Chapter 22: An Unexpected Encounter with Her

On a certain penguin social platform.

Aspiring Sword Immortal: Leader, please take care of Little Fu’s matters (wink wink.jpg)
Don’t Stop Now: It’s rare for you, Xinghui, to ask me for a favor. Fine, I’ll handle those old bastards in the Association myself.
Expelling active Ranger trainees without authorization?
That’s something I’ll settle properly.
Don’t Stop Now: Angry.jpg
Aspiring Sword Immortal: Oh, what about Little Fu’s sister?
Don’t Stop Now: I’ve already asked Igloo and the others to investigate.
It won’t hurry out. Let Little Fu wait patiently.
Aspiring Sword Immortal: Also, about my promotion… Could you help with that too…
Don’t Stop Now: Eh, wait, someone’s inviting me for a 5-man queue, see ya (crying witch.jpg)

After closing her phone, Xinghui sighed heavily.

Leader… I…
Forget it.
Little Fu is right next to me.
Better not swear out loud.

“Little Fu, in a couple of days you’ll be able to return to the Association.
You’ve suffered enough these past few days.
Once I become a Sword Immortal again, I’ll make those old jerks kneel down and apologize to you,
then throw them out onto the streets to beg for radishes and cabbage.”

“That doesn’t sound very nice…” Little Fu looked a bit pained.

“Abusing power, disrespecting elders…
They should be locked in prison!
If anyone bullies you in the future, don’t hold it in—just tell Sister Xinghui directly.”

“Oh, by the way, Little Fu, you’ve been living off that banknote these past few days?”

“I actually had some rations on me when I was kicked out…
After eating them up, I didn’t dare spend the banknote.
Then Sister Xinghui and Sister Ling came.”

That old lady was strange too.
When Wilf wanted to return the banknote, the old lady had mysteriously vanished, leaving Wilf standing dumbfounded.

Hiss…
That’s one million credit coins—enough for food and drink for a whole century…
If I kept it forever, my biggest worry would be how to spend it…

No, no, no!
A Sword Immortal must never chase after small gains.
Otherwise, how could I achieve greatness?

The ancient ones who accomplished great things did not rely solely on transcendent talent.
I already possess that.
What I lack is unyielding determination.

I must find that old lady and return it.

Just as Xinghui made up her mind, a flippant and playful figure suddenly appeared behind her, dragging the familiar girl along.

“Xingling! Also, who are you?”
Xinghui stood up.

Before her stood a girl wearing a red-black striped suit, holding a white cane.
Her snow-white hair was topped by a magician-style small top hat.
Her crimson eyes were half-closed.
Her right eye wore a golden monocle.

At this moment, she held Lingling Lan’s hand and bowed politely toward Xinghui and Wilf.

“Bonjour, Miss Xinghui and Miss Wilf.
It is my pleasure to visit you on such a tranquil day.”

Her voice was exceedingly respectful, yet possessed an almost suffocating charm.

Xinghui’s gaze inadvertently met the girl’s sharp eyes, and she felt her hairs stand on end.
Though it was their first encounter, why did it feel as if she’d known this girl for ages?

A chill crept up her spine.
Fear inexplicably welled up in her chest…

Damn it, I’m a future Sword Immortal—
Why am I intimidated by the oppressive aura of this woman…?

“Y-You… hello.”
She barely forced the words out through her teeth.

“As you can see, I am this girl’s sister.
I saw her wandering alone in the alley, so I brought her out.
Ling’er, go to your friends now.”

“No, Sister. Hehe… I still want head pats…”
Lingling Lan clutched Gelra’s clothes, her eyes filled with longing.

Gelra merely smiled helplessly and gently ran her white-gloved left hand over Lingling Lan’s soft head.

“This child seems to want to be with me.
Ah, having such a clingy little sister is troublesome.
If I left her here to cry in the wind and rain…
Perhaps I’d quite enjoy it.”

Gelra’s words made Xinghui’s chest tighten uncomfortably.

“Ugh…”
Wilf was already borderline PTSD.

“So you are Xingling’s sister, right?
How could a sister say she’d abandon her own sibling…”

After comforting Wilf, Xinghui took a step forward, directly confronting Gelra’s playful smile.

“This is… hypnosis?
What did you do to Xingling?
Isn’t she your sister?”

“Oh, sister~ hahaha~
Precisely because she’s my sister, I can do whatever I want~
Do you really need to ask so much, little Sword Immortal?
Now, kindly step aside, extra people.”

Outside, it all happened in an instant.
But in the next several minutes, it would become the most unforgettable nightmare in Xinghui’s life.

【MEMORY AWAKENING】

Xinghui was a reincarnated Sword Immortal.
In other words, she had died in her past life.
Hence the fragmented memories.

But the witch she could never defeat…
The demon she desperately tried to stop…
Was now standing right before her.

Sixteen years ago, Forest Star [Frost]—
The ruined space station of the Ranger Association.

That day, the flame that consumed giant trees remained unextinguished.
Endless floods swelled and roared.
The colossal stellar catastrophe devoured everything indiscriminately.
All familiar worlds were pulled into the bottomless black hole.

The space station before her looked like a scene from hell.
It wasn’t an endless beast tide from the underworld, but a living mountain of flesh—
A grotesque mass of deranged rangers and innocent people writhing toward the newly ascended Sword Immortal, Xinghui.

Without any choice, Xinghui unleashed sword techniques upon the flesh mountain.
Countless familiar faces were torn apart in an instant.
Their expressions were peaceful.
Almost as if willingly offering their lives to the utterly evil witch.

The entire station was stained crimson.
Mountains of corpses and seas of blood nearly pushed Xinghui’s sanity to zero.

With one desperate strike of all her remaining power—
Even if it meant detonating her Holy Sword—
She would annihilate this demon that could end the world…

“Holy Sword Fuflore, erupt like a supernova!”

Yet even the full force of a Holy Sword attack barely scratched the elegant princess dress of the witch…

The Scarlet Witch, Glashiala, sat nonchalantly atop a throne made of corpses.
Her sweet, innocent voice shattered Xinghui’s last shred of pride and her dream of being a Sword Immortal.

“You ruined my dress…”

Ultimately, like all fallen heroes of the age, Xinghui collapsed in front of the throne under the witch’s teasing smile.

Even in death, one should die with dignity…
Never bow the head, never kneel to the enemy…

Oh Goddess… I have failed…

“Hmph, such spirit.
If I didn’t want to kill you, would you consent to live a little longer?”

“Then kill me already, and don’t ask why!
Despicable witch, remember this:
The nobility and greatness of humans… lies in their courage!”

“Oh?!
What did you say!”

Enraged, the witch stomped a high heel onto Xinghui’s face, twisting it several times.

“Disrespectful worm.
Then just die!”

With a flash of her scythe’s light, blood splattered onto her sleeve.
The witch’s crimson smile darkened into a shadow.