"So, to stop me from competing in the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival, you want to make me lose this final match in the qualifiers?”
In that moment, everything around Okita Souji seemed to turn against her—the air, the sunlight, the wind, the flowers and grass—all radiated hostility that prickled her skin.
It was as if, with even one misstep, every part of the world would become a threat, capable of injuring her, maybe even killing her. Yet, she managed a smile, speaking in a...
2024-11-26 20:06:28 +0000 UTC
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“Taiyaki?”
At the moment, Okita Souji and Edelweiss were standing in front of a small food cart.
White flags with the words “Taiyaki” fluttered on both sides of the cart, and two red lanterns hung from the front, separated by a fabric banner with a red koi fish painted on it. The only menu consisted of small slips of white paper, each with a flavor written in bold kanji—red bean, custard, and so on—lined up near the cart’s sole serving window.
Inside, an older ...
2024-11-26 20:06:20 +0000 UTC
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When they finally stepped outside, Okita Souji was dressed in a simple gray T-shirt with a wolf’s head printed on the back and a pair of short denim shorts.
Since it was Edelweiss who had suggested going out, Okita asked her if she had any specific plans or a destination in mind.
Edelweiss pressed a finger to her lips, looking up thoughtfully as if she were pondering the mysteries of the sky.
“Hmm… how about dessert?”
“We just ate breakfast, didn’t we?”
2024-11-26 20:06:16 +0000 UTC
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Today was the day Okita Souji would face off against Ikki Kurogane.
She’d considered… should she throw the match on purpose?
After all, Ikki cared deeply about the Seven Stars Sword Art Festival. Compared to him, Okita didn’t have any particular reason to compete.
Ikki had a promise to fulfill with Kurono Shinguuji: to graduate by winning the festival. And he’d promised Stella a final, formal duel there.
And her? She fought for the fun of it.
Unlike the p...
2024-11-26 20:06:12 +0000 UTC
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Several days had passed since Okita Souji last spoke with Ikki Kurogane.
The drug-laced meals hadn’t stopped, but Ikki continued eating them, feigning ignorance.
He had little choice; even if he spoke up, no one would listen. And refusing to eat would only make things worse.
The silver apples Okita left him, however, were a small blessing.
The selection matches continued, and every few days, Professor Oregiri would bring Ikki’s next opponent to a special venue arra...
2024-11-26 20:06:08 +0000 UTC
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The Medicine Furnace Adeptus finished his share of Gu Sanqiu’s offerings with a satisfied look, using a toothpick to clean his teeth before leaping onto a nearby tree branch.
"Anyway, kid, watch yourself. I know what you’re worried about," he began.
"The reappearance of power like this will inevitably attract all sorts of attention—study, even attempts to seize it. That’s just the nature of human desire, and it’s beyond what you can suppress."
"The fact that you ca...
2024-11-26 20:04:53 +0000 UTC
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After leaving Wangsheng Funeral Parlor, Gu Sanqiu bought a large assortment of street snacks. Then, ensuring no one was paying attention, he leaped onto a rooftop, spreading his mental energy in all directions.
"Medicine Furnace Adeptus… Medicine Furnace Adeptus…"
The telepathic call was quickly interrupted by the sharp meow of a cat.
"Come meet me here."
"Guess that worked," Gu Sanqiu muttered with a smirk as he made his way toward the source of the mental signal....
2024-11-26 20:04:49 +0000 UTC
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"Zhongli, I need to clarify something with you," Gu Sanqiu said, gesturing toward the Staff of Homa resting across his lap.
"Even for a weapon as remarkable as Wangsheng Funeral Parlor’s signature polearm, it’s best not to try feeding it a golden elixir unless adequately prepared. After countless generations of refinement, the Staff of Homa is already at its peak."
"At its peak?" Hu Tao tilted her head as she picked up the staff. "Sanqiu, how can you sense that it’s at its p...
2024-11-26 20:04:45 +0000 UTC
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"Really? Is that how it is?"
Hu Tao raised her head. "Logically speaking, something that could enhance Liyue’s strength… shouldn’t you, as a Fengxiang, report it immediately?"
Gu Sanqiu rolled his eyes. "So, you’re admitting your family has records about mine, aren’t you? That’s exactly what you mean."
"Oh, come on! Don’t sweat the details."
Hu Tao waved her hand dismissively. "I’m making a valid point. Besides, Ningguang is the Tianquan of the Qixing. ...
2024-11-26 20:04:41 +0000 UTC
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“Consulting Zhongli?”
Gu Sanqiu nodded. “Zhongli is well-versed in all kinds of knowledge, even obscure and niche topics. He might know something that can help me.”
Of course, this was just an excuse. The old man definitely knew what was going on; he simply hadn’t been directly asked yet.
Gu Sanqiu found himself eagerly anticipating the arrival of the blonde, blunt-sword-wielding god of war.
