At the air terminal, the corporate warriors were still contemplating their future path, while Farosa had already begun to plan her withdrawal from the real world, intending to first retreat to Nangong Island to lay low.
The advent of the Godslayer Weapon was no trivial matter; the Ancient Mystics had harbored thoughts of seizing it since the moment it was forged, and their greed would not be diminished in the slightest now.
"In the future, strife and combat will be endless, and that is the most fitting sword for me," Farosa said, as she wrapped layer upon layer of pale linen around the Godslayer Weapon, concealing its violent malice.
"We need to take it to Nangong Island, to hide its aura fluctuations," Xu Yang ascended to the rooftop of Shijin Mansion.
Darkness had fallen, and the sky was overcast with clouds.
Looking around now, one could see smoke billowing throughout the city, each district varying greatly in condition—some surrounded by the neutral corporations’ light and shadow walls, still brightly lit; others pitch-black, severely damaged; and others wrapped in ominous red lights, with gunshots sounding one after another.
The most intense part of the street fighting had ended; Black Fire Innovation’s assault team had successfully destroyed Kyoto Infinity’s forces stationed here, plundering the important machinery, materials, and data files they needed, and completely paralyzing the entire city’s industry and transport capability, perfectly achieving their strategic objectives.
The Martinez had already left Anjiu City, turning to bomb the Shangjing Core Urban Area, which meant that the war was not over, but had entered the next phase.
For most people, this was a sleepless night. Black Fire Innovation’s assault team members were frantically taking turns resting to recharge their combat implants; citizens struggled even harder to find a proper hiding place or to make the determined decision to flee the city by night, as no one wanted to be captured or killed in their sleep.
And for Farosa, the Godslayer Weapon’s power would draw unnecessary attention, necessitating a temporary retreat.
Thinking of returning to Nangong Island, it was too troublesome to travel thousands of miles to the Thousand Blessings Shrine; it would be necessary to consult the warlock’s spellbook and look for the Chapter on the Moonlight Ceremony.
"To communicate with Mond, let the Moonlight Ceremony take us to a quieter place," Farosa said, looking up and pointing her finger towards the direction of the Moon.
The high moon hung in the sky, with a vague speck visible upon it, casting a suspicious hue on the lunar surface.
Observation institutes and ordinary astronomy enthusiasts believed it was a special lunar geographic structure, but Xu Yang and Farosa knew the truth—that the giant body of Lunar Fire Mond dwelled upon it. Now what they needed to do was establish communication with Mond, who could easily open portals and travel between worlds, taking them away from the current predicaments for the time being.
Xu Yang recited a segment of the original prayer in a low voice, written in ancient secret script.
"Iehkomwe, Ouma, eoxag siix heieuh guuh."
The words were obscure, the pitch twisted. Even though Farosa understood the secret script, she could not decipher its meaning. The vocabulary and dictionaries were both lost, only circulated among the Ancient Mystics and also serving as an important medium for performing miracles. In comparison, the language used by Yan Duo was much simpler.
After Xu Yang released the spell, the air in front of him began to vibrate and ripple, with streaks of Moonlight-Silver traces appearing in succession, forming Mond’s Mysterious Sigil, shaped like self-entwined flames of Moon-Silver, flickering faintly.
Farosa watched all this with envy. Other types of spellcasters disgusted her, as unlike witches born with Magic Power, they could still invoke miracles difficult for the world to comprehend, and this was unacceptable to her.
The power that transcends mortals should be controlled by a select few, yet once unique knowledge carriers such as spellbooks become widely disseminated, many would have the chance to peer into the path of mystic arts.
When the Moon-Silver magical flame receded, it left behind a Teleportation Talisman in the place where it had burned, just like the one they used when they departed from Nangong Island; touching it would enact the teleportation.
"We should go," Xu Yang turned towards Farosa, extending his hand.
"Let’s go," Farosa could feel many invisible scrutinies and probes. Ever since she struck Yama with that slash, the sensation of a sword hanging over her head was inescapable.
This world was temporarily untenable.
After touching the Teleportation Talisman, they immediately returned to the Sealed Shrine on Nangong Island, where a part of Mond’s being lay perched atop the high platform, looking down at the man and woman on the ground.
"Welcome," Mond nodded to Farosa, the giant dragon head moving slightly, "You have retrieved your sword."
"I miss its touch," Farosa lifted the Godslayer Weapon high, its tip faintly pointing towards Mond, "It feels good to have power."
Mond regarded Farosa, Dragon Kind’s arrogant gaze irritating her. Mond said nothing, but from its disdainful look, Farosa tasted a certain degree of humiliation.
