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Ye Ying watched as the Lion Dog leaped off the cliff. With a whistle, a majestic eagle swooped down, and without hesitation, Ye Ying jumped off the edge. The eagle caught her mid-air, and she stood on its back, crouching slightly as it soared downward. Dina shouted urgently, "Don't chase the desperate enemy!" Even if you were to catch up alone, it wouldn't make a difference.
"Quickly!" Li Qing urged.
At that moment, Cui Ming vanished in a flash. Dina was startled and asked, "Where did Cui Ming go?"
Mi Xiaonan slid down the steep slope from the side and replied, "Don't worry about him."
The Lion Dog utilized its animal instincts to navigate the steep cliff with agility, quickly descending. Upon seeing Ye Ying pursuing it, instead of fleeing, it leaped up and clashed with the eagle, wielding short knives in its hands. The eagle couldn't alert its master in time and was thrown off by Ye Ying, separating them just in time to evade the Lion Dog's attack. As the Lion Dog landed and turned around, it first spotted Cui Ming instead of Ye Ying. Cui Ming raised a hand, and a Black Card flew onto the Lion Dog's body, granting him an advantage; his Force increased while the Lion Dog's diminished.
The flying card struck twice against the Lion Dog as it lunged at Cui Ming. In response, Cui Ming sent an explosive card forward with his left hand. The impact sent both him and the Lion Dog crashing together. Thanks to his advantageous position, Cui Ming's Force overpowered that of the Lion Dog's as he embraced it tightly. The Lion Dog retaliated with its left hand, stabbing a dagger into Cui Ming's shoulder.
Suddenly, three crossbow bolts shot out from the bushes with sharp sounds, all striking the Lion Dog's body. Ye Ying rushed forward, continuously firing crossbow bolts that collided with the protective Force surrounding the Lion Dog, drilling into it like a power drill. The Lion Dog quickly concealed its dagger in its sleeve and launched a lasso that ensnared Ye Ying perfectly. At that moment, Cui Ming leveraged his Force to leap into the air and spun around, slamming the Lion Dog's head into the ground.
The Lion Dog crashed down but was already significantly injured from the continuous blows. Realizing that further combat would be disastrous for him, he fled without a word. Just then, an eagle swooped down from above, its wings brushing against the Lion Dog as he fell to the ground. Cui Ming chased after him; in his eyes, today was not going well for the Lion Dog.
Unbeknownst to them, a red heart-shaped Force flew in from thirty meters away behind a rock. Ye Ying saw it clearly and warned, "Be careful!"
Without his Fate Card, Cui Ming couldn't sense danger in advance. He turned around just in time to see a figure in black robes before being struck by the red heart. His Force dissipated instantly, leaving him in a state of nullification. Not only that but he foolishly walked toward the figure in black robes. Seeing this, the Lion Dog immediately turned back to pounce on Cui Ming—taking advantage of his vulnerability to finish him off. Just as he was about to strike, unexpectedly, the eagle returned and grabbed Cui Ming with its talons before soaring away.
The Lion Dog missed its attack and hesitated for a moment before spotting a flash of lightning descending from the hillside. It quickly turned around and fled alongside the figure in black robes. Ye Ying had witnessed their tactics and worried about being ambushed again since her companion was protecting Cui Ming; she dared not pursue any further. She called back her eagle as it set Cui Ming down on solid ground; his gaze was vacant. By the time Mi Xiaonan arrived, Cui Ming had just begun to regain his senses and asked, "What happened?" His mind was blank after being hit by the red heart.
"You were seduced," Ye Ying explained.
Originally, this Seduction Force wasn't fast; however, Cui Ming had been too focused on the Lion Dog. His flying cards targeted specific parts of his opponent's body which meant all of his mental energy was concentrated on that one target. By the time Ye Ying warned him, it was already too late. Quick to react, Ye Ying realized what had happened to Cui Ming and abandoned her plan for her eagle to attack while opting instead to rescue him.
Though their confrontation was brief, both sides had come close to death multiple times yet managed to escape each other's grasp. It could be said that during this encounter they understood each other well but were unaware of each other's true capabilities. Cui Ming felt frustrated; how could someone so clever overlook that there might be reinforcements? Yet it wasn't entirely his fault; his focus on attacking equated to his lethality—making it difficult for him to divide his attention.
However, this encounter left an extremely deep impression on all five of them regarding the performance of the Lion Dog.
The officials in Twilight City began to handle the bodies. After the prisoners were killed, they were silently carried away, each with a single fatal stab wound to the heart.
Five people stood at the checkpoint, enduring a sleepless night, their moods heavy. It wasn't just the weight of life and death; it was that the Lion Dog, after being identified by the True Sight Guardian, showed no intention of retreating but instead roamed about, seeking opportunities to assassinate others. This kind of confidence felt unsettling.
With an exceptionally long duration of invisibility, agile dodges and jumps, and lethal attacks, this perfect assassin embodied all the traits of a human killer. Just releasing this Lion Dog would mean that even Cui Ming and Fate Card would be unable to detect Force's position. Who could he possibly assassinate? Unless the True Sight Guardian was active for twenty-four hours, even then, a bodyguard team would be necessary.
The Half-Beast combined human intelligence with animal traits, forming a new type of Intelligent Being whose overall quality surpassed that of humans. The most serious issue was their numbers. Assuming there were no religious influences, such beings would exist because humans tend to form factions, engage in internal strife, and maintain a balance. However, due to religion, they would undoubtedly be very united and fearless.