Once he exposed the old man’s true identity, any mysteries about a...
2024-11-26 20:04:37 +0000 UTC
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Layla was young, naive, and deeply engrossed in her academic pursuits.
How could she possibly compete against a sly veteran like Luo Qing, who’d spent years navigating the treacherous politics of Snezhnaya?
Under the relentless assault of Luo Qing’s earnest gaze and honeyed words, she quickly caved.
“R-Really, it was just a foot massage?”
“Absolutely. I swear on the Geo Archon’s name—I didn’t touch anything else!”
“...”
Staring into Lu...
2024-11-26 20:04:30 +0000 UTC
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“Godhood isn’t something you can pass or fail at,” Luo Qing said with a gentle smile. Taking advantage of Nahida’s momentary daze, he gave her another head pat.
“You’re a god. It’s your inherent nature. Why should you measure yourself by the standards set by others?”
“I understand...”
Nahida lowered her head, her voice tinged with melancholy.
“But the previous god entrusted me with the responsibility of guiding Sumeru’s people. I haven’t been ...
2024-11-26 20:04:16 +0000 UTC
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“Who could it be this early in the morning?”
Still mulling over the strange sense of authority Jin exuded, Luo Qing shuffled to the door and opened it.
“Mr. Luo Qing, the Grand Sage requests your presence at the Sanctuary of Surasthana,” said Setareh, the ever-reliable aide to Azar. Her tone was as flat as ever.
“Hmm?”
Luo Qing’s brows furrowed in confusion.
Could Azar have found out about his interaction with Nahida last night?
Testing the wa...
2024-11-26 20:04:12 +0000 UTC
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“I...”
Nahida lowered her head, a bit ashamed.
This was the first time she had been caught spying on someone’s dream, and being confronted by the dreamer left her feeling flustered and at a loss for words.
“Alright, alright, I’m just teasing you.”
Luo Qing chuckled and moved closer to Nahida, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair. Instead, he extended his hand with a friendly smile.
“I’m honored to have you visit my dream, Little Archon. My name i...
2024-11-26 20:04:08 +0000 UTC
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Luo Qing was baffled.
He hadn’t even done anything to Makoto—hadn’t kissed her, hadn’t touched her—yet here she was, interrogating him like a resentful wife about what he had done with Layla.
What could he possibly have done?
It was only their first meeting!
At most, he had touched her feet.
After explaining for what felt like forever, Luo Qing finally extricated himself and retreated to his room.
All he wanted was a good night’s sleep before he...
2024-11-26 20:04:04 +0000 UTC
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“Recent entries to Dr. Helen Cho’s lab have been minimal. We should find some leads,” Agent Hill said.
With Hill’s help, Xia Luo obtained a detailed list of visitors to the lab: Coulson, Hill herself, Carter, Reed, Tony, and Helen Cho.
Looking at the names, Xia Luo frowned slightly.
The list wasn’t much help in solving the case of the missing vibranium nanoparticles.
“As it stands, Tony Stark seems the most suspicious,” Hill remarked.
Helen Cho, sta...
2024-11-26 20:03:18 +0000 UTC
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With a flick of his wrist, Xia Luo opened a portal.
“Let’s go. Time to head back,” he said.
Tony glanced at the bodies scattered across the cave. “What about these guys?”
Xia Luo waved dismissively. “Don’t worry. Spider-Man’s not great at cleaning up messes, but my friends are.”
“Your friends?”
Tony raised an eyebrow as Xia Luo activated his cloning technique. Several identical versions of himself materialized, each one grinning confidently....
2024-11-26 20:03:14 +0000 UTC
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[You played as the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and defeated Kahn of the Morlun family. Restart count +13.]
In the neon-lit city, a red-and-blue figure swung gracefully across the intricate aerial highways.
“Swish~”
Landing lightly atop the GG billboard, Xia Luo gazed at the enormous screen in the plaza below.
The footage displayed a colossal Spider-Man holding up a precariously tilting skyscraper.
In the lower-left corne...
2024-11-26 20:03:11 +0000 UTC
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“No—!”
"Boom!!"
A deafening crash echoed as Kahn’s body was violently hurled through the ceiling of a nearby building.
Before he could hit the ground, crackling arcs of lightning zipped across the air, slamming into him. His body was tossed back and forth like a battered ball under their relentless strikes.
“Uppercut.”
“Left hook.”
“Right hook.”
2024-11-26 20:03:07 +0000 UTC
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Dark clouds loomed heavily over the city, thunder rumbling in the distance.
"Boom!!"
A flash of white light pierced the sky as the leech totem surged upward, transforming into a colossal entity that coiled ominously within the storm clouds.
The faint shadow of a massive beast took shape in the darkness, its long, glowing blue spots illuminating briefly in the gloom. Above the city, countless points of light emerged, forming a web-like constellation. These li...
