Forge a path to success.

Chapter 389 Butterflies Dancing in the Wind (Part 1)

"Take this...take this, take this, take this!"

After firing her specially made crossbow bolt, Lyrna, in a fit of excitement, threw a series of daggers, their blades adorned with butterfly patterns drawn in blood. Ji Huaisu cautiously slashed at them with her shadow blade, giving the daggers no chance to hit their mark.

She raised her hand and fired a single-shot sniper shot, but Lylena dodged the attack as if she had foreseen it; the blast's force actually increased her speed. She appeared before Ji Huaisu like a ghost and swung her dagger, only to be blocked by a transparent sealing card. Seeing this, Lylena increased her strength, forcefully slicing through the sealing card with her dagger, the blade grazing Ji Huaisu's hair.

"Hey, what are you doing! Get serious! If this is the path to supreme power, stop running around like a flea!"

Ji Huaisu didn't even glance back, turning and running. She summoned a skateboard created by her light shield and sped away, disappearing into the intricate alleyways of Mansa Star Fortress. Lylena and the Black Death Army's crossbow bolts were close behind her, the road riddled with holes. The current situation was remarkably similar to that during the Thorn Flower Festival; she was once again being chased by assassins, and if she lingered in battle, she would be caught and killed by the enemy's onslaught.

"Vander, is it just my imagination, or has that woman's personality changed drastically?"

"It's not a misperception, my buddy said she has a split personality!" Vande shouted. "Right now, the weaker one is in control. Let's hurry and make our move before she switches back to her original personality."

"Who are you calling trashy, you devil!"

Van der hurriedly shoved the knife into his pocket, and a streak of blood flashed, slicing the high walls on either side of the alley in two smooth sections. Lyrna threw out more knives, their handles tied with thin, almost imperceptible threads of blood. She manipulated dozens of knives with her ten fingers, weaving a deadly web of blood.

Ji Huaisu turned and unleashed several lightning arrows, her bloodline condensing into a shield that deflected the attacks. Without lingering, she continued forward, casting a new "Swift Wind" card to increase her speed. Lylena shouted from behind, and the Black Death Army's offensive was temporarily broken, buying her a little time…

"Viewers, our signal has been restored. You can now see the latest footage of the manhunt! The wanted criminal Ji Huaisu is currently on Xiangye Road, and our elite guards are focusing their firepower on him!"

The public water screen projected an image of Ji Huaisu struggling to move, along with numerous armed guards firing indiscriminately. The time and location were real, but the content was a fabricated image created using technical means. The program cleverly concealed this by using blurry surveillance footage, further enhancing the credibility of the image…

As a result, the audience "believed it to be true".

Ji Huaisu was suddenly sent flying backward, dozens of bullet holes appearing on her armor. The non-existent attack had materialized due to Parriman's ability, and she was now completely defenseless. Lylena's attack followed closely behind; she bounced off the bloodline, a dagger piercing through the back of Ji Huaisu's hand!

“Too easy!” Lylena laughed smugly. “In this environment, defeating you is easier than dealing with an old dog.”

"Is that so?" Ji Huaisu said coldly.

She suddenly threw out her right fist, and the dragon head on her green armor roared angrily. The power of the free wind gathered into the head of the Calamity Dragon, which bit down at Lylena Barry!
"babble--!"

Lylena screamed and dodged, the dragon's head biting off a lock of her black hair. But the wind dragon only took shape for a moment before disappearing under the suppression of the divine tree, posing no real threat to her. Ji Huaisu couldn't help but chuckle.

Vande leaned out and scoffed, "Someone like you calls himself a Blood Oath assassin?"

Lylena's face flushed red: "How dare you! You! I'll kill you!!"

But Ji Huaisu had already turned and left, not wanting to get entangled with him any further. Fan De was absolutely right; this cowardly and bullying personality posed no threat, and it was no wonder that even the other party himself said he dared not fight Chu Heng in vain.

She unleashed a barrage of Thunder and Gale cards, triggering a devastating thunderstorm over Mansa Star Fortress. Tens of thousands of bolts of lightning struck simultaneously, illuminating the First Pulse in pure purple light. The deafening roar drowned out the public broadcasts on the Water Curtain, and the terrifying tremors turned the citizens pale. A few veterans were reminded of the Cataclysmic Species.

