Chapter 281-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
The moment he saw Ye Zheng, Percy's breath nearly stopped, his blue eyes trembling in silence.
"The Bai family truly lives up to its reputation as a noble house—still able to produce such impressive devices."
Ye Zheng approached, speaking as casually as if making small talk, her voice gentle.
She seized Percy's wrist and calmly yet firmly slid the bracelet off, toying with it in her hand.
"When did you notice me?"
"From the moment you two slipped into the base."
Percy knew full well this was no time for a chat with Ye Zheng. He still had plenty of devices on him, and the possibility of being discovered by Ye Zheng had been factored into the plan—escape wasn't entirely out of the question.
But Caleb had been detained. He couldn't abandon him and flee alone.
Percy clenched his fists, only to find his palms drenched in cold sweat at some point. He vaguely understood that even if he wanted to run, there would be no chance in front of Ye Zheng.
"Impossible. We wore specially made gear—even a keen support-type ability user would have a hard time detecting our energy signatures."
Escape was out of the question for now, but he could stall Ye Zheng and buy time for the others.
"This is my base. Every patch of damp earth you've stepped on is my eyes."
Ye Zheng pocketed the white bracelet, answering his doubt with evident interest, like a patient teacher.
"Everything you just did in there—I saw all of it, clear as day."
"You were toying with us!" Percy said through gritted teeth.
He glanced up at the cloudless sky. They had chosen this day with great care. Ye Zheng's hydrokinesis was formidable, so they had deliberately picked today—a day guaranteed to be bathed in sunlight.
Yet even the most powerful ability user couldn't perfectly predict the whims of nature. It had rained the day before—not heavily, not lightly—but fortunately, today showed no sign of rain whatsoever.
Even so, Ye Zheng had managed to silently spread her ability through the damp soil. For all he knew, even the humid air was her surveillance network.
He'd thought his own rate of improvement was fast enough. Before coming, he'd even steeled himself for an all-out fight against Ye Zheng...
Percy instinctively reached for his waist, but his hand closed on empty air. Only then did he snap back to reality and casually played it off.
His little gesture didn't escape Ye Zheng's keen eyes. She asked with apparent concern, "Why didn't you bring that sword today?"
"Or did you hide it somewhere else?"
Ye Zheng's gaze turned suddenly sharp, as if it could slice him open, peeling back layers of flesh to reach the deepest place where secrets lay hidden.
In that moment, Percy finally lost control of his racing heart. He kept his expression composed, betraying nothing, and lowered his voice. "Your Holiness, no matter where that Holy Sword is, it can no longer shake your current position—isn't that right?"
As a resident of the lower district, Percy understood better than any aristocrat that the banner they'd raised held no sway over the common people. The majority still stood with Ye Zheng. No one would believe that Ye Zheng would resurrect the Demon Dragon and betray the entire Empire.
"The only person who can shake your position... is yourself, Ye Zheng."
"I know your mad purpose. I don't understand why you'd want to do such a thing, but please—stop now. I have a way to destroy the Dragon Bones and end the Demonic Domain catastrophe..."
Mid-speech, a knight hurried over. At Ye Zheng's signal, the knight discreetly reported some piece of intelligence.
Ye Zheng's attention was drawn away. She turned to listen, completely tuning out Percy's voice. Percy's expression turned sour, and he fell silent.
"Ah, she's already here."
"You can call Wen De back now—no need to keep searching. And Wu Shu..."
After Ye Zheng finished, the knight took the order and departed. She finally turned her gaze back to Percy.
"...Ye Zheng, you can still turn back."
Percy's lips moved, but that was all he could manage.
"Actually, the person who least wants me to turn back—is you, Percy."
Under the blazing sun, Ye Zheng stood with her back to it. The light softened her silhouette, and she lifted her chin slightly, her half-lidded eyes gazing down with a kind of pity that made one squirm.
Under that gaze from which nothing could hide, Percy's face went deathly pale. After a long moment, he shook his head and stumbled backward.
"What are you even talking about..."
"I'm not the only one trying to stop you—more people will come soon—"
"More people—you mean the Royal Knights that Princess Heath brought, and Sierra with her followers?"
Ye Zheng finished his sentence for him, her tone brimming with composed amusement.
"Percy, there's one thing you said that was spot on."
As she spoke, Ye Zheng gave a light wave of her hand. Four knights appeared from nowhere, seizing Percy with ruthless efficiency. He was forced to his knees, looking up at Ye Zheng.
His eyes were forced to face the harsh sunlight head-on. His vision blurred white, and with it, his mind and every sensation in his body grew hazy.
In that daze, Percy understood one thing: he hadn't been the one stalling for time—Ye Zheng had been waiting for the right moment.
"The only person who can shake my position—is myself."
The resolute murmur lingered long in the air.
In Percy's wavering, indistinct vision, the figure wreathed in blinding light walked away, carrying an air of cold, unyielding determination.
*
"Your Holiness, Bai Yi is back with that ragtag band of his! We've already mounted weapons on the towers, and all defenders are in position!"
"Ma'am, the western perimeter wall has completely collapsed! We're redirecting people there now!"
"The gates—suspicious black flying creatures have appeared at the gates and are closing in on us..."
