Chapter 61: The Price of Victory and a Masked Threat

Si Kou Ting was undeniably powerful, yet she still fell short when compared to Ye Liuyun.

Initially, their clash appeared evenly matched, a true battle of equals. However, as the fight progressed, a clear disparity began to emerge.

Si Kou Ting lacked a certain resilience.

She lacked the courage and tenacity to persevere through the most arduous moments. Someone who declares, “Reaching the semi-finals is success,” differs greatly from one who admits, “I’m not sure if this move even has a chance.” Even with identical strength, the latter would unleash far greater power when it truly mattered.

Simply put, while Si Kou Ting yearned for victory, she wasn’t prepared to pay the full price for it.

Ye Liuyun, however, was utterly desperate, determined to win no matter the cost.

Their wills in battle were entirely divergent. Consequently, Si Kou Ting gradually found herself at a disadvantage.

Even those with only a rudimentary understanding of martial arts, or indeed, those completely unfamiliar with combat like Ink Crystal, could discern Si Kou Ting’s struggle.

Ye Liuyun’s face, meanwhile, bore no trace of a smile. His gaze was fixed on Si Kou Ting, as if he genuinely intended to beat her to death on that very stage.

There was no joy of impending victory in his eyes. He simply wanted to seize every opportunity. He still had to defeat Si Kou Ting, then the sports teacher, and then Teacher Liu.

He had many opponents yet to conquer.

Si Kou Ting, having been trained by her mother, employed techniques strikingly similar to his own.

But—she was still too soft!

In stark contrast to Si Kou Ting’s growing weariness, Ye Liuyun grew stronger with each exchange. His punches gained immense power, and astonishingly, his speed actually increased.

He truly resembled a berserker.

This made it increasingly difficult for Si Kou Ting to hold on. Her forehead was slick with cold sweat.

Their moves were exceptionally vicious, and their collision produced results that inspired fear. A single misstep could lead to a disastrous outcome.

It demanded immense mental energy, and she was already profoundly exhausted. Yet, her opponent seemed to grow more excited with every blow.

She couldn’t comprehend it.

Was their stamina not depleting? Or were they simply gifted, with an abnormal hormone secretion that allowed them to unleash greater power in difficult situations?

She didn’t know.

She was too drained to consider anything else, her vision narrowed to only Ye Liuyun’s techniques. She knew she couldn’t last much longer; she might be crippled on this very stage!

Even though she would certainly receive effective treatment, ‘Is the gap between Ye Liuyun and me truly this vast?’

It was almost unbelievable.

As this thought flashed through her mind, she knew she was in trouble.

Ye Liuyun swept past her, executing a swift body throw that struck her kidney area. A searing pain erupted through her, and she knew her lower back, along with her kidney, had likely sustained significant damage.

Just then, the referee was preparing to declare the match over.

However—

“When?!”

Standing on the teaching building, Ink Crystal’s eyes widened. A transparent figure suddenly materialized.

It was a small person, appearing like an elementary school student, but they wore a Rat Mask.

“Rat Mask! When did they get there?!”

Ink Crystal was incredulous. She had watched the entire arena without wavering. From such a distance, it should have been impossible for anyone to appear on the stage at high speed from outside her line of sight.

Lin Han observed the scene on the stage.

At this moment, Rat Mask had Ye Liuyun in a chokehold, nearly suffocating him, while one foot rested on the fallen Si Kou Ting.

“It’s invisibility.”

Lin Han finally spoke slowly, “Biological invisibility. What exactly is that strange demon that it can induce even this kind of ability?”

Each masked figure seemed to possess a unique ability. Just as Snake Mask’s body was incredibly flexible, no one had imagined Rat Mask’s power would be invisibility.

They had likely walked brazenly onto the stage, right past everyone, to stand beside the two contestants.

“Fall back! Everyone fall back!”

Liu Yun immediately organized the students, urging them to retreat from the area.

By then, Ye Liuyun was already in the throes of asphyxiation. His eyes rolled back, and he had clearly lost consciousness.

Even with his high level of combat skill, Rat Mask, despite appearing like an elementary schooler, represented the immense chasm between a monster and a human.

That was not an opponent a normal human could defeat.

Everyone knew the masked figures would come, and everyone knew they might target Si Kou Ting. All eyes were on the stage, yet—

Rat Mask still appeared.

Effortlessly, they seized both Ye Liuyun and Si Kou Ting, leveraging the masked figure’s power. If they wished, Ye Liuyun could be crushed in the next instant, and Si Kou Ting would be thrown.

