Planet Mystia, inside the Mystic Castle, Rui Yan was seen sitting in her regular spot in her garden, playing her violin. Dillard stepped in and walked toward her. Standing for some seconds, he turned toward a bench in the corner and sat, waiting.
A faint crease sat on his forehead, his gaze distant and heavy with thought.
Minutes later, the music came to a stop. Rui Yan stood up and walked toward him. Dusting off the bench, she sat down.
Silence followed. It lingered for some seconds but was broken by the sound of Rui Yan clearing her throat.
He blinked, his eyes snapping back to the present as he was jolted out of his thoughts.
"Miss—"
"How many times have I told you to stop calling me miss when we are the only ones around?" Rui Yan cut in, a faint frown of resolve on her face, softened by the gentle warmth in her eyes.
"Never mind—just continue."
Taking a deep breath, Dillard continued.
"Bad news and another bad or good news, which depends on how you see it. So which do you prefer first?"
"Good or bad news, huh? Well, hit me."
"Well, the bad news it is. The Matriarch announced that from now onward, all Ordinary Rankers are not to leave the planet.
Earlier, I overheard that the Devas' attacks are stronger than before. Right now, the sacred lands are under attack."
"What's with those bastards now?" Rui Yan barked, her facial expression morphing, shifting from calm to something in-between rage.
"First, they suddenly broke the four-hundred-year-long peace treaty, and if that's not even enough, they have the guts to target the sacred lands. Have they forgotten?"
Taking huge breaths to calm her nerves, she continued,
"Well, sooner or later they will be getting what they are asking for."
---
A thousand or so years ago, after the Great Reshape, humanity evolved—strong enough to enter the Ascension Pathway/Ascension Realms, mysterious realms where the brave gained power beyond imagination.
They discovered Spatial Gateways, gateways to these realms, and Teleporters, portals to distant planets—some technologically advanced, some primeval, some crawling with deadly beasts. All bore signs of extinct civilizations, teleporters, and links to other worlds.
Humanity scavenged these planets, learning lost knowledge, both ancient and advanced, and rose into a new era of technology.
But their growth drew attention. In the second Ascension Realm, they encountered another race—the Devas, claiming to be ancient gods. They demanded humanity's submission—or death. But as expected, humanity, known for being the apex rulers of their home planet, disagreed. With this, war with the Devas sparked. The only thing helping the humans then was the strength gap in each realm, but that was not for long because they later encountered the Devas in one of the teleporters to another planet. But even then, as if the heavens were smiling on the humans, it turned out that some planets also barred the entry of some strong beings.
During that time, the humans fought and evolved. Many clans were also created by groups that shared the same or almost the same types of classes and abilities. They claimed to protect the rest of the humans—the commoners, those with weak classes and abilities—but some instead used them for their pleasures. But one thing they all agreed on was that the Devas should not have a say concerning their race.
But years later, after the human race had declined due to the evil eating it from both inside and outside, he stepped in—"Caelum Rex." With his special group, they single-handedly took charge of all the clans first before fending off the Devas, until they agreed on a peace treaty.
---
Back to the present.
"It's been long since they tasted the terror of the Dragon Bone Valley, huh? Well, let them come."
"So what's the Matriarch's action?"
"She dispatched three elders."
"Three elders, huh? Well, let's see what happens in the next three days," Rui Yan said, her cheeks raised, changing into a creepy laugh.
"Then what about the good bad news?"
"It's the Eyes. The Eyes were destroyed."
"The Eyes were destroyed? Interesting. But an Eye destroyed—to me, that's only expected, so why's that considered bad news?"
Dillard rubbed the back of his neck, his shoulders slightly tense, his gaze shifting somewhat, avoiding Rui Yan's. Then he continued.
"Well, I knew you said I should send an Eye. Well… I somewhat overdid it. I sent in the last remaining Absolute Eye."
"You what?" Rui Yan barked.
Immediately, Dillard cut in, rushing to complete his report, knowing fully what would follow if he did not.
"And before it was destroyed, it saw the Key!"
Rui Yan's hand hung in the air above Dillard's head in a smacking motion.
"Continue," she said, her expression stiff.
Dillard breathed in loudly, almost as if he had just dodged a bullet.
"The last confirmed person in possession of it was Ren, but then a green—emerald human figure stepped in and destroyed the Eye.
With the last image captured, I think—no, I know—it's a Jade…
---
Somewhere else, deep underground, two figures were locked in a stare. One was a female with a wide gash on her stomach, while the other figure was Ren, still clad in the Jade Phoenix Carapace.
"You will pay!" the feminine figure said, as the glow on her skin started moving toward the wound, and then the wound began knitting back together.
Within seconds, she was as good as new, with the only difference being the glow she was now emitting.
"I was trying to leave you intact, but since you want to die so desperately, so! be! it!"
Immediately, the glow on her skin started flowing, shifting to her hands and then materializing into two katanas.
She casually swung the blades, testing them. Sharp wind strikes flew off the blades and dissipated upon touching the cavern walls. She slowly walked toward Ren as her expression softened, but instead, the air around her shifted, giving off a dense killing intent.
Cold sweat dripped down Ren's face as his muscles trembled. Is it too late to give the pendant now?
"For making me this worked up, you at least deserve to know my name. So, my name's Miyuki JadeWell, and I'm going to be the last person you will be seeing before you die."
Now closer to Ren, she raised her swords in an X shape, preparing to strike.
Ren tried to get his muscles moving, but no matter what he did, in the face of death and despair, his muscles betrayed him. Unlike his first two encounters with death, this time there was something different. Her aura—it's different. Unlike the battle earlier, her aura was calm, not leaking even an ounce of killing intent, but now… No, no, I can't die, not now, never, no! Think, think, Ren, think. Different thoughts kept sifting through his head until a thought clicked. A JadeWell. JadeWell—isn't that where he's from? What's his name again? Hmm… hmm… oh, Miyoshi!
The katanas descended.
Gritting his teeth, he shouted with all his strength.
"Please wait!
I'm a friend of Miyoshi!!!"
The katanas descended as the sound of steel cutting, splitting the air followed.
In that moment, the last thought in his mind was, the third time, huh? Am I really a magnet for death?
Steel split the air.
And then silence before darkness followed.