Frantic, chaotic voices filled the air. Nearby, battle reports came in an endless stream; in the distance, the relentless thunder of combat echoed. Ye Zheng walked through it all with extraordinary calm.
"Stay composed. Have them pull back further inside."
"Send the second squad to prioritize maintaining order for the civilian evacuation. Don't act rashly."
Ye Zheng strode briskly toward the collapsed western section of the base. The knights around her received her orders and hurried off in all directions. Before she knew it, she was alone in the outdoor corridor.
Suddenly, Ye Zheng gradually slowed to a halt. She looked in a certain direction and gazed quietly for a moment.
Someone stepped out from behind a colonnade.
"It's been a long time, Your Holiness."
Sierra flashed a smile more radiant than her golden hair, though her eyes were deeply cold.
Ye Zheng returned the smile with a nod. "Indeed, it's been a while. I've been looking forward to seeing you again, Sierra."
"Seeing me won't be a pleasant experience."
Sierra sidled closer. Her brilliant smile vanished in an instant, her facial muscles trembling—whether from excitement or fury—and her arm shot up, forcefully pushing down on Ye Zheng's neck.
Ye Zheng cooperated, lowering her head. One pair of dark eyes, serene; one pair of crimson eyes, ablaze. The two locked gazes.
"Ye Zheng, you've been using me for so long—you didn't actually think I'd keep letting you, did you?"
"This time, I didn't bring the Dragon Bones you want."
With that, Sierra broke into a grin. She turned to look toward the west, and Ye Zheng followed her line of sight.
The towering walls had crumbled. Above the dust-choked ruins, two forces clashed in a dizzying blur across a teetering defensive barrier—blue banners facing red, swaying in the wind.
She had breached the outer wall one step ahead of Bai Yi's forces. It seemed she'd been biding her time all along, waiting for the aristocrats' assembled army to rout and the base's defenders to let down their guard before launching her assault—like a hyena.
"I don't need the Dragon Bones to defeat you."
Sierra spoke through clenched teeth, a trace of excitement in her voice. Finally—she'd made Ye Zheng stumble hard.
She didn't give a damn about chivalry or honor. She didn't care whose corpses she trampled on the way up, as long as she was happy.
Kill Ye Zheng, seize this base, and she could replace Ye Zheng as the so-called Chosen One, then move into the upper district palace and claim the lofty upper district as her own...
"Sierra, you've made progress." Ye Zheng remarked suddenly.
At those words, Sierra narrowed her eyes. Something felt wrong.
Ye Zheng was far too calm—though she always did have that irritating composure about her.
Before the thought had even fully formed, Sierra's hand shot up almost on reflex. A razor-sharp knife slid from her sleeve, and she drove it straight at the back of Ye Zheng's neck!
At the same time, Ye Zheng clamped down on her shoulders and slammed her to the ground—
Clang. The knife clattered to the floor.
Without warning, a hand shot out from the shadows on the ground and yanked Sierra down. Her eyes went wide as she plunged into the darkness.
"Unfortunately, I don't have time to entertain you personally right now."
Ye Zheng stared at the now-still ground, let out a soft sigh, and continued walking.
The twins' abilities weren't offensive in nature. As long as no harm was inflicted, the ability wouldn't be nullified—they should be able to hold Sierra down for a while.
She'd expected Sierra would most likely bring the Dragon Bones along to raid amid the chaos, since after all those years in the Blood Blossom Demonic Domain, Sierra had grown dependent on them.
Fortunately, she'd also accounted for the possibility that Sierra might come empty-handed.
Wu Shu had already rendezvoused with Annabelle, the newly appointed Archbishop of the West District. While Sierra was away, they would seize the opportunity to retrieve the Dragon Bones.
Ye Zheng had come to assess Sierra's situation. If Sierra had brought the Dragon Bones, Ye Zheng would have needed to step in personally to claim them.
Now, Wu Shu and her team would probably need another day to deliver the Dragon Bones to the East District. She trusted they would complete the mission.
Next, there remained only the Dragon Bones that Percy's group had hidden away.
Ye Zheng looked down and took the white bracelet from her pocket, examining it carefully in the sunlight.
She'd secretly dispatched Wen De to track down the Dragon Bones Bai Yi had hidden. He was cautious enough that neither Roy nor Percy knew their location—aside from Bai Yi himself, likely no one did.
After her Excommunication Edict, few places remained loyal to the Bai family. The locations where the former Duke Bai could safely stash the Dragon Bones could be counted on one hand.
Bai Yi was a cut above those empty-headed aristocrats—a man of real ability. Wen De had tracked down several leads, only to lose the trail midway or find the bones were fakes.
Yet the device Percy had carried gave her an insight, confirming a certain suspicion.
Ye Zheng held the white bracelet up to the bright light and slipped it onto her wrist, a faint gleam flickering in her eyes.
She could call Wen De back now.
The most important things, of course, were safest kept on one's person. If Bai Yi could produce one such device, he could produce a second.
Ye Zheng turned and began walking in a certain direction, then stopped abruptly.
Wait—was Bai Yi truly that confident he'd make it back safely? He'd witnessed her abilities firsthand.
Perhaps he'd always kept them on his person before, but that didn't necessarily mean he still did now.
Ye Zheng stood in place, pondering for a moment, then resumed walking toward Bai Yi's location.
Along the way, she changed direction and called out to someone.
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