"No — she mustn't make contact with anyone." The white-haired old man saw the green-haired girl and Rulu embrace and kiss on the ground, and immediately summoned a gust of wind to sweep toward them, forcing the two apart.

  "I hope she's still alive. If she's not, and the Emperor holds me responsible, I'm finished." With that thought, the old man began moving cautiously toward the green-haired girl — and at that moment, Rulu pressed his palm to the ground and slowly pushed himself to his feet.

  "Pin him down — don't let him stand." The white-haired old man called out sharply. Behind him, the middle-aged man in white raised his silver staff, preparing to summon another gust to suppress Rulu.

  "Stop." Rulu's eyes fshed with a strange light. He fixed his gaze on the middle-aged man's eyes and snapped the word like a command.

  The middle-aged man froze. The silver staff he had just raised slowly lowered. He did not summon the wind. He did not attack.

  "What are you standing there for?! Put him down!" The white-haired old man noticed the middle-aged man had done nothing and shouted again.

  "The one who should lie down is you, Grand Sorcerer." A peculiar smile crept onto Rulu's lips, and he spoke in an odd, unhurried tone.

  "As you wish." The middle-aged man murmured softly in reply. He stepped swiftly around behind the white-haired old man and swung the silver staff hard at the back of his head.

  A dull, heavy thud. The staff struck true, squarely on the old man's skull. The white-haired old man let out a cry of pain and crumpled to his knees.

  "Have you lost your mind?! Stop this at once!!!" The white-haired old man twisted around, staring up with wide, terrified eyes, his voice cracking as he screamed at the middle-aged man.

  "You should lie down, Grand Sorcerer." The middle-aged man said ftly, and brought the silver staff swinging down again, smming it into the old man's head.

  The blow connected with his forehead. Stars burst across the old man's vision and blood streamed down his face. He colpsed to the ground, his body convulsing, letting out broken, agonized sounds — all resistance utterly gone from him.

  "Quiet him down. Not a single sound." Rulu walked calmly toward the fallen old man, a smile on his face.

  "Understood." The middle-aged man answered, and began swinging the silver staff down again and again on the white-haired old man's head, reducing it to a bloody ruin unrecognizable as human. The old man struggled for a short while on the ground, then went completely still, and then completely silent.

  "Ha ha… ahahahaha…!" Rulu burst out ughing, speaking through his ughter: "This power… this power is truly extraordinary — far beyond anything I imagined. With this, I can finally make my wish come true."

  When he finished speaking, Rulu turned to the middle-aged man in white, who stood motionless in pce, and said in a commanding tone: "Well done. Now you may die as well."

  "Die?" The middle-aged man murmured. A look of struggle flickered in his eyes. The haziness that had clouded them began to clear.

  "What's happening — why is the Grand Sorcerer lying on the ground? Why is there so much blood on me? What happened here… did I — did I do this to you?!" The middle-aged man's body shook as he stared down at the fallen white-haired old man in horror, falling into complete confusion.

  "Hmm. So the power isn't quite as absolute as I imagined — it can't fully dominate a person's mind. But it's more than enough." Rulu muttered to himself. Taking advantage of the middle-aged man's disorientation, he pulled the handgun from his body and squeezed the trigger.

  A sharp crack. The middle-aged man crumpled into a pool of blood, bewilderment and terror still written on his face. The bullet had struck his left chest, piercing his heart — killing him instantly.

  "Hmph. You brought this on yourselves." Rulu gave the two fallen white-robed men a cold gnce, then walked over to the green-haired girl lying on the ground. Her eyes were closed, and her body did not move.

  "You can't be dead — I have far too many questions to ask you." The thought made his expression grow tense. He crouched down and carefully pressed his fingers to the side of her neck — no pulse. He moved his hand to just beneath her nose — no breath.

  "It's over…" Rulu stared bnkly, as though his spirit had left him. He still couldn't accept it. He bent down and pressed his ear against her chest, remaining that way for nearly a minute.

  "There's still warmth in her body, but her heart has stopped completely. Which means… she's really dead." Rulu's face went ashen. His hands fell limp at his sides, and all the strength seemed to drain out of him at once.

  "Who were you? You gave me this strange power, and then you died so easily right in front of me. Why? Why did this have to happen?" Rulu stared at the girl's delicate face in a daze, turning the question over and over — yet no matter how long he thought, he could find no answer.

  "Regardless of everything else — I should at least carry her out of here and find a good pce to bury her. It's the only thing I can do for her now." After a long while, Rulu came back to himself. He lifted the green-haired girl's body onto his back and began walking in the direction of the tunnel exit.

  But Rulu was slight in build, and had been wounded in the battle just before. Even though the girl wasn't especially heavy, carrying her was exhausting work. After only ten minutes he was already struggling — and in a moment of carelessness, his foot nded on a small stone. With two dull thuds, Rulu and the girl went down hard, nearly snapping his lower back on impact.

  "This is no good. I'm not a Refining Body Ultra-capable — heavy physical bor isn't my strength." Rulu clutched his lower back, lying on the ground and panting, resting for a good while before finally getting back to his feet.

  "As much as I want to bring you with me, I truly can't manage it. Please forgive me. Rest here." Rulu spoke to the girl with a guilty heart. He found a sheltered, clean spot in the cavern and set her body down gently, then took off his outer coat and draped it over her. He turned and walked alone toward the tunnel exit.

  Half an hour ter, Rulu emerged from the underground tunnel into an expanse of open countryside. Above him, the sky was thick with stars. All around was dark, and still, and empty of any soul.