At that moment, within the fortified city under the shadow of the Great Wall, a small figure was crouched in hiding.
She had hair like sunflower petals and soft whisker-like marks on her cheeks that gave her the look of a mischievous cat. Most striking of all was the twitching tail behind her.
In this land, beings like her, those who bore features that set them apart from ordinary humans, were known as demonic hybrids.
Her name was Noya Aki.
Just a few days ago, while lingering near a cliff's edge, Noya Aki had encountered a mysterious traveler.
The man wore the robes of a Taoist priest, his hair as white as freshly fallen snow, exuding an aura that felt as deep and unfathomable as the sea.
He had invited her to join an organization called Yaoten.
She had refused, loudly, and declared her dream without hesitation:
She wanted to join the Wall Guard Corps.
Her family had lived in the shadow of the Great Wall for generations. Her ancestors were among the very first defenders of the land.
Thanks to them, this stretch of border had remained stable and prosperous.
From the moment she could walk, she had dreamed of becoming one of the Wall Guard herself.
To her surprise, the mysterious priest wasn't angry at her rejection.
Instead, he gave her a hint, a way to prove herself worthy of joining the Guard.
According to the priest's prophecy,
When the gates between the Great Wall and Jade City reopened, a wave of demonic hybrids would flood in behind the trade caravans.
He even told her the exact route the enemy would take, a secret rear passage through the city.
Noya Aki had already laid traps and planted explosives along that very path.
All that remained… Latest content published on novel•fire.net
Wait for the enemy to appear, and strike.
Though she wasn't entirely sure whether to believe the stranger's prediction,
Her desire to join the Wall Guard far outweighed her doubts.
No matter how slim the chance, she had to take it.
She huddled behind cover, eyes locked on the crowd, tense with anticipation, terrified she'd miss her chance.
Meanwhile, elsewhere in the same city, Su Lie stood in the open marketplace, watching the joyful crowds streaming through the newly opened gates.
The happiness on their faces brought him a deep sense of pride.
He had come from a distinguished family and had once topped the imperial civil exams.
But instead of accepting a cushy court position, he had chosen a harder path, laying down his brush, picking up a sword, and marching to the border to defend the Great Wall.
This Wall, this ancient, towering fortress, stood as the final line of defense between the desolate desert and the fertile heartlands of the empire.
And those stationed here were the elite: the Wall Guard Corps.
Years had passed in the blink of an eye.
Now, Su Lie was the Corps' supreme commander.
Under his leadership, the empire had even established a Protectorate in the remote frontier, a military stronghold created to shelter civilians and repel invading demons.
He and the ruler of Jade City had finally come to an agreement, to reopen their borders and restore the flow of trade between their people.
Jade City, nestled between cloud-kissed peaks and the sands beyond, was famed for its rich mines and gemstone wealth.
Its merchants had asked for military escorts from the Protectorate after repeated attacks along the trade routes.
Given the long-standing alliance between the two cities, Su Lie had no reason to doubt them.
The benefits were clear.
The jade would bring much-needed prosperity to the harsh borderlands.
And the bustling trade would raise the standard of living for the ordinary folk.
Now that the gates were open,
The streets were packed, shoulder to shoulder, teeming with energy.
The liveliness was on par with even the imperial capital, Chang'an.
As Commander of the Wall Guard, Su Lie couldn't help but feel a deep swell of pride.
He had given more than a decade of his life to this place.
No one hoped more than he did for the land's lasting peace and prosperity.
11:00 AM – Carl's Room
Carl sat at the edge of the bed, leisurely sipping red wine.
Skye lay peacefully asleep, eyes closed in gentle slumber.
She was wearing the Supergirl battle suit, boots, tights, cape, the whole deal.
The suit looked amazing.
It clung to her curves in all the right ways, and the short skirt paired with those thigh-high stockings gave it a bold, alluring edge.
On her, the outfit was breathtaking.
Carl couldn't help but mutter under his breath in admiration:
"This system is amazing…"
He had nearly written the system off as useless.
He already had a battle suit, why give him another?
Worse still, it was a girl's suit.
He'd thought it was a joke. A total waste of points.
Now that he saw Skye in it, putting it to actual use…
All he felt was gratitude.
If Skye hadn't completely worn herself out earlier, he wouldn't have minded letting the session continue a little longer.
After all, the sight of her in that suit made her look just like Supergirl.
A gorgeous, unstoppable Supergirl.
But hey, he could be patient.
Tonight would work just fine.
In fact, he was already starting to imagine,
What if tonight, Skye wore her Supergirl outfit…
Although that might not work out too well.
He'd probably have to take his off halfway through.
Hers? Definitely not.
Chuckling to himself, Carl finished his drink and went to freshen up in the bathroom.
When he came back, Skye was still sound asleep.
Instead, he quietly opened the group chat.
『King of the Heavenly Blade』: Thanks to Carl-senpai, I finally got my hands on a Sharingan!
『King of the Heavenly Blade』: Though it's just a one-tomoe version. Kinda weak, honestly.
『What Do I Do, My Sister's a Chuunibyou?』: Wait, you actually bought the Sharingan?
『King of the Heavenly Blade』: Yup.
『What Do I Do, My Sister's a Chuunibyou?』: How is it? Any good?
『King of the Heavenly Blade』: It's okay, I guess.
『King of the Heavenly Blade』: One-tomoe mainly boosts perception. Can't do much else.
『What Do I Do, My Sister's a Chuunibyou?』: Tch… I still can't afford the Iron Man suit…
『Princess of the Senju』: Huh? I thought Mark I was super cheap?
『Princess of the Senju』: Didn't you rake in a ton of points last time, Tokka-oneechan? How can you not afford it?
『What Do I Do, My Sister's a Chuunibyou?』: I can afford Mark I.
『What Do I Do, My Sister's a Chuunibyou?』: But it looks awful! Just a big metal box!
『What Do I Do, My Sister's a Chuunibyou?』: And it can't even fly!
『What Do I Do, My Sister's a Chuunibyou?』: Rikka would probably just laugh if I showed up in that.
『What Do I Do, My Sister's a Chuunibyou?』: Mark III is almost within reach though. I'm holding out.
『Princess of the Senju』: Oooh, gotcha.
『King of the Heavenly Blade』: Yeah, Mark I is pretty ugly.
『King of the Heavenly Blade』: But hey, Tokka-nee, you could still grab the Sharingan!
『King of the Heavenly Blade』: The one-tomoe version is dirt cheap.
『What Do I Do, My Sister's a Chuunibyou?』: If I just wanted to prank Rikka, that'd be perfect.
『What Do I Do, My Sister's a Chuunibyou?』: She's always talking about the "Tyrant's Mystic Eye." Bet she'd love the Sharingan.
『What Do I Do, My Sister's a Chuunibyou?』: But I can't just waste points for that.
『What Do I Do, My Sister's a Chuunibyou?』: I'm really into the Iron Man suits.
『What Do I Do, My Sister's a Chuunibyou?』: I mean, who doesn't want to fly?
『Princess of the Senju』: For real!
『Princess of the Senju』: When you put it like that, the Iron Man suits do sound awesome.
『Princess of the Senju』: I kinda wanna save up and buy one too!