"Sometimes you shouldn’t overestimate yourself," Mond raised its voice slightly, echoing around the island.
Xu Yang looked up; the effect of the Sand of Stars had spread, and much of the island had started to regain its greenery, with Phase Demons becoming scarcer. Yet as Mond issued a deafening roar in Dragon Language, this fragile world seemed on the verge of collapsing once more.
"You were involved in the forging of the Godslayer Weapon," Farosa whispered, "you know better than anyone the power of this weapon, meaning even you could die by this sword. Don’t you think so, Mond?"
"Why not give it a try?" Mond lifted his slender neck and spread his enormous wings, "Try to slay me."
Farosa sneered contemptuously, channeling magic power into her Godslayer Weapon.
"As you wished." She extended the power along the blade, "Catch."
Immediately, Farosa swung the Godslayer Blade with fierce might, unleashing a huge swathe of killing light, enveloping her target in its earth-shattering vigor. The silver-giant dragon Mond was slashed to pieces, blood spilling everywhere! It let out a painful wail as its body collapsed heavily.
"That’s the price of recklessness." Farosa held the Godslayer Weapon high, "You’ve learned your lesson."
Elsewhere, Mond had invited Xu Yang to sit with him on the high platform, where they looked down upon Farosa, showing a triumphant expression on the ground.
"An illusion?" Xu Yang noticed the state Farosa was in.
"Witches tend to be extreme," Mond folded his wings, "skilled in one area, yet lacking in another. I crafted the illusion of my demise, and now she is basking in the joy of victory, allowing her to vent her surplus energy alone."
"It doesn’t feel right seeing her like that," Xu Yang frowned, "I don’t want her to be deceived."
Farosa mocked the false appearance of Mond’s death, completely controlled by the illusion. No wonder Farosa always held such dread for mental powers; the human spirit and consciousness are easily fooled.
"I was thinking of a conversation limited to just us two males," Moonfire Mond crossed his claws, adopting a relaxed posture, "Do you think we have anything in common?"
"Common..." Xu Yang struggled to understand what he could have in common with such an ancient giant dragon.
"We both refuse to let a single female occupy all our energies," Mond spoke, "We meet and explore various females, exhausting the pleasures and possibilities of life."
"If I may ask boldly," Xu Yang was taken aback, "I’ve vaguely heard about how you single-handedly propagated a race on the Moon, is that true?"
"Yes, I created the Moon Dragon Race." Mond’s tone was filled with pride, "I obeyed our most primal pursuit—to distribute our genetic information as widely as possible, creating new individuals, new offspring from nothing. Our dragon genes are quite strong, and thus are often capable of transcending physiological barriers."
"...Very impressive." Xu Yang wiped the sweat from his forehead; the Ancient Mystics indeed were extraordinary beings, utterly beyond the understanding of ordinary mortals.
"You may find it strange, but it is a grand task," Mond’s voice was gruff and rough, "After reaching the pinnacle of strength and wisdom, I lost interest in most things. After various explorations, I found that female rhinoceroses were the most suitable mates, with their sharp horns, robustness, patience, and friendliness—my greatest accomplishment in nearly a century."
"...Perhaps so," Xu Yang struggled to relate, changing the subject, "How can I be sure I’m not in another illusion?"
"Humans have learned how to technologically transform themselves; this is your gift," Mond opened his claws, releasing a purple mist which gently formed the shape of a flower, "Tell me, what do you see?"
"A blurry... flower..."
"To an unmodified human, or to a witch, this would appear as a dazzling flower, wrapped in perfect colors and radiance," Mond dispersed the purple mist, "This is the most advanced illusion I can perform, yet it still can’t shake you. These illusions target the brains of primitive life forms. As for a human like you, who has started on the path of self-modification, the neural processes and interpretation of information have evolved. In many senses, the world you perceive is already different."
"I see..." Xu Yang understood.
"I admire how humans modify their own brains; in a way, they’ve successfully corrected their own reasoning," Mond spoke steadily, "Have you ever felt a peculiar difference: unlike other humans, you are not easily excited, agitated, angry, or overwhelmed with emotion. You are not particularly swayed by emotions."
"I do seem to exhibit a kind of restraint," Xu Yang rarely experienced extremes of emotion.
"Because of the Digital Mind, your emotions have been suppressed," Mond explained.
"But I want to save Farosa," Xu Yang looked towards Farosa, who was still trapped in the illusion below, "I want to bring her back."
"Yes," Mond let out a pleasurable chuckle, "Our primitive emotions always seek compensation, and no one can blame that. After all, love is innocent."
Xu Yang leaped down from the high platform to awaken Farosa.