"Riko really cares a lot about that girl from the other world." Nanachi sat on a flat stone, her long ears twitching comfortably. "Riko, you like March 7th and the Astral Express so much... do you want to actually go see the universe? Maybe the Bottom of the Abyss is a portal connecting to the universe? Your mother is also in front of the portal, waiting for you to head to the new world together."

"Eh? Me?"

Riko stopped what she was doing, her brow furrowing slightly. After thinking for a few seconds, she answered seriously, "If it were just me alone... I wouldn't want to. But if it's with Nanachi, Reg, and everyone else, I'd love to!"

"Oh?" Nanachi smiled and came over to pinch Riko's cheek. "...As for me, I'll pass. I feel like a place like the Xianzhou Luofu is also very unsafe. There's Phantylia and the Denizens of Abundance. If another Emanator of Destruction comes along one day, I wouldn't even know how I died. But if we could kill the Aeons of Destruction and Abundance in the future, that would be a good choice."

—

"Hearing such a shocking fact all of a sudden, I'm both proud and worried."

"An extra pair of hands is always a good thing. The Skysplitter is so large. By the way, you should know—"

Before Yunli could finish her sentence, the Skysplitter beneath their feet began to vibrate violently. The two quickly steadied themselves and looked around. "The speed of the Skysplitter seems to be slowing down? Could it be... Follow me! Let's go check the engine room! As the core facility of the entire ship, we must ensure its safety first!"

The two quickly reached the engine room, only to find it eerily quiet, with not a soul in sight.

"Strange, why has everyone around here disappeared?"

Yanqing stepped forward to investigate and found two dead Cloud Knight Troopers behind a massive machinery cabinet.

"The Cloud Knights... are all here."

"You should be lying there with them too..." As Yanqing was about to check their cause of Death, seven or eight figures had already surrounded them—all of them were Borisin disguised as Foxians.

—

Akame ga Kill!

"I thought Hoolay was the only one on the Skysplitter; I didn't expect so many to have snuck aboard."

Seeing this group of Borisin appear together, a weight was lifted off Tatsumi's heart. Sometimes it's not the thief you're afraid of, but the thief's constant schemes. If these Borisin never showed up, the Cloud Knights here would instead have to keep their forces scattered and on guard.

Mine frowned and said, "These Borisin have already fought their way to the engine room, which means even more of them are scattered among the crowd. If Hoolay gives the word and starts a massacre, and the scene is recorded and broadcast by that reporter lady... the safety of the Xianzhou Luofu will be thoroughly nailed to the cosmic pillar of shame!"

"Indeed... although Feixiao's sweeping operation has been quite efficient, in a sense, as long as Hoolay is allowed to board the Skysplitter, the Xianzhou's security crisis will be exposed to the public. Even if Hoolay is eventually captured, it will bring incalculable losses to the Xianzhou."

Now, even Najenda couldn't help but wonder if Jing Yuan's move was the right one. If they had canceled or postponed the Wardance immediately, would the result have been better? While canceling the ceremony would certainly cause massive losses, Hoolay's situation is becoming increasingly difficult to control, and the impact may be even more severe than an immediate cancellation.

—

Yanqing and Yunli quickly dealt with the group of Borisin around them and guessed they might be planning a massacre at the Wardance, so they immediately rushed to the arena.

Sure enough, the Skysplitter was crawling with lurking Borisin. As the two were clearing them out, the announcer's voice came over the broadcast outside: "Distinguished guests and contestants, welcome to the Xianzhou Luofu Luminary Martial Arts Ceremony!"

"Please welcome our guest host, Mr. Owlbert, to officially open the Wardance—"

"Roar—!!"

Before the announcer could finish, a roar echoed from above the arena. A massive, burly figure appeared in mid-air and crashed down like a falling star!

"The Wardance ends here!" Hoolay held a long blade, crouching in the center of the arena with a constant, sinister grin. "From this moment on, the Skysplitter belongs to me. Spectators, I shall bring you a true life-and-Death struggle! Now, run to your hearts' content!"

Hoolay's sudden appearance didn't cause the expected uproar. The announcer seemed to have anticipated this scene and calmly continued:

"Sorry, there are no spectators on this ship like you expected—everyone here is here for you."

"Cloud Knights, prepare for battle!"

—

Qin's Moon: Nine Songs of the Moving Heavens.

"Brilliant! Brilliant!" Han Fei clapped and laughed. "The empty is made real, and the real is made empty! This play of 'Cloud Knights Catching the Wolf' would be worth the ticket price alone if one were there in person!"

Wei Zhuang snorted coldly, "Didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?"

"What the announcer said." Wei Zhuang held Shark Teeth, saying indifferently, "There are no spectators on the ship, meaning... from the very start, the Skysplitter only had the Xianzhou's officers and soldiers."

"That makes it even more interesting." The light in Han Fei's eyes grew brighter. He put down his wine cup, resting his chin in his hand as he pondered. "If there are no spectators, it means they were all transferred away. Even the swordsmen who went up to challenge—"

"Brother Han, you are mistaken." Zhang Liang smiled slightly. "I'm afraid Brother Wei Zhuang means there were no spectators here from the very beginning. Think about it: if the spectators boarded first and then were moved, how could Hoolay not know about such a large-scale movement of people? This was a trap from the start... a trap for all the Borisin. Besiege three sides and leave one open—a common tactic in the art of war—and that 'one' is the Skysplitter."

"It seems every step Hoolay takes is within Feixiao's grasp." Han Fei sighed softly. "...That woman is too terrifying. It's one thing for her skills to be terrifying, but her mind is just as scary. Is she even going to let the Borisin live?"

"Brother Han, I'm afraid this isn't just General Feixiao's idea." Zhang Liang looked up. "...Since there were no spectators from the start and this place is full of Cloud Knight ambushes, it must be the result of a joint consultation between the three generals."

—

The Cloud Knights surrounded him from all directions, trapping Hoolay so tightly that not even a drop of water could leak through in the blink of an eye.

A wave of sound, like a mountain toppling or the sea surging, came from the spectator stands on all sides.

"Xianzhou soars, Cloud Knights ever-victorious! Xianzhou soars, Cloud Knights ever-victorious!"

Although Hoolay was somewhat surprised, he didn't panic. He only sneered, "It seems you were well-prepared."

Seeing their Warchief surrounded, the Borisin around the venue also howled into the sky, the sound of wolf howls echoing over the Skysplitter for a long time.

"That's fine! Since you're prepared to die, come then, do your worst—make it worth my while!"