In such a situation, even with Magic Girl Rainbow Jade present, the scene was one of utter helplessness. She might indeed be able to pierce the masked figure with a single strike, but…

The two caught by Rat Mask would surely die here.

Carnelian floated up, arriving before the stage.

“Hold your arrows, Miss Carnelian. Beneath my foot is the daughter of your Vice City Lord, and in my hand is your son.”

A voice of indeterminate age emanated from beneath the mask.

Even Liu Yun, Ink Crystal, Liu Xingyue, and Lin Han were stunned.

Ye Liuyun was only sixteen or seventeen years old now…

Did Carnelian give birth to Ye Liuyun at fifteen or sixteen?

When did Carnelian even have a child? By all accounts, Carnelian should be around the same age as Lin Han and Liu Yun.

So Ye Liuyun was only sixteen or seventeen…

Carnelian… gave birth to Ye Liuyun at fifteen or sixteen?

Ink Crystal instinctively wanted to ask about Ye Liuyun’s father, but now, considering the circumstances, she feared he might still be in prison!

Ink Crystal wasn’t the only one to realize this; others surely did as well.

But this did not affect Carnelian.

“Rat Mask, I don’t know your reason for appearing, but since you escaped back then and have now reappeared, what is there to say besides that you’re seeking death?”

Carnelian’s gaze was sharp, her ruby-like, blood-stained pupils reflecting only coldness.

“Heheheh~”

Rat Mask’s grating laugh escaped from beneath their mask. “We fled in the past because we feared your Magic Girl crusades, because of the weakness of certain individuals who left us unprepared. Today, we appear to let you Magic Girls know: pursuing us is an extremely foolish endeavor.”

Their gaze shifted to the Vice City Lord, who remained seated in the stands. “Since the City Lord is also here today, I might as well speak plainly. As you can see, I can kill anyone at any time. Even if Rainbow Jade were present, she couldn’t stop me. I am not like those other fellows.

“We had already escaped and were living stable lives. If everyone simply minded their own business, we could all live in peace. But you insisted on searching for us, investigating everywhere, stirring up trouble—this made us feel very unpleasant. And when we, people like us, feel unpleasant, there’s no telling what we might do.”

Their foot pressed down slightly, and Si Kou Ting let out a pained groan. One could even hear faint ‘crackling’ sounds of bones straining, as if the girl might be crushed in the next second.

“Xin’er!”

The Vice City Lord’s expression finally showed a change.

Rat Mask seemed pleased by this, loosening the pressure on their foot. “However, ultimately, I am a reasonable person. As the saying goes, it’s better to resolve enmity than to foster it. Let us both take a step back. You revoke our warrants, and I will release these two, guaranteeing that we will not commit similar acts in the future.”

They spoke eloquently, “How about it? This is a very worthwhile proposal for both sides, isn’t it? Everyone can live happily under the sun; how could that be bad? To be honest, I also don’t want to suddenly be ambushed by Rainbow Jade one day and instantly killed like an old hag. People like us also need a sense of security!

“City Lord, I believe you can make a calm judgment. If today’s deal cannot be struck, we will only be able to use our own methods to seek a sense of security. You naturally have your own methods too, like sealing off the entire city to forcefully track us down. I believe you, and other high-ranking officials, do not lack such resolve… However, I think things shouldn’t have to escalate to that extent, should they? It benefits none of us. Moreover… we are all kind people. If both sides take a step back, perhaps we could even act as unsung heroes, maintaining public order in the city! No matter how you look at it, it’s all benefit and no harm!”

This was the difference between a monster and a strange demon. Monsters were too clever.

When fighting strange demons, there was no need for idle chatter, but with monsters, there was indeed some room for negotiation. Historically, there had been monsters who reached agreements with the government—

For example, a certain Kamen Rider known as the “Observer.”

Lin Han was different. Lin Han had almost bound himself, appearing before the government and negotiating with them. He accepted the outcome of being imprisoned, exchanging his honesty for the status of an observer.

The Rat Mask before them, however, was directly issuing a threat.

Their meaning was clear: “Since I dared to come here today, I have the ability to leave. If we can’t agree, then from now on, all of you will live under the shadow of my assassination.”

They were extremely confident in their abilities, convinced that no one could stop them, not even Rainbow Jade.

Although the source of this confidence was unknown, it was certainly intimidating.

Liu Yun subtly exchanged glances with Liu Xingyue. Liu Xingyue understood her intent.

If Emerald’s power could bind the opponent, then no matter how fast they escaped, it would be useless. Therefore, she had to secretly transform into Emerald and approach them.

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