Chapter 181: An Old Acquaintance Deep Within the System
Deep within the labyrinth.
Sophia, her face black and blue from a beating, was currently clinging to Shirazawa's arm, rubbing against it incessantly as she acted spoiled and adorable to beg for forgiveness, completely devoid of any cold, aloof queenly demeanor.
Shirazawa's expression remained indifferent. He shook his arm, snatching his hand back. "If you know you were wrong, then scram! All you do day in and day out is find trouble for me."
Sophia pouted aggrievedly. "No, Master~"
Saying that, she hugged Shirazawa deathly tight, putting on a posture of refusing to leave no matter what.
Immediately following that, she felt an invisible hand pick her up and toss her straight out of the labyrinth, causing her to crash onto the ground outside.
"Hiss, so painful!"
Sophia bared her teeth and grimaced, rubbing her buttocks with eyes brimming with tears.
Yet when she looked up, she was met with Shiraori's gentle and charming smile.
"Hmph~ Selfish little Shiro, not even willing to share her man—what kind of friend is that?!"
Puffing out her cheeks, she glared angrily at Shiraori.
She probably couldn't win in a fight, but if anyone thought this young lady would simply leave like this, they could forget it.
She was still not strong enough.
If only she could get just a little bit stronger, she could forcibly carry Master off.
Then tie him to the bed and use him every day to drain his blood to drink...
Ah~~ Subarashii~
Fantasizing about that kind of spicy, enticing scene, she cupped her cheeks with both hands, her face flushed with a crimson hue, her legs pressed together as she wriggled back and forth.
"There's probably no saving this child anymore."
By now, even Ariel, who had always been responsible, had given up on correcting Sophia's worldview, silently shaking her head.
"The energy has been gathered. Let's go."
Sensing the very last bit of soul energy being absorbed by the system, Shiraori's mental power spread out, forcibly barging into the system database as she prepared to dismantle the system's useless features.
A teleportation gate appeared before the eyes of the three. Without needing to say another word, the three stepped straight through it.
Sophia also snapped out of her fantasy, excitedly catching up to follow them.
*Buzz—*
Accompanied by a faint humming sound, the surrounding scenery shifted abruptly.
The surroundings turned into absolute void; suspended in the sky above was a massive square building block.
Accompanied by bursts of cracking sounds, the block constantly shifted shapes, as if an invisible pair of massive hands was solving a Luban lock.
"Yo~ I've been waiting for you guys for a long time."
A pleasant voice drifted over. A peerless beauty dressed in ancient attire walked over with slow steps; her clothes were printed with maple leaf patterns that looked remarkably lifelike.
Her features were exquisite and delicate. A gorgeous long dress trailed down to the floor, her entire body radiating an ethereal, transcendent aura.
Paired with the cat ears atop her head and the cat tail behind her back, she looked a touch more bewitching.
"Menka? Why are you here?"
Seeing this person, Shirazawa was instantly taken aback.
"Don't even mention it."
Menka looked utterly depressed, spreading her hands. "It was agreed that I'd be sent out on a business trip to relax, but in the end, I was dragged over to serve as a gatekeeper."
"What a bitter life!"
Hearing this, the corners of Shirazawa's mouth couldn't help but twitch a few times.
"So, our final opponent is you?" he asked.
"Mm." Menka shrugged. "No choice; otherwise, the one coming would be D herself."
"Then can't you go easy on us?" Shiraori raised a brow slightly.
"Dame yo~ If I lose, I'll have to go back and work overtime. So, you guys get it."
As her words fell, Menka pulled out a massive hammer. The surface of the hammer was carved with intricate patterns, looking even cooler than her weapon back then.
Shirazawa raised an eyebrow. They were just about to reach the grand completion ending, yet D still pulled a stunt like this, clearly not intending to let them pass that easily.
It was just...
"Can you, a single person, beat the four of us?" Shirazawa looked at Menka with suspicion.
"Of course!"
Menka proudly puffed out her chest, slamming her hammer onto the ground with a loud thud.
In an instant, cracks spread across the ground, and dust billowed into the air.
*Rumble—*
The earth trembled violently, and loose gravel flew in all directions.
An exceptionally powerful aura expanded outward, instilling a sense of heart-palpitating dread.
"I've cultivated in the Time Tower for over a thousand years. I'm a High-tier God now."
