Chapter 282-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
By the time Lucy squeezed her way out of the station, gasping for breath, the sun had climbed to its highest point, the air stifling and thick.
White-Clad Knights were maintaining order at the East District Station. People were herded like sheep by sheepdogs, boarding trains in an orderly fashion while anxiously discussing what on earth was happening.
"It must be the Pope's opposition, right? They'll be driven out in no time!"
"I heard those grand aristocrats brought thousands of high-level ability users. The last time there was a mobilization this big was probably the Demon Dragon five hundred years ago..."
"Stop spreading hearsay. If they could muster thousands of high-level ability users, how come whenever a Demonic Domain pops up in their territories, you never see a soul?"
"We're the ones who bear all the losses from the Demonic Domains. Of course they're in no rush."
"Ugh, I just hope this blows over quickly. I left in such a hurry I didn't bring anything. I'm terrified I'll come back to find my home cleaned out."
Lucy ran against the flow of the crowd. People cast her odd glances now and then. She accidentally bumped head-on into an elderly woman with a bad leg, but the old lady kindly reassured her instead. "Don't worry, dear. The grown-ups' affairs won't reach the likes of us. Your family is surely fine—they're probably already on a train."
In truth, the East District Station had reached an unprecedented volume of foot traffic, yet under the knights' tireless coordination, everything ran with remarkable efficiency.
This wasn't solely due to the knights' training. The people here trusted Pope Ye Zheng. Under her authority, no one panicked beyond reason. Even in dire circumstances, there remained a steady, reassuring sense of security.
The station had announced early that all trains today were free of charge, with all expenses covered by the Papacy—further proof that everything was under Ye Zheng's control.
The East District was far calmer and more orderly than Lucy had imagined. Before coming, she'd assumed the place would already be in total chaos, given that areas outside the East District were already gripped by unease.
Lucy hesitated on the spot for a moment, then rather sheepishly approached a knight who was busy working to ask how to get to the Holy Journey Knights Order Base.
Ye Zheng was her friend and had once saved her at Hope Base. Now that Ye Zheng was under threat, even if her own strength was meager, she wanted to help however she could.
"There probably aren't any vehicles running in the district anymore. Go over there and take a horse—they won't stop you."
Lucy's eyes lit up at once. She looked up eagerly, having fully expected to be told not to risk it.
The White-Clad Knight saw her expression—grateful yet bewildered—and laughed. She blinked, her stern face softening into warmth. "I've been following your performances at the ability tournament. I used to think that if I ever had a daughter, I'd want her to be a brave girl just like you."
"But now, I no longer need to place my longing for courage and adventure on the next generation."
"Go on. Her Holiness doesn't need anyone's rescue, but she will never turn away a hand reached out to her."
Lucy stared at the knight, transfixed, until the woman patted her on the head, turned, and threw herself back into her duties. Only then did Lucy snap out of it.
She'd always thought she was invisible. Back when the Cloud-Soaring Squad had a modest reputation in the lower district, all the attention was on Percy. Compared to her teammates' abilities, her own felt hopelessly mediocre.
Roy had once teased her that her butterflies were nothing but a pretty face—just like her. She'd turned beet red at the time, and afterward even wondered if she'd developed feelings for Roy to have such a strange reaction.
Much later, Lucy realized it hadn't been embarrassment at all. It was anger. Fury. Indignation.
She'd always assumed only someone like Ye Zheng could command attention. She never imagined that in some unnoticed corner, someone had been drawn to and inspired by her faint little light.
Coming to her senses, Lucy spun around on the spot, searching for the knight, but the woman had already vanished into the sea of people.
Lucy let it go. She dashed off in the direction the knight had pointed, a slightly goofy grin on her face that stood out starkly among all the anxious expressions.
If she ever got the chance to see that knight again, she would tell her: just now, you lit up my courage too.
*
On the other side of the East District.
The stench of blood mingled with post-rain dampness. The earth was mottled like vast patches of rust.
The fighting was no longer confined to the area around the base—it had begun to spread. From nearby streets and alleys came the sounds of skirmishes, punctuated by screams, as bloodstains slowly dried on crumbling buildings.
Outside the base, Bai Yi—disguised as an ordinary Royal Knight—stepped over a vaguely familiar corpse, his feelings in turmoil. Over the years, he'd killed with his abilities before, but slaughter on this scale was a first.
It had been so long since this land had seen large-scale war between humans that even he had forgotten: overpowering abilities alone weren't enough to fight people.
Ye Zheng seemed to have anticipated today's events long in advance.
