Chapter 321: Who in the World Does Not Know Fu
Deep within the Esper Garden.
Inside a massive banquet hall.
A place that should have been empty was instead brilliantly lit. Several strangely shaped beings sat around a round table, chatting.
“Leader is far too hesitant in his actions. If he had listened to me back then and struck at Bai Fu as soon as she began cooperating with the Rebirth Empire, how could things have spiraled so far out of control today?”
The one speaking, his tone full of complaint, was a cosmic beastman with a back bristling with spikes and stout limbs.
Next to him, a pitch-black alien who looked just like the faceless black figures from Detective Conan let out a cold laugh.
“Hesitant? That’s not it. I say he’s still hung up on his old ties with the Rebirth Empire and couldn’t bear to make a move. And now look what’s happened—a calamity. We shouldn’t even be exposed yet. The Child of Prophecy hasn’t fully evolved, and the war between the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations and the Holy City of Apostles has only just begun.”
There was no hint of respect for the Leader in his voice. He didn’t even want to call him “Leader.”
Yet, even with such insolence, none of the others around the table showed dissatisfaction. In fact, they nodded in agreement.
“If he manages to kill Bai Fu this time, that’s one thing. But if he fails, then he has no right to stay as Leader any longer.”
The beastman shook his head. “Even if he really does kill Bai Fu, he’s still unfit to lead us. Someone who clings to old sentiments—what right does he have to guide us forward? In critical moments, what if his sentimentality resurfaces? Then it won’t just be us who perish.”
The black figure echoed, “Exactly. Killing Bai Fu proves nothing. With so many resources at his disposal, even I could guarantee her death if I were the one in charge.”
At that moment, a sudden voice of doubt rang out.
“Really?”
The black figure curled his lips in disdain. “Of course I—hmm?”
His voice stopped abruptly.
Something was wrong.
That voice just now…
Wasn’t that Bai Fu’s voice?
Ever since their organization had made Bai Fu their top elimination target, he had etched her appearance and voice firmly into his memory.
No mistake—the one who had just questioned him was Bai Fu!
“Careful!”
He hurriedly warned the others.
But it was already too late.
Years of comfortable living inside the Esper Garden had dulled their vigilance. They had completely failed to notice Bai Fu, who had melted into the night and crept right up to them.
The instant his warning rang out in the banquet hall, the entire space was swallowed by dense darkness. Then, from every direction—from the depths of their very hearts—came eerie whispers like the murmurs of demons.
【Endless Domain of Darkness】 + 【Whisper of the Painter】.
Two colored Prayer Cards dropped down, instantly turning the banquet hall into Bai Fu’s battlefield.
But that wasn’t all Bai Fu had prepared.
Her Ethereal Field unfolded, and immediately she summoned Kabaya, the Prayer Angel, the Eye of Sorrow (Domination-level), and the Sacrificial Staff.
The towering forms of Kabaya and the Prayer Angel crashed against the hall, smashing its roof to rubble in an instant.
Debris rained from above, dust billowing.
The faces of the black figure and the others turned ashen as they stared at Bai Fu gripping her staff, with an army of True Spirit Summons and psionic lifeforms behind her.
“Bai Fu? Impossible—how did you find this place?”
“What do you think?”
Bai Fu looked at the five of them with a half-smile.
Three Transcendents, two Domination-level beings. The highest level was 231, the lowest 192.
No wonder the Esper Garden’s Strategy Guide had set the recommended level range at 200–240. If she had come here right after advancing to Transcendent, she would have died for sure.
“Eh…”
As she watched, her eyes suddenly fixed on the black figure.
【Name】: Alien · Lightless One (Pathseeker)
【Template】: Ultra Rare – Esper Tree Parasite
【Main Class】: Master of the Garden Lv31 [Sub-class Lv200]
“You’re from the Esper Garden?”
Bai Fu remembered very clearly. When she had researched the Esper Garden, she had come across this name.
Alien · Lightless One, one of the seven Esper Kings of the Esper Garden. After their defeat, he had been captured alive by the Rebirth Empire and imprisoned in the Abyssal Prison.
By all rights, he should have long since perished there. Why was he still alive—and back here in the Esper Garden?
“!”
The Lightless One shuddered violently at the exposure of his true identity.
He had long since altered his appearance. Even the comrades beside him knew nothing of who he truly was—they thought he was just an Esper Genius who had risen from the Land of Chaos.
So how had Bai Fu seen through him?
Could it be she had some ability to discern true identities at a glance? Or perhaps some esper power to read thoughts?
No.
Considering that Bai Fu had been able to pinpoint the Esper Garden’s location amid the boundless sea of stars, he realized there was a far more plausible explanation.
【A mole—Bai Fu used a mole!】
Damn it! Who had betrayed him?
There weren’t many within the organization who knew his real identity, and none of them had a quarrel with him…
Wait. Really no quarrel?
【Leader!】
The instant that title flashed through his mind, the Lightless One’s breath grew heavy.
On the surface, he and the Leader had no conflict. But in truth? He had long coveted the Leader’s seat. The Leader had likely sensed it.