Was the wanted criminal really caught? If so, why was she able to create such a spectacle?

The propaganda effect of the official media was thus alleviated, and Ji Huaisu breathed a slight sigh of relief. She was well aware that the current situation was extremely unfavorable for her side. The cards she had stockpiled in advance would soon be used up, and Parryman himself was monitoring the situation in the Upper House. The reason why the first team hadn't really exerted its strength yet was because Banningtik was buying time.

But if even Banningtik were to join the battle, it would be disastrous. The true Element 6 couldn't be dealt with by her and Vand alone. Neither the Black Death Army nor the Double Butterfly had truly exerted their full power because they understood the current situation and wanted to gradually force out her methods.

Once the Double Butterfly switches personalities, or Banningtik enters the battlefield, they will inevitably fail. Until then, they must find a way to create a turning point—a water curtain broadcast or the suppression of the Divine Tree—if either of these can be resolved…

"Interested in discussing a business deal, Captain Ji?"

Ji Huaisu turned her head coldly, a cluster of blue flames floating beside her. Kanin chuckled in the fire: "I was just discussing business with Inspector Chu, but his request is a bit difficult. It'll be hard for me to get into the Upper House on my own."

Ji Huaisu quickly made a judgment: "I will help you attract attention, and you will help my friend infiltrate that program crew."

“Miss Hill, is that right?” Kanin removed his hat and bowed. “It’s my pleasure.”

A flash of light appeared in the blue flames, revealing footage of two staff members assisting Hill in infiltrating the media building. This damned devil even bribed people within the official media; who knows how many tricks he's pulled in Jing Sha these past few months?

Ji Huaisu made a throat-slitting gesture: "You'd better get this done before I die, or my last words will be that you deliberately delayed the mission and caused me to die in a foreign land."

Kanin seemed somewhat helpless: "Miss Ji, I am not the workshop owner you know, so why are you so hostile towards me?"

"Bullshit! In my opinion, you're exactly the same!"

Kanin laughed heartily, his laughter fading like a flame of ambition. Ji Huaisu spread out all the remaining cards: "Did you hear that, Vande? Let's take a gamble."

“We’re always taking a gamble!” Vande exclaimed in despair. “How many cards do you have left?” There were only six left in total. One Fire Sword, one Shadow Claw, two Gale Blades, one Icebound Blade, and the unusable Calamity Dragon.

Vande scratched his head vigorously with his tentacles: "Let's launch a fire attack on the Upper House first!"

Ji Huaisu cast the Fire Sword card, conjuring a greatsword of Purifying Soul Divine Fire. She rushed out of the alley and swung the sword straight down, the flames compressing into a straight line that surged toward the temple-like building in the center of the city, which was the Upper House where Parriman was located.

The raging torrent of purgatory fire surged along the main roads, like lava flowing into a crisscrossing network of anthills. In an instant, the city center of Mansa Star Fortress turned crimson, the deserted streets engulfed in flames. A verdant divine shield of power illuminated the area around the Upper House, easily halting the purgatory fire, and the pursuers closed in. Vand whispered, "Release the ice now!"

The Frozen Card was cast, causing a massive amount of water element to form icebergs, which were then melted by the Purifying Fire and vaporized into high-temperature steam. The first team members rushed into the steam and lost their bearings; even the Black Death Army lost sight of their target. The high-temperature steam was filled with a large amount of magical and emotional energy; these chaotic energy flows interfered with most reconnaissance methods, and even divine surveillance was temporarily disrupted.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Ji Huaisu stealthily moved through the fog and whispered, "Your idea for hide-and-seek is quite good."

"It can only buy us a couple of seconds... at least we can't do anything about sensing their spirit." Vande muttered, "The Double Butterfly will be here soon, what are we going to do with all these cards left?"

"Let's see what Hill does first. We didn't come here to fight."

·
Lylena stepped into the mist, cautiously observing her surroundings. She released numerous blood threads to expand her spiritual perception range, like a spider web sensing its prey.