The thoroughness of her defenses, the rhythm of her attacks, the coordination of logistics... compared to her forces, the people they'd brought were nothing but a rabble!
In their rush to crush Ye Zheng, they'd amassed a huge number of aggressive offensive-type ability users while neglecting essential healers. They had some, yes, but nowhere near enough to keep pace with the casualties—let alone the fact that their forces had already lost all cohesion, scattered everywhere, easily surrounded and picked off by defenders who knew every inch of the terrain.
His hundred Royal Knights had temporarily stemmed the rout, and Ye Zheng's forces had pulled back inside the base for the moment.
Bai Yi gazed at the battered, tottering walls opposite him, yet felt not a shred of satisfaction. He'd arrived too late. This hastily assembled army of ability users had suffered an irreversible defeat.
Hoping to eliminate Ye Zheng in one stroke was out of the question now, but they still had a chance to seize the Dragon Bones inside the base.
The middle-aged man blended into the ranks, circled the base perimeter with careful observation, found a breach, and slipped inside under cover of the fierce fighting on the western front.
Once inside, Bai Yi let out a complicated sigh. When Roy had first proposed allying with that villain Sierra, he'd been vehemently opposed. His pride wouldn't permit him to associate with such a person. But looking at it now, that had turned out to be the most successful part of the plan.
There'd been no word from Percy, which likely meant his operation had been compromised... Weighed down by grim thoughts, Bai Yi hid in a secluded corner when he suddenly sensed something and turned.
"Mr. Bai."
A black-haired, blue-eyed young man appeared behind him. Bai Yi stared at Percy in surprise.
Percy's face was ashen, as though he'd just fought his way through a fierce battle. He grabbed Bai Yi and pulled him deeper into hiding, speaking rapidly. "Ye Zheng caught me. I just barely escaped. The Dragon Bones should be in Ye Zheng's hands now—she's wearing the bracelet."
They'd confiscated everything he had on him. They'd even fastened ability-suppressing shackles on him. But there was one thing they could never take away.
The Holy Sword was hidden inside his body. He'd used it to sever the shackles, break out of his cell, and fight his way free.
"In her hands?"
Bai Yi couldn't help raising his voice. The two men exchanged a loaded look, each seeing the gravity reflected in the other's eyes.
This was undoubtedly the worst-case scenario. Taking the Dragon Bones now meant confronting Ye Zheng directly—the difficulty spoke for itself.
If they gave up here, they might never get another chance like this, and their ultimate goal of destroying the Dragon Bones would remain forever out of reach.
After a long silence, Percy spoke. "If it's the two of us, we can give it a shot. What do you think?"
"...We've come this far. We have no reason to back down."
The two steeled themselves, ready to face Ye Zheng—even at the cost of their lives.
But the immediate question was: where was Ye Zheng?
"She must be somewhere supporting the base's defense. Did you see her on your way in?"
"No. I didn't even catch a glimpse of her known officers—" Bai Yi stopped mid-sentence, frowning. Now that he thought about it, something felt off. Ye Zheng shouldn't be sitting idle inside the base.
He hadn't engaged anyone on the outside because he didn't want to blow his cover. His primary objective wasn't to breach the base—it was to secure the Dragon Bones.
Ye Zheng had no reason not to act, unless she had something else to attend to...
"Ye Zheng wouldn't expose herself brazenly to the enemy. Most of the time she prefers to operate from behind the scenes. Did you notice any area with especially tight security and an attack pattern consistent with Ye Zheng's abilities?"
Percy's words snapped Bai Yi out of his thoughts. Following that line of reasoning, he realized there actually was such a place!
There had been no rain today, and there were no major water sources near the base, so Ye Zheng's primary ability [Stream] wasn't ideal for deployment. But she had a second power.
The one passed down through every Pope: [Mother of All Things].
Almost no one had ever seen Ye Zheng use [Mother of All Things]. Though the ability was inherited from one Pope to the next, it manifested with subtle differences in each holder.
Out of caution, they had gathered intelligence from all quarters to assess Ye Zheng's capabilities during the planning phase. She had once brought back from the brink of death a subordinate nearly killed by Bai Yi's flames. Other reports indicated she could also manipulate trees, making them sprout new branches in a matter of moments.
They had theorized that Ye Zheng's [Mother of All Things] was similar to those of past Popes: a powerful healing force coupled with a degree of creative ability.
Bai Yi immediately led Percy toward that location. With most of the base's personnel engaged at the front and the rest running logistics, the team hunting for Percy was small and easily avoided.
