Want to play cards? I'll use my King's Deck!

You Xi shook her head and made her decision.

So he started walking and headed towards Amagi Naruto, who was also some distance away from the others.

"Senior Tiancheng."

Hearing the voice, Amagi Meito turned around and looked at the junior from another school who was standing in front of him.

"It's you, Yu Xi. What's up?"

"Excuse me, I have a question for you, Amagi-senpai. Where's Mashiro? I don't think I see her. Could you tell me where she is?"

"You're asking about Mashiro? She won't come here."

Seeing that Naruto Amagi did not refuse his request, and knowing that the other party did not like formalities, Yuki also chose to get straight to the point.

Amagi Naruto's answer was also very direct and straightforward.

"why?"

Yuki wasn't satisfied with Amagi Naruto's answer and pressed for more details.

"Why isn't Mashiro coming? Is there some unspeakable reason?"

"There aren't many whys, it's just that she wasn't suited to come to the Four Heavens Tower this time, and she shouldn't have come."

"Shouldn't have come? What does this mean...?"

Amagi Meito's tone was cold, his intention to keep people at arm's length was particularly clear. Yuki, of course, wouldn't be intimidated so easily, and was about to continue pressing for details when another voice interrupted him before he could speak.

"Hey, that's enough already."

A young man with a somewhat delinquent-looking appearance stepped forward, blocking You Xi's view. His taller stature then cast a shadow over You Xi.

You Xi sensed a strong, undisguised hostility emanating from him.

"Whether our Mashiro comes or not is none of your business, you outsider. Don't try to get close to us like that, it'll only lead to misunderstandings."

"You are……"

"Ming Shangzun, a former official member of the Star Vanguard team and a well-known problem child at Star Vanguard Academy. Back when he was in school, he was repeatedly punished and suspended from school for violating school rules."

Izayoi Yuki's voice came from behind, revealing the identity of the scoundrel standing in front of Yuki.

The white-haired girl's crimson eyes then fell on another person standing with Amagi Naruto—

"And then, this is Eliza Phoenix. Also a full member of the previous Star Vanguard team. A fearsome duelist known as the 'Witch of the Demon Eyes.'"

"In other words, they are all predecessors who won the previous Star Cup."

Xingye Wu also came over, curiously looking at the hooded woman who seemed to embody mysticism to the extreme: "You're really something. If it weren't for being here, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to meet such important people as you."

"That's ridiculous."

Eliza parted her lips slightly and said, "I am not some great person, just an ordinary person with some special abilities. The real great one is not me."

Ha, that doesn't sound convincing at all.

Naruto, who was well aware of his teammate's abilities, curled his lip.

Xingye Wu didn't pursue the matter further with a simple "Is that so?", but continued, "However, there's one thing that Senior Ming Shang is wrong about."

"Although from the perspective of the Kaiba family, we are indeed outsiders, we are also Mashiro's good friends. It's not something that has nothing to do with us."

"As close friends, it's only natural to care about each other. Otherwise, you can't be friends with a clear conscience. You wouldn't want Mashiro to like someone who's heartless and ungrateful, would you?"

Standing next to You Xi, Xing Yewu spoke eloquently, confronting Xing Feng and his two companions on the other side with her boyfriend and best friend.

Upon seeing this, Narukami-sensei couldn't help but sneer: "Friends, huh? You really dare to say that. You few, do you even have the right to call yourselves true friends? Did you even ask for our opinion?"

"I don't think this is something I need to ask you."

Under the pressure from Narukami-sensei, Yuki retorted seriously, "It's understandable that family members want to confirm whether their child's friends are worth associating with, but there's no reason to ask the elders for reports on how to make friends. That kind of approach is just a manifestation of Mashiro's strong desire to control her, and I don't think it's a good thing for Mashiro."

"Wow...you're quite the smooth talker."

Narukami-sensei lowered his head and met Yuki's gaze with intensely aggressive eyes.

Most people would be terrified and their legs would go weak if they were stared at like that. But You Xi did not back down.

His eyes didn't even turn away, continuing to meet his own gaze.

"So, Naruto-senpai and Amagi-senpai, can't you really tell us why Mashiro can't come?"

"What can you do if I don't tell you? What can you do to me?"

Narutoshi sneered, and the atmosphere between the two teams became increasingly tense and fraught with hostility.

Just as everyone else sensed the impending conflict, and Yan Xiao, fearing a real fight would break out, prepared to intervene from a neutral standpoint—

"Boom-!!"

A loud bell suddenly rang, shaking the air and drowning out all other noises.

Everyone instinctively looked up, and the bells were coming from the towering Four Heavens Tower right before them.

"Very good, very good, everyone's here, little ones."

Then, as the bells faded away, a completely new figure appeared before everyone.

This drew everyone's attention back to her.

She was a little girl who looked to be only about nine years old, with a head of bright blue hair swaying behind her, the ends of which were pink. Beneath her highlighted bangs was an exquisitely pretty face, but her eyes and upturned lips always gave one the vague feeling that beneath her cute appearance lay a certain sly nature.

“I am the manager of the Tower of Four Heavens, Vera Sandrion.”