A thousand years ago, they had been mortal enemies. Though they had later reconciled and boarded the same ship, with no apparent reason to keep hating each other, if he could covet the Leader’s position—who was to say the Leader didn’t also harbor murderous intent toward him?
【Damn bastard! If it really was him, then he’s using Bai Fu’s blade to kill me. Once he kills her afterward, no one will know that it was him who set me up.】
“Aaagh!”
Already dissatisfied with the Leader, the Lightless One sank into a fury.
Dog! I, the Lightless One, will never let you have your way!
At that moment, the beastman beside him looked on in shock and asked, “You… you’re really from the Esper Garden?”
Lightless One waved a hand. “Now is not the time to discuss that. Let us deal with Bai Fu first.”
The cosmic beastman nodded and did not press the matter further.
The immediate priority remained escaping their predicament.
Being suddenly assaulted by Bai Fu had greatly surprised Lightless One, but he did not panic.
Damn it—Bai Fu dared to come alone; she really did not take him seriously!
She thought she could survive under the Apostles’ Divine Disciple? She thought being an Apostle’s birth made her arrogant?
Then he would tell her this: she had come to the wrong place today. He might not be able to kill her, but capturing her alive was very likely.
“Attack!”
Lightless One shouted.
In an instant, the cosmic beastman and the others charged at Bai Fu. He himself did not move, but suddenly released a vast cloud of gray mist from his body.
The gray mist was a new ability unlocked by further developing his unique esper power; it was called “Suppression.”
This “Suppression” did not repress people or objects, but energy.
Any energy tainted by it would see its activity greatly reduced or even temporarily completely disabled. Using “Suppression” against physical-cultivation fighters or naturally beefy opponents was ineffective, but against psionic prayer-users it was highly targeted.
“All psionic and dark energy are disabled. Bai Fu, let’s see what you can fight us with now!”
Lightless One sneered.
He was certain Bai Fu did not know he possessed this ability, because it was newly unlocked—no one else knew besides himself.
Interesting.
Once he captured Bai Fu alive and dragged her before the Leader, the Leader’s expression would be priceless!
“This is…”
The cosmic beastman and the others who had rushed forward were astonished to find the energy inside their bodies becoming limp and unresponsive.
But having worked with Lightless One for years, they immediately realized this was beneficial.
With their energies largely unusable, everyone’s power would drop—and as a psionic prayer-user, Bai Fu would suffer the most.
Not only would she weaken, but the True Spirit summons she called forth would weaken too.
A great opportunity!
The cosmic beastman and the others were filled with battle fervor, as if they could already envision Bai Fu on her knees before them.
Kill! Kill! Kill!
Despite the fierce onslaught, Bai Fu—affected by Suppression—remained completely untroubled.
Lightless One had underestimated one thing: besides himself, Bai Fu also knew he had the “Suppression” skill.
Don’t underestimate my cheat!
Of course, don’t underestimate my connections either!
“If you think you can use your STR-DEX-END advantage to crush me, you are mistaken. To prevent accidents, I specially invited an ally this time.”
Come out, Vow Master!
Bai Fu extended her right hand. A nail-sized bubble drifted from her palm and floated before Lightless One.
What was this?
A bad feeling rose in Lightless One’s chest. He hurriedly slashed forward with a palm to strike the bubble.
Before his palm landed, the bubble exploded on its own.
Buzz!
Space trembled.
Amid a ripple of water, an enormous fist shot out like heavy artillery, moving so fast Lightless One could not react.
The fist barreled forward, crushing everything in its path—Lightless One’s palm and arm included.
When it struck Lightless One’s right chest, a heart-piercing scream accompanied the simultaneous eruption of dozens of hidden punch forces inside the fist.
Smack!
In an instant, Lightless One’s body shattered into dozens of pieces; blood sprayed, staining the dark space grotesquely.
“Phew—” standing in the rain of blood, the Vow Master waved her now-restored fist with a smiling face. “Finally my turn.”
After passing through the Stargate, Bai Fu had temporarily formed a void bubble to hide inside. For someone so belligerent, being trapped in a bubble and unable to fight was unbearable.
“Vow Master?”
At that moment, the cosmic beastman and the others finally saw the Vow Master’s appearance clearly, and their faces fell like the bottoms of pots.
The Vow Master was a bona fide martial artist; her combat strength within the gray mist was unquestionably the highest among those present.
“Stop her, now! If she kills me, you’ll face an even more terrifying Bai Fu!”
Lightless One, torn apart, could no longer stay calm and shouted in panic.
The cosmic beastman and the others snapped to attention.
It was true.
But before they could act, Bai Fu’s voice sounded softly.
“Did I say you could leave?”
Except for Lightless One, none of the others had even undergone their second metamorphosis; Bai Fu truly showed no fear.
She led Kabaya, Prayer Angel, and the Eye of Sorrow straight into the crowd. Though the Sacrificial Staff could not currently store energy, it was still useful for poking people.
Come on, fight me.
See if you can kill me!
See if you can kill me before the Vow Master kills Lightless One!