During his scouting of the breach, he'd noticed the fighting was fiercest on the western side. The wounded, however, were being ferried in orderly fashion into a tower, its entrance guarded by several formidable knights with grim expressions.
Moreover, a particularly tenacious plant-type ability user was there, bolstering the defense—weaving gnarled roots into a flexible wall that held the invaders at bay.
Ye Zheng had to be there, directing the battle!
As they neared the base's western flank, lightly armored knights became more and more numerous, bustling in every direction. The two knew there was no longer any way to avoid detection.
They made a decisive call on the spot.
Bai Yi first signaled the Royal Knights to converge on this location, then swept his arm. Pillars of flame erupted from the ground, surging toward the tower in a massive wave that seized everyone's attention. Percy seized the opening and sprinted toward the tower's flank.
He ran alongside the flames, unwavering courage taking the lead. His hand suddenly plunged into his own body and drew out a sword blazing with golden light.
This time, he would no longer cower before Ye Zheng. His blade would not waver!
The sword's arc, wreathed in roaring fire, engulfed the tower. The ground instantly charred and cracked.
The modest tower crumbled, yet the two grew even more vigilant—especially when, through the billowing dust, they saw several figures emerge.
No surprise there. Ye Zheng couldn't be taken down that easily.
But when they made out the face of the person in the lead, their taut expressions cracked apart.
Bai Yi's eyes went wide with fury. He realized almost instantly—he'd been duped.
"Duke Bai, it's been a long time. You're looking rather haggard."
"Ah, my apologies—I know who you are, but you probably don't know me. I imagine you barely even remember Ye Fanjing."
The middle-aged woman spoke in soft, measured tones, with the refined accent typical of upper-district noblewomen. Bai Yi was familiar with such voices, yet he'd never paid attention to what set one apart from another.
"Zhengzheng asked me to take good care of you. I've hosted many guests on behalf of the Ye family, but this kind of hospitality is a first."
As she spoke, Shu Wan coughed a few times as if choked by the swirling dust, waving it away from her face. She truly didn't look very practiced at this.
Percy glanced back. Behind them, more than a dozen people had silently closed in, trapping them.
Suddenly, his wrist was seized with force.
"I'll hold them off—you take the first chance you get and go find Roy!"
He knew now where Ye Zheng most likely was!
It was his oversight. When the bracelet device had been exposed, Ye Zheng might have already guessed how he would conceal any Dragon Bones he obtained.
Bai Yi was grateful he'd given that medal to Roy before setting out. At least Ye Zheng couldn't immediately locate their hideout. They'd gone to great lengths to ensure Roy's safety.
Even so, Bai Yi felt a crushing sense of unease. By now, they had come to a stark realization—
Ye Zheng was never the cornered prey. She was, and always had been, the seasoned hunter.
"Go! Protect him!"
The roar of erupting flames swallowed the middle-aged man's urgent cry. The soaring temperature pressed in with searing heat, yet no one present showed the slightest intention of retreating.
Fire-type abilities were undoubtedly her natural counter, Shu Wan thought. Even in her most youthful and headstrong days, she'd been wary of such power.
Let alone the fact that Bai Yi was a double S-rank, while her current strength was A-rank at best.
Yet Ye Zheng had entrusted this task to her. If she couldn't suppress Bai Yi, he would pose an enormous threat to the entire base.
Gazing at the towering flames mere steps away, Shu Wan's illuminated face broke into a smile, tinged with an untimely sentimentality.
She'd never had the experience of fighting above her weight class against a top-tier powerhouse, even at her wildest. To have such an experience in middle age—wasn't that, in its own way, a stroke of fortune?
The middle-aged woman stepped back a few paces. Her hand suddenly grasped a length of green vine.
She closed her eyes. Behind her, the ivy scaling the high wall erupted into furious growth. The shade-loving, heat-resistant plant instantly formed a towering, impenetrable green net that held firm against the raging flames!
Its outer bark turned to charred ash almost at once, scattering into the air—yet the resilient core held fast.
Ye Zheng, walking alone through the streets, glanced back. In the distance, she could see the faint glow of fire flickering above the base.
She let out a quiet laugh, turned back, and kept walking.
Bai Yi's ability was troublesome, but she had neither the time nor the energy to deal with him personally right now.
She had a great many things to do today.
Just in case—securing the Dragon Bones came first.
Author's Note
One million words—hooray! Thank you all for sticking with me through this many words. Who would've thought that I originally just wanted to write a little power-fantasy for my own enjoyment? Having this many readers on the same wavelength was completely unexpected. Today I'm writing a special four-thousand-word chapter as a token of my gratitude.
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