2024-11-26 20:03:02 +0000 UTC
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Once again, in that hazy state between sleep and wakefulness, Su Kai heard the familiar call of the simulator—
"When the light of Xi He fails to rise, what brilliance does Ruo Hua offer?"
"I ask you, who is truly the sun?"
"Hmm…" Su Kai heard a clear, feminine voice summoning him, and he chose to respond.
[Savior Simulation refreshed. Do you wish to initiate a new simulation?]
2024-11-26 20:02:34 +0000 UTC
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Just as Okita Souji had mentioned, this wasn’t Ikki Kurogane’s first time eating one of these silver apples; back during his grueling training, he’d had them daily.
But even so, he was amazed at the apple’s effects.
His energy surged, almost like an injection of pure vitality.
“On my way here, I checked the food they’ve been giving you.”
Seeing Ikki’s color noticeably improve, Okita suddenly spoke up. “They’ve laced it with something to weaken your ...
2024-11-25 20:11:24 +0000 UTC
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This scene felt oddly familiar, didn’t it? Ikki Kurogane getting captured... it happened in the original story, too.
After Stella and the others left, Okita Souji lay lazily on her hospital bed, her head turned to gaze out the window, replaying the story in her mind.
It wasn’t surprising that Ikki and Stella’s relationship stirred up such a storm. Stella was, after all, the princess of Vermillion and the world’s most powerful Blazer; her every move was under a global spotl...
2024-11-25 20:11:18 +0000 UTC
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The infirmary at Hagun Academy certainly knows how to care for its patients.
Looking out the window, you can see rows of cherry blossom trees. If you open the window, the scent of cherry blossoms fills the air.
Two little birds, lured by the sight and scent, perch on a branch, looking as though they’re close companions.
Until—
“What?!”
A sudden shout startles the birds, sending them tumbling from their branch.
Back in the familiar hospital bed smell...
2024-11-25 20:11:13 +0000 UTC
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After deflecting Touka Toudou’s attack once more, Okita Souji suddenly retreated far back.
Touka froze. The announcer froze. The audience froze.
Okita lowered her center of gravity, bending her knees slightly. She gripped her sword with both hands, leveling it with her shoulder so the tip pointed directly at Touka, taking on a Seigan stance.
Touka had seen this stance before, but this time, she sensed something different.
The moment their gazes met, she...
2024-11-25 20:11:09 +0000 UTC
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A streak of gold suddenly tinted the silver curtain, setting off an alarm in Okita Souji’s mind.
The curtain tore apart, and blazing golden lightning shot forth like a divine spear, skimming past Okita’s waist with unstoppable force.
But she had no time to breathe a sigh of relief; the imposing figure, like a god of thunder, was already closing in.
The acrid scent filling her nose, the constant rumbling in her ears, the frenzied lightning snakes writhing before her eyes...
2024-11-25 20:11:05 +0000 UTC
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As the group entered the city, they were met with the striking sight of Belobog—a fortress city, steadfast against the ages, like a relic from a frozen steam age.
The towering city walls bore countless scars, a testament to battles past, while heavy artillery lined the fortifications, emanating a chilling, war-worn energy. It wasn’t hard to imagine the struggles the people here had endured, defending themselves against threats during the unending winter.
To gain a deeper under...
2024-11-25 20:11:00 +0000 UTC
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"…Alright, I get it. Distrust is normal, folks—no one in this line of work takes what others say at face value, or they’d end up dead in a back alley somewhere. But come on, do you really have to play dumb this hard?"
"But we genuinely have no clue what you’re talking about?"
March 7 mumbled, clearly bewildered. Sampo eyed the two rather intimidating figures standing like guards behind her, then sighed in mock defeat.
"Fine, fine, I get it. Rule number one—always b...
2024-11-25 20:10:56 +0000 UTC
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“—Pom-Pom, what’s the stability of the star rail? And are there any spatial anomalies detected?”
Unlike the rest, who were eager to set foot on Jarilo-VI, Himeko focused on the Astral Express’s safety along the star rail.
Should the rail collapse or become obstructed, the Express, which fundamentally traversed through Imaginary Domain pathways, would face serious hazards.
It’d be akin to a regular train hurtling forward when the tracks suddenly end, with an endle...
2024-11-25 20:10:51 +0000 UTC
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"…Is it really over? Just like that…"
On the way back, Seele murmured to herself, a trace of confusion on her face.
If Venti were here, he’d have the perfect answer, but now, all she felt was a strange mixture of relief and uncertainty. She felt lighter, freed from her duty—yet, at the same time, unsure of what to do next.
It was an unfamiliar feeling for her, considering people from the Underworld didn’t usually have the luxury of worrying about the future.
...
2024-11-25 20:10:45 +0000 UTC
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