Menka boastfully twitched her ears. "How about it, impressive, right?!"
"Mm, indeed impressive."
Shirazawa nodded, a bright glint flashing through his pink eyes as he silently activated his Evil Eyes. "In that case, let's wrap this up quickly."
"Mm, no problem."
Swinging her war hammer, Menka charged fiercely toward the group. "Watch out!"
Shiraori and Shirazawa exchanged a glance, stepping forward to meet her at the same time.
*Swish~*
A hammer swept across, bringing forth a burst of sharp wind that ruffled the dark hair of the two while forcing them both back.
Seeing this, Menka swung her war hammer up, sweeping toward the two once more. *Bang, bang, bang~*
After a flurry of fierce exchanges, the three tangled in battle, locked in a tight, inseparable struggle.
*Clang!*
Shirazawa was sent flying by a hammer blow, the hand gripping the Zangetsu blade aching faintly.
"Tsk~ Truly a goddamn freak."
Just as he finished complaining, the white scythe in Shiraori's hands was knocked away, her body blasted backward as she retreated rapidly.
With a flash of movement, Shirazawa caught her and pulled her into his arms, preventing her from crashing into the ground.
"Hahaha~"
Seeing that she held the advantage, Menka let out two proud laughs. "How about it, still want to continue?"
"We've known each other for so many years after all, is there any need to be so serious~"
Shirazawa curled his lip, a trace of reproach leaking into his tone.
"I don't want to go back to work." Menka shook her head. "Unless you take my place, prepare to fight with your lives on the line."
"Tsk~ Working is out of the question, impossible in this lifetime."
Seeing that the battle was unavoidable, Shirazawa set aside his wishful thinking, his momentum gradually rising.
Similarly, Ariel was brimming with battle intent, stacking various buffs like crazy.
No one could block her path to saving Sariel!
"You two focus on pinning her down, leave the rest to me!"
"Alright!" Shirazawa and Shiraori immediately responded.
Sophia caught a trace of threat off the cat-eared girl, her lips curling into a cold, sharp arc.
She was definitely here to snatch Master away from her again.
In that case, she wouldn't let a single one of them off.
*Clang, clang, clang!*
In an instant, the five of them clashed in a frenzy, every move ruthless and showing no mercy whatsoever.
This battle raged on for three days and three nights without stopping.
The gap between a High-tier God and Mid-tier Gods was simply like a chasm that couldn't be crossed.
It was all thanks to Ariel's Ruler Authority, which could continuously replenish the state of the three.
Even if they were killed, they could be revived directly.
Plus, Gluttony allowed her to absorb Menka's damage and convert it into energy; as long as she wasn't instakilled in one shot, she could stall indefinitely without limit.
Another month passed. The human-demon war had long since quieted down, and Gulie was gradually growing impatient from waiting.
Thus, he led his Dragon Race subordinates and the white-robed legion of the Tenth Army deep into the labyrinth.
Sensing the violent sounds of battle emanating from within the spatial gate, he immediately realized things were bad and led everyone straight into the fray.
What was originally a five-person battle gradually evolved into a group beatdown scene.
Ariel transformed into a team-fight healer, constantly applying buffs to everyone.
If someone died, she pulled them back up, a single heal restoring them straight to full, and then they continued fighting.
Menka had never imagined that things would develop to such an extent.
"Damn it, why does this feel even more exhausting than going to work?!"
Another three months passed, and she could finally no longer endure this endless battle.
"Not fighting anymore! Not fighting anymore! It's boring—let's call it a draw!"
She raised her paws in surrender.
She had a premonition that continuing to fight would only be a waste of time.
A short pain was better than a long one; at worst, she'd just go back to work.
"You say no more fighting and we just stop? On what grounds?!"
"I, Sophia, am the first to object!"
Sophia raised her blade to strike again; if this cat wasn't eliminated, her heart could never be at ease.
In the end, she was flicked flying by a single finger from Menka, unable to crawl up for quite a while.
"When I say no more fighting, it means no more fighting—nobody can change that!" Menka snorted coldly.
"Waahh~"
Sophia put on a look of being on the verge of tears. "*Sob, sob, sob*, Master, she bullied me!"
"Pfft!"
Hearing these words, Shirazawa almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
You clearly brought this upon yourself, okay?! Do you think I'm blind?
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