"Don't rush me, okay? Don't rush me, okay?" She muttered to herself as she walked. "She's already been reduced to point 3, I'll be fine with this... If you want to fight Chu Heng in the air, you'll have to save your energy. It's better if I take over this guy..."

Her expression changed, and she said to herself, "You will lose."

"How is that possible! Even if I can't use the Secret Heavenly Eye, I'm still a 5-point mass. How can a 5-point mass lose to a 3-point mass? Tell me—ah!"

A bloodthirsty killing intent swept over them, like a ferocious beast opening its gaping maw. Suddenly, Ji Huaisu burst forth from the steam, her fist enveloped in an invisible wind!

Responding instinctively, Lylena raised her hand to block, the force of the wind slamming her into a distant marble wall. Ji Huaisu charged forward, his wrists unleashing a series of powerful strikes, sending Lylena tumbling against the wall, the knight's gauntlets just a hair's breadth from her ears.

Her face turned deathly pale, for Ji Huaisu's speed was far too fast, beyond all reason. Even if one could harness the power of the Free Wind, a mere point mass of 4 shouldn't be so fast that even her Secret Heavenly Eye couldn't react to it!
Are all of the Serpent of Sacrifice's comrades as twisted as he is?!
(Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic. The Divine Tree is suppressing her speed, so this is only temporary. As long as she can hold on for this period, everything will be fine. So don't panic, don't panic!!)
Lylena desperately tried to reassure herself, relying on her knife's health bar to fight off the enemy. Ji Huaisu's attacks were vicious, aimed straight at the face; anyone who didn't know better would think they had a blood feud. In seconds, the two fought from the commercial district to near the Upper House. The madwoman didn't care about anything, even attacking the divine protective barrier along with it.

Guo Yutu's mocking voice came through the communication channel. That bastard seemed to have finally gotten rid of the entanglement: "After the animal chase, you're planning to enter the women's fighting world in your next film, right?"

"Don't disturb me, I'm fighting!"

"Ah, I'm watching. It's a very exciting battle. I just don't know if you remember the mission I assigned you, which was to defend the Media Building. Have you ever thought about why the enemy is ignoring that big target and coming to fight you?"

Lylena was distracted for a few seconds during the tense exchange, when she was hit in the side by a hook punch. She rolled over and got up, yelling defiantly, "That means Verus thinks I'm a bigger threat than that lousy show!"

"..."

Lylena grew even more confident: "That's exactly it! That's why she's determined to defeat me no matter what!"

There was a moment of silence in the channel, followed by a voice that sounded enlightened and relieved.

"Fine, that's it. I don't care anymore. Good luck."

"I'm right—"

Suddenly, the incessant broadcasting stopped. The water screens across the city-state changed, switching from the studio to the backstage area, where staff were busy editing surveillance footage, and the director was shouting anxiously!
"Hurry up and stitch up the wound!" "Make sure Landa uses the fourth version of the script, so she doesn't make any more mistakes."

"It's impossible! Judging from the footage, the enemy has a clear advantage!" "Isn't that the point of you being here?"

"Ultimately, images directly generated by divine power..." "The new media law doesn't allow it! They've been cracking down hard since the Inspiration Mushroom incident, and there's a risk the Captain-General could use this as an excuse to make trouble—"

The portly director suddenly turned around. "When did that camera start working?" "Director! The recording has been hacked—" "Turn it off immediately—"

The scene was chaotic, filled with terrified voices. After a few flashes, the water screen switched back to the live stream, where the male and female streamers' smiles appeared somewhat unnatural. This mere ten seconds of real footage had already caused a huge uproar throughout Jingsha!
"..."

Lylena moved her mouth mechanically, her arms trembling with nervousness. Another voice came through the channel.

"If I remember correctly, the task I assigned you was 'to cooperate with the first team to defend the Media Building,' right, Double Butterfly?" Wang Quan said with a smile.

"I'm so sorry. I apologize. I'm so sorry. I promise, I'll do it right now..."

Lyrna shakily removed her blindfold.

“I will handle it immediately,” she said.

(End of this chapter)