh was sothing Li Qingping had taught Xize'er a year ago.
At the ti, Li Qingping had observed that every ti the reindeer pulling the sleigh stomped their hooves in place, the snowstorm gathering around their feet would thicken. He had offered a suggestion, urging Xize'er to give it a try.
During that initial attempt, Xize'er had nearly smashed the Floating Castle to pieces. Fortunately, Li Qingping intervened just in ti to stop him, otherwise, it would have resulted in a terrible disaster.
Before the fight broke out, Li Qingping had indeed considered the possibility that if Xize'er unleashed this move, he might actually beat the Second Prince.
However, he hadn't had much faith in Xize'er's ntal resilience. He assud the boy would likely panic the mont the battle began, getting captured by the Second Prince's Octoprism before he could even exert his full strength.
But to his absolute surprise... Xize'er's performance on the battlefield was unbelievably serene, acting just like a natural-born warrior.
Could an untrained child really deliver such an astounding performance in his very first battle?
Li Qingping shook his head, reigning in his chaotic thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he stopped lingering and turned around, leaving the arena alongside the six mbers of the Royal Court Squad.
Not long after Xize'er returned, night fell over the Whalegarden.
Under the cover of darkness, he sat on the rooftop of the Floating Castle, gazing out at the sky full of fluorescent lights. Rolling waves flowed across the nearly transparent surface of the whale's skin, casting a hazy, watery gleam over the desolate garden world.
"Yagubalu, didn't you say you wanted to make a bet with ?" he asked.
"Right. Let's bet on whether soone will co to assassinate you tonight," Yagubalu replied.
"And if you lose?"
"Then I, Shasha, will just have to commit seppuku."
"You are not allowed to die," Xize'er frowned.
"Then what do you want
to do?"
"If you lose, you will obediently accompany
on a journey around the world, and no running off," Xize'er said softly. "I will leave this place forever and never co back."
At this, he lowered his voice. "This way, this foolish conflict can end. Father King's health will return to normal, my brother will inherit the throne, and everything... will slowly get better."
"You... why are you still deceiving yourself?" Yagubalu sighed helplessly.
"Promise ."
"I promise... though I highly doubt I will lose."
"It's getting late. Let's sleep." With that, Xize'er picked up the Crystal Ball and returned to his bedroom. He changed into his pajamas, slid into bed, and hugged the crystal orb close. He stared at the little shark swimming in the seawater for a mont before slowly closing his eyes.
"Goodnight, Yagubalu."
"Goodnight, Xize'er." Yagubalu paused. "Even though you'll have to wake up soon, goodnight anyway."
Xize'er clearly couldn't sleep, yet he stubbornly forced himself to try. It was like a man incapable of getting drunk continually pouring alcohol down his throat; the cold liquid sliding through his internal organs only served to make his mind sharper and more alert.
Remaining inside the Crystal Ball, Yagubalu's dark blue eyes reflected the white-haired boy's struggling sleeping face.
A while later, only after Xize'er had genuinely fallen asleep, did Yagubalu slowly push open the lid of the Crystal Ball.
It manipulated a dark stream of water to float upward, concealing itself in the shadows of a corner in the bedroom. Like a hunter hiding in the jungle lying in wait for its prey, its dark blue pupils narrowed into slits, gleaming brilliantly in the darkness.
An unknown amount of ti passed before a sudden commotion reached his ears.
Xize'er's eyes snapped open. He rolled over and looked up, only to see several figures clad in dark nightstalker suits dropping down from the rooftop. Without wasting a single second, they simultaneously crushed the pre-prepared Cards in their hands.
Streaks of silver light flashed through the darkness. Instantly, a dense barrage of fireballs shot straight toward Xize'er, bringing with them a howling wave of intense heat that illuminated his pale face.
The flas reflected in his contracting pupils. The blistering temperature rushing at his face threatened to incinerate his white hair in a split second.
'We got him!' This was the first thought that flashed through the assassins' minds.
Even the most powerful Anecdote Envoy couldn't possibly unleash the power of an Anecdote Fragnt instantaneously. They needed to summon their Anecdote Catalog beforehand to brace themselves for battle.
Let alone a re child... Deprived of his Anecdote Catalog, the current Xize'er was nothing more than a defenseless little boy. Faced with the overwhelming barrage of flas engulfing him, sitting down and awaiting death was his only option. There could be no other outco.
However, just as the assassins had this thought, a pitch-black stream of water suddenly materialized in midair like a waterfall, creating a seamless, impenetrable barrier directly in front of Xize'er. The surging, violent tide roared and spiraled like an abyssal whirlpool, thoroughly swallowing up the dozen or so howling fireballs.
As the flas were completely extinguished, plus of curling steam rose into the air, filling the shocked vision of the assassins.
Before the assassins could even recover their wits, a shark stretching several ters long suddenly burst out from the shadows. Shrouded entirely in black currents, it spun rapidly through the air like a high-speed top.
A berserk, vicious line of blood violently ripped through the darkness in a flash. Its razor-sharp fins slashed open the throats of seven assassins, while the sole surviving assassin had his shoulder clamped tight within the shark's jaws.
Using its massive head, the shark slamd the man against the wall, pinning him there like a hamred nail, rendering him completely unable to move.
Subsequently, the shark manipulated the black water to plug the man's mouth and nose. The assassin flailed as if drowning, on the verge of suffocation, unable to let out even a single scream.
This was the captive Yagubalu had deliberately kept alive.
If he had killed all the assassins before extracting the truth, given Xize'er's personality, the boy might have stubbornly continued to deceive himself, insisting they hadn't been sent by his brother.
At that mont, the dark blue watery curtain shielding the bed slowly receded. Xize'er's eyes widened slightly.
Clad in his thin pajamas, his entire being appeared as pale as a paper cutout snipped from an atlas, looking as though he might snap in the wind at any second.
Xize'er slowly took in the sight of the seven corpses collapsed on the floor, fresh blood steadily gurgling out from the ruptured flesh of their throats.
Their faces were frozen in horror, sporting expressions of sheer terror as if they had witnessed the most vicious of demons right before drawing their last breath.
Xize'er's lips trembled, but no words ca out. He simply slipped out of bed in silence.
Slowly, step by step, he approached the massive, several-ter-long dark blue shark suspended in midair. His hollow gaze swept over the shark's face before drifting to the assassin pinned against the wall.
Xize'er lowered his head, his white bangs casting a shadow over his eyes.
"Yagubalu... is that you?" he asked quietly.
"Yes... it's ," Yagubalu replied with a raspy growl. "This is my true form."
"Is he still alive?"
"Yes."
Xize'er turned around and pulled an exquisitely crafted, dark red scabbard from the nightstand. Drawing a gleaming Short Blade from the sheath, he then strode thodically toward the assassin.
"Yagubalu... let him go," he commanded.
Hearing this, Yagubalu retracted its razor-sharp teeth, releasing the assassin's shoulder while simultaneously withdrawing the water blocking the man's airways.
The assassin's face was a ghastly shade of blue. Much like a shipwrecked sailor who had just breached the ocean's surface, he gasped greedily for fresh air.
He imdiately clutched his bleeding shoulder, collapsing to the floor as he coughed violently, hacking up foamy water from his throat.
Xize'er took a slow step forward, raising the Short Blade and pressing it against the assassin's throat. Using the tip of the blade, he forced the man's chin up, making the assassin look directly into his eyes.
In the darkness, the frigid blade reflected a pair of cyan eyes, the pupils so utterly cold they seed to be glazed with a layer of frost.
The white-haired boy asked slowly, enunciating each word with distinct clarity:
"Now... tell , who exactly sent you?"
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