The arriving blue-haired little girl introduced herself in this way.

Chapter 289 The So-Called Four Heavens

The so-called contrast refers to the fact that the actual development of things in a person's mind is completely opposite to what they expect.

In the current situation, this description and definition can be applied directly.

It wasn't that the impending conflict between Qingcheng and Xingfeng over a "trivial matter" was interrupted, but rather the appearance of this blue-haired little girl.

Many people knew beforehand that the person in charge of managing the Four Heavens Tower was one of the few "Great Sages" in the history of the D Alliance, and whose appearance was rarely seen.

It is said that the D Alliance's treasure, the "Star Cup," was created by him.

I had assumed that someone with such a title would be someone with a long white beard, a kind and gentle face, much like the old headmaster Dumbledore from the TV series "Hogwarts Duel School." But reality proved them wrong; their imaginations were far too limited.

It's not a respected old man, but a little girl who has committed a crime and faces a sentence of more than three years, or even the death penalty.

That tiny bit of fluff and that haughty expression do not diminish her cuteness at all; on the contrary, they can touch a certain emotion in people's hearts.

Her blue and red eyes were beautiful and dreamy, and the pair of white silk-clad feet under the lace skirt were even more exquisite, outlining her beautiful leg shape while also carrying a hint of inexplicable eroticism.

For the lolicon community, there is probably no one more perfect than her.

Youxi immediately recognized the true identity and origin of this little girl.

"Master of Witchcraft: Glass Witch," the ace in the "Witchcraft" series, and also an alternate identity of "Great Sage of Crystals, Sandriyon."

Judging from the latter's name, it's clear that the loli in front of me is indeed the "Great Sage," I never expected it to be this guy.

"So she's the one in charge this time. That's quite rare."

Yan Xiao's mutterings were caught by You Xi, who couldn't help but wonder: "Does this mean there are other people in charge?"

"Yes."

Yan Xiao nodded and generously shared the inside information he knew with You Xi.

"There are four Great Sages in charge of managing the Tower of the Four Heavens, and one of them will greet us each time the tower opens. Normally, these Great Sages should be rotated every 12 years. However, this Miss Vera Sandriyon is different."

"I only heard about this from a senior student after she graduated. Apparently, she loves to slack off and skip work, and she always tries to find other great sages to cover for her. It's considered good if she actually goes to work twice in 50 years. As a result, she has been criticized and complained about by other great sages quite a bit."

"At first I thought it would be the same this time, but things always turn out unexpectedly—oh, right."

As Yan Xiao finished speaking, he suddenly remembered something, and whispered in You Xi's ear, "You should have realized what I just said, You Xi. Don't be fooled by the fact that the Great Sage is a little girl. She's actually an old woman who has lived for countless years. Don't be fooled by her appearance."

"Hey! You over there! What are you saying that's so rude? We'll sue you for defamation!"

Before You Xi could react to Yan Xiao's words, the disgruntled voice of a young girl drifted over from afar.

Looking in the direction of the sound, one could see a blue-haired girl who called herself Wei'er glaring at them with a sinister look... no, she was mainly glaring at the talkative Yan Xiao.

"This is bad...!"

"Indeed, you're in deep trouble now, Senior Yanxiao."

Xing Yewu looked at Feng Huo Academy's No. 1 student, whose forehead was beginning to sweat, and her tone was quite gloating.

There is nothing more unfortunate than speaking ill of a great sage and having him overhear it.

Although she looks quite cute, this loli sage named Vera doesn't seem like a magnanimous person at all... well, not magnanimous in any sense.

Xing Yewu only dared to think it in her heart and didn't dare to say it out loud, otherwise there might be another unlucky person being targeted.

However, regardless of whether Yan Xiao brought it upon himself, at the moment, Wei'er doesn't have much time to teach this audacious human a lesson.

She simply coughed lightly, bringing her small fist to her lips, and continued in her previous tone: "I know some of you have doubts about me, but my identity is genuine, the real deal. To try to understand the Great Sage with your mere human minds is truly naive and foolish."

"Enough with the small talk! You all knew what we were here for before you even arrived, so let's not waste any more precious time and get straight to the point."

"follow me."

With a wave of her hand, skipping the long and tedious process that would have taken even longer, Vera directly created a crystal disc beneath her feet, carrying her towards the giant tower.

The group exchanged glances, still somewhat skeptical of Vera, but that didn't stop them from following the blue-haired girl.

With Vera's dazzling appearance, the tense atmosphere between Qingcheng and Xingfeng, which was on the verge of exploding, could no longer be maintained.

"Let's go, Zun, Elizabeth."

Amagi Naruto called out to his companions, and before leaving, he said to Yuki and the others, "It's understandable that you're worried about Mashiro's safety, but it's unnecessary. Mashiro is perfectly fine. The only reason she didn't come this time is because we thought it was too early for her to come now—she's only 12 years old, and she can come back in three years."

"Is that right?"

"That's all. See you later, Yuki."

Having said that, seemingly having completely lost interest in the conversation, Amagi Naruto walked towards the tower.

Narukami-sensei then made a provocative gesture across his neck with his palm before following after Eliza, who remained silent.