The cosmic beastman and the others sweated in desperation.
They could not shake Bai Fu off; they could only watch the Vow Master beat Lightless One senseless, growing more anxious and less able to break free.
At first they had considered concentrating on killing Bai Fu and then rescuing Lightless One, but after exchanging blows with Bai Fu a few times they were hopeless.
Bai Fu truly was as tanky as the people previously sent into the Ethereal Realm to attack her had described—like a block of iron.
She could not be killed; absolutely could not be killed!
On the other side, Lightless One, being pummeled by the Vow Master, was even more desperate.
“Ahhh, Leader, you bastard, I won’t let you off! Even if I die, I’ll stab you!”
With a howl, the dying Lightless One finally abandoned resistance and focused his energy on communicating with the Esper Garden, hoping to leave a message that the Leader and Bai Fu were colluding.
And just as she was making contact, an accident suddenly occurred.
滋啦——
In the darkness, a beam of white light rose from the ground, finally converging into a blurry figure whose face could not be seen.
“Bai Fu, how about we make a deal?”
“Hm? Who are you?”
Bai Fu frowned. She didn’t understand how this figure had appeared. The information fed back by her Apostle’s Psionic Vision was also very simple.
【Projection】
The figure said: “I am the Leader of the First Protocol.”
The evil organization’s big BOSS?!
Bai Fu’s gaze instantly sharpened. “What kind of deal do you want to make?”
The Leader said: “Release them, cut off cooperation with the Three Cosmic-level Civilizations. I can promise you here and now that I will completely abandon the pursuit against you.”
“???”
Bai Fu was filled with question marks.
This counts as a deal? I thought you’d at least bring out something worthwhile.
“I refuse.”
The Leader said: “Bai Fu, it seems you still don’t understand your situation. The body of an Apostle is your trump card, but even Apostles can die.”
Bai Fu said impatiently: “Enough already. Either you bring out something substantial—like the complete set of cutting-edge Dark Energy Knowledge, or some kind of cosmic treasure—or just shut up quickly. I don’t buy into your nonsense.”
The Leader sighed regretfully. “Bai Fu, in truth we have no real enmity. But your actions have made you an obstacle to this world.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“At this point, you don’t need to know. Let’s settle it on the battlefield.”
Damn it, playing the Riddle-speaker again!
A huge “#” popped up on Bai Fu’s forehead.
Fine then, we’ll settle it. When I beat you into screaming, don’t regret it!
She ignored the figure before her and continued striking the Cosmic Beastmen and the others with full force.
The Cosmic Beastmen and the others, who had just been complaining about the Leader, were now forced to shout for his help. But the Leader acted as if he hadn’t heard a thing—only silently watching, until their bodies were one after another destroyed in the hands of Bai Fu and the Oathmaster.
“You don’t have to say it. I’ll find a way to figure out who you are and where you’re hiding. When the time comes, I’ll come to deliver your death myself!”
Bai Fu stretched out her right hand, about to use the Glass Orb to seal all the souls of the Lightless Ones and the rest.
The Leader suddenly said: “You will not have that chance.”
As his words fell, an invisible ripple spread out from his shadowy figure. The ripple touched the souls of the Lightless Ones and, in the blink of an eye, those souls all shattered into nothingness.
“！”
Bai Fu’s pupils contracted sharply.
What kind of ability was that?!
The Leader gave her no chance to ask. After finishing everything, he disappeared without a trace.
What remained was only the game notification sound——
【Extraordinary One · Lightless One has been slain. Contribution points……】
【……】
【Kill count reached target. Your title [Lord Butcher] has automatically advanced to [Pinnacle Hunter]】
【You have completed the Pilgrimage of the Esper Garden. You have received the recognition of the Esper Garden】
【You have completed the hidden quest [Esper Evolution Tree (Final)], rewards: 10 billion XP, Esper Garden Link +30】
……
“Leader, are you alright?”
Inside the temporary base of the First Protocol, the Child of Prophecy looked at the pale-faced Leader with worry.
The Leader said: “Nothing serious. I just need a rest. Go and resurrect the Lightless Ones.”
The Child of Prophecy nodded solemnly.
After he left, the Leader walked to the window, his gaze gradually deepening.
Why did Bai Fu suddenly appear in the Esper Garden?
【There’s an insider. Bai Fu used an insider!】
Luckily, he had noticed the anomaly in time and managed to save the Lightless Ones, preventing them from dying completely. Otherwise, this loss would have been unacceptable for the First Protocol.
And moreover…
Thinking of the Lightless One, the Leader suddenly smiled.
The Esper Power of the Lightless One had been further developed, now possessing the ability 【Suppression】. With this, he felt more confident than ever about eliminating Bai Fu.
What he never imagined was that, in the Lightless One’s eyes, he had already long been lumped together with Bai Fu.
Ten minutes later, while the Leader was still contemplating how to deal with Bai Fu, someone suddenly rushed in.
“Leader, something major has happened! People from the Holy City of Apostles have suddenly appeared in Titan Industries’ Flame Ruins Star Zone. Now the entire Titan Industries is in chaos!”