Xi En jerked his head up to look ahead. In the next instant, it came into view.
“Good evening, should I say this?”
The person who spoke melodiously in a blithe tone was a young maiden.
A young maiden with black hair and red eyes, who wore a gown that was fitting for a princess, sat on a tree branch in front, swinging her feet as if she were on a swing and nibbling on a dessert in her hands.
Xi En had met this young maiden before – just yesterday.
“You’re that arrogant poser from yesterday?” he blurted candidly.
“Arrogant poser?” The girl froze before frowning in displeasure. “You can call me Laixia. While I don’t know what a poser means, I feel that it means nothing good. Can you not call me that?”
Xi En was the one to raise his brows now.
“Are you sure?” Xi En parroted Laixia’s mirthful tone earlier and replied, “I think you mentioned previously that not everyone can make you reveal your name?”
“Exactly.” Laixia looked at Xi En, the displeasure fading from her expression and replaced by a tinge of amusement. “Since I don’t want you to run away like you did the last time, it’s better that I just tell you my name.”
“Well then, esteemed Laixia who has a name now, may I ask what you’re doing appearing in a place like this?” Xi En asked in a questioning tone, “Don’t tell me it’s just a coincidence.”
Perhaps, it was the conversation with himself that the girl overheard. Xi En’s bad mood was reflected in both his tone and attitude.
Laixia did not give two hoots what Xi En said.
“Just see it as a coincidence then.” Laixia’s tone was light as she said, “If it isn’t a ‘coincidence’, how would I be able to hear something so interesting?”
Yup, she definitely caught what he said just now.
“I was just passing by Lamigione in one of my escapades, but I wasn’t expecting such an encounter.” Laixia kept her gaze on Xi En as if she wanted to see through all his secrets. She then said, “But thanks to you, it seems like I’ll gain something unexpected this time.”
It was as if she was telling Xi En that she was coming for him. Perhaps, since they met yesterday, she had been keeping an eye on Xi En to the extent of following him.
In other words…
“Was I trailed?” Xi En murmured.
Laixia did not answer. She merely grinned as her gaze on Xi En became inscrutable.
“Like the last time, you seem to be saying something interesting this time too?” Laixia started with a beam. “But what you said this time is a fact. This world no longer needs a Warrior. Are you disappointed?”
“Disappointed?” Xi En narrowed his eyes in feigned confusion, but he asked sincerely, “Why should I be disappointed?”
If it were in fact true, Xi En would be more than happy. The world no longer needed a Warrior, so he could be rid of this responsibility and live freely. It was just that…
“You must be worried over whether you’re entangled in some sort of conspiracy whirlpool, yes?” Laixia saw through Xi En and said, “You don’t know why the deities summoned you, plus you don’t know what the current state of balance among the three groups in this world is like. Simply put, you severely lack information, so you don’t know which side to trust.”
“Am I right?”
“New Warrior.”
When Laixia’s voice trailed off, the air seemed to be laden.
Xi En gave up hoping for a fluke. The reality was blatantly obvious. His identity was exposed.
“Aren’t you brandishing the Sacred Sword in the parcel on your back?” Laixia asked in a challenging manner. “If you don’t use the Sacred Sword, you can’t fight me at your current level.”
“Fight you?” Xi En’s eyes met Laixia’s. “You’re here to fight me?”
“Why?” Laixia was still smiling. “Is it strange?”
“Duh.” Xi En ignored her provocation and rebuked her directly, “If you’re really here to take care of me, I’d have noticed your presence a long time ago.”
After all, he had the “Perception of Enemy” which could detect targets hostile to him. Under such circumstances, Xi En would have been warned of the enemy’s presence if he was approached with enmity.
Xi En did not notice Laixia’s presence in time.
This meant that she harbored no hostility toward him. Of course…
“Aren’t you a naïve one, my dear Warrior?”
Laixia sounded like she heard a joke but the hint of a smile on her eyes diminished.
“Sure, there’s no enmity from me toward you.”
“But… you don’t necessarily need enmity to fight in this world.”
“Like me, if I just want to test your capability but not really be your enemy, don’t you think that’s reason enough to fight you?”
Just as she finished saying that, mana which felt like an inky dark whirlwind rose from Laixia.
The mana casted a powerful gale which whirled around, making the trees shake and shuffle as the fallen leaves flew and danced in the wind.
Xi En perked up and pulled out his weapon without hesitation.
However, the weapon he unsheathed was not his Sacred Sword, but the broadsword that he wore on his hips.
In the next second…
Boom!
The mana that rose from Laixia turned into a gravitational force which shook the earth and weighed Xi En down.
Leaves flying in a flurry fell as if they were pressed to the ground, the trees appeared to be shoved by an unseen force as they creaked and their trunks broke.
Similarly, Xi En felt himself being restrained by a tremendous force which pushed him to the ground.
If everything went as planned, the gravitational force should suffice to crush Xi En to the earth.
Who knew if it was “Magic Resistance” or “Unusual State Resistance” which was being unleashed. The force that was squashing Xi En became weaker even as it compressed him to the ground.
“Huh?” Laixia uttered in surprise at the scene.
“Defending against my “Gravity Magic” without using the Sacred Sword?”
It did not cross Laixia’s mind.
Unfortunately, it was already too late then.
“Evolve!”
Xi En instantly activated “Extreme Evolve” the moment the gravitational force weakened.
He was immediately charged up with mana which increased his strength significantly in a flash.
Bam!
As Xi En crushed the ground with a dull thud, he dashed toward Laixia against the gravitational force like a rocket.
Since the girl was the one who initiated the attack, there was no hesitation from Xi En. This was the decisiveness that his adaptability brought coupled with the brutality sharpened from spending ten days in the forest.
Instead of being alarmed, Laixia chuckled.
“Things are getting interesting.”