Dina was at the phone booth at the checkpoint, constantly in contact with Bufon, the President of the Ye Family. Bufon wanted to reach out to others while she stayed by the phone. It wasn't until breakfast time that she finally joined everyone at the table. The breakfast consisted of standard soldier fare: rice, shredded meat, scrambled eggs, and a plate of vegetables—Twilight City's soldiers had decent meals.
Dina sat down with a serious expression: "The President has informed us not to make any radical provocations for now. If there are channels available, we should establish contact with them for a conversation. If there are no opportunities, we must create one."
Cui Ming asked, "Does that mean we feel we can't defeat them?"
"No," Dina replied. "The President believes that the Fire Cult Practitioners do not surpass our alliance in strength. However, if war breaks out between the Force Alliance and the Fire Cult Practitioners or between the Eternal Alliance and the Fire Religion Nation, it will lead to the Fourth World War—a conflict that will affect everyone involved. The chief envoy of the Eternal Alliance and elders from the York Clan have all come to Twilight City; all factions must sit down together and prepare for the worst."
Dina continued: "There are several key questions now: First, what is the number of Fire Cult Practitioners? Second, have they infiltrated the Force Alliance? Third, what is the attitude of most practitioners within the Force Alliance regarding this matter? By the way, the President asked me to convey his gratitude for your assistance; he has already spoken with Dawn Empire, which will no longer make things difficult for New Island. He also mentioned that due to pressure from the Eternal Alliance, Dawn Empire had been discussing lifting the exile on Bit Island—it was merely a matter of convenience."
Cui Ming felt indifferent; this was Raefus's ideal he was merely assisting with. He nodded: "Alright, thank you."
Dina said: "You can head back to Twilight City now; Jayce has dispatched vehicles that should arrive at the foot of the mountain this morning."
Cui Ming frowned: "What's going on?"
"I don't know," Dina replied. "Jayce initially planned to send a team to scout out the Fire Cult but canceled at the last minute due to an important matter."
"Okay."
The group continued their breakfast as Dina casually grabbed some scrambled eggs while eating and talking on her phone. Although she belonged to the Ding Family, following its decline in lineage, Dina had become a neutral figure within the Force Alliance. With her hard work and outstanding performance, her reputation was gradually building.
After Dina left, breakfast resumed with their earlier discussion. Li Qing remarked: "The Lion Dog's invisibility is too powerful; even reconnaissance guards are ineffective against it—only True Sight Guardian can break its stealth." However, True Sight Guardian was a treasure and not something cheap like reconnaissance guards.
This was also the most troubling point for Cui Ming; his Fate Card could not decipher the Lion Dog. Ye Ying, who had remained silent, spoke up, "Last night, I felt they couldn't be sure it wasn't a trap, yet the Lion Dog still came alone, with his companions waiting at the foot of the mountain. That shows a tremendous amount of confidence."
Cui Ming asked, "What are you trying to say?"
"Assuming the Force Alliance members don't know any Fire Cult Practitioners, why does the Lion Dog have such confidence?"
Cui Ming nodded. "The Fire Cult Practitioners have a certain understanding of the Force Alliance members. Compared to the members of the Force Alliance, they are practically perfect. We all have weaknesses to some extent. This means that there might be people from the Force Alliance... but it’s useless; we don’t have a revealing mirror."
Mi Xiaonan interjected, "Let's not get sidetracked; we are studying the Lion Dog."
Cui Ming replied, "Yes, the Lion Dog does have weaknesses. For instance, Mi Xiaonan's lightning and Eva's invisibility; their durations are related to Force equivalence and have a certain time limit. Time seems to have no constraints on the Lion Dog. However, there is another way to break invisibility: large area attacks. As long as he gets hit, invisibility is broken. Moreover, after the Lion Dog's invisibility was broken, he did not re-enter an invisible state even when fighting against me and Ye Ying at the cliff. This indicates that the Lion Dog's invisibility is not what we thought it was."
Li Qing asked, "What does that mean?"
Cui Ming pondered for a moment. "I think it’s closer to Toad's teleportation. It is said that Toad can only use teleportation once a month; if forced to use it twice, he will suffer backlash from the spell. After the Lion Dog's invisibility was broken, he could not enter an invisible state again." Just like his own Fate Card; after teleporting someone away, he must meditate for half an hour to recover his Fate Card.
Li Qing remarked, "Junior Brother, one invisibility is enough for the Lion Dog; he can kill anyone at will."
Cui Ming said, "It's about taking initiative. Either like my senior brother with True Sight Guardian, which is still passive, or... like the wind that can sense fluctuations in the air. You all continue discussing; I need to research why my Fate Card cannot break his invisibility."
This was what troubled Cui Ming the most. He pushed his bowl away in frustration and stood up, moving to sit aside against the mountain wind. The Fate Card could sense the position of Force fluctuations unless the Lion Dog had no Force fluctuations while being invisible. Reflecting on last night's battle, Cui Ming began to understand; when he broke the Lion Dog's invisibility yesterday, it was due to his entire hand being thrown out—this move had little power but was an area attack. Yet yesterday, breaking the Lion Dog's invisibility seemed to have injured him as well. (To be continued.)
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