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Caelus panted, still holding his sword and retaining his Vidyadhara form. Beside him, Jing Yuan’s lungs also rapidly rushed after every breath he took. He had clearly underestimated the persistence of Kafka’s protégé - for Silver Wolf was no foe has faced before. Even she fought longer than Yanqing.
“That's enough, you three.” Yukong clapped her hands, getting their attention. She faced Jing Yuan with a smile on her face, “Satisfied, Jing Yuan?”.
Jing Yuan smiled, whose smile still sends a shiver down Caelus's spine and down to his tail, “Very.”.
“You should behave now.” Yukong crossed her arms, “After all, our stage is prepared for one more actor.”. Her voice sounds suggestive, to say the least, as if she is expecting someone else to join them. However, Silver Wolf did not like that, unveiling her pixelated arm blade.
“Why you-” She growled.
“That's enough, brat.” Everyone’s stance softened at the sound of such a familiar voice. Footsteps followed after the voice, accompanied by the sound of a sword shaking in its sheath. Lo and behold, it was Yingxing - a face Caelus thought he would never see again. His voice also seemed directed to Silver Wolf as she froze under his command.
“General…” Silver Wolf’s once-arrogant voice wavered, staring at Yingxing hesitantly.
“That's enough, Silver Wolf.” Yingxing repeated his order, gesturing at them with a hand, “These are our guests.”.
“I understand.” Silver Wolf nodded before bowing, excusing herself.
Caelus stared at Jing Yuan, whose gaze was frozen upon Yingxing. For once in his life, he could see the hesitation in Jing Yuan's eyes as if they were filled with regret. It was as jarring as to see Yingxing waver since the day of the separation of the High-Cloud Quintet. However, Caelus knew it was needed, so everyone needed time to gather their thoughts - even if it took centuries for them to realize that.
“Yingxing…” Jing Yuan’s voice softened, his blue orbs looking at Yingxing.
“Years have passed since we've seen each other, yet we can't even have a diplomatic meeting without tearing each other apart.” Yingxing’s sky blue eyes glared into them despite the lightness of his eye color, piercing into their souls like his sword into their hearts. He faced Yukong before crossing his arms, “Thank you for assisting us in this matter, please do take him away.”.
“But General…!” Silver Wolf exclaimed.
“Silver Wolf.” Yingxing said in a scolding tone, his blue gaze piercing through the gray-haired girl's soul. The girl silenced herself as she slumped down as her weapons disappeared into pixels. Caelus always knew Yingxing had it in him to be intimidating as he was soft to him five centuries ago.
Silently, Yukong and Jing Yuan looked at each other before nodding. They strode past Yingxing with Jing Yuan delivering one last hesitant look towards Yingxing, but decided to walk away nonetheless. Caelus feels the melancholic atmosphere between the two - judging by how Yingxing wants to avoid the tension between them and Jing Yuan trying to rekindle old flames, to say the least
“My apologies, Caelus.” Yingxing faced him this time, a familiar soft look on his face.
Caelus only nodded as he silently accepted the apology before following after Jing Yuan and Yukong - to where the exit is. What was he here for again? Luckily, Yingxing seemed to sense his unease and reminded him as he said something incriminating regarding his visit here.
“Wait… Your Astral Express friends are in danger.” He said. Caelus's eyes widened, immediately freezing in his tracks. A familiar chill went down his spine and past his tail. Where are they then? That was an unsaid question that Yingxing seemed to answer: “They're in Scalegorge Waterscape.”.
“Let's go.” Caelus said, walking back to Yingxing, “If they're in danger because of you, don't hide behind the title that gave you every privilege in this fleet.”. Yingxing sighed with a nod as he knew it would be futile to refuse Caelus.
Dan Heng growled, his fury rising at every crowd of monsters that rushed at them. He held his bo staff while Mr. Yang raised his cane and March 7th aimed her arrows at one of the monsters. While there is an active Stellaron nearby, he did not expect for the situation to be as similar to the one in Jarilo-VI. That was stupid of me already, Aeons-damn it.
“What will we do?” March 7t’s voice sounded panicked despite the focused look on her face as she aimed her arrows at one of the monsters, “There are too many of them!”..
“We have to handle this long enough for the General to get here.” Welt ordered, summoning a black hole that absorbed three fragmentum monsters. However, three were replaced by another set. The two wolf-like monsters and the stomper chittered and roared furiously, howling at them in an attempt to intimidate them.
Why do they have to depend on the General again? It is not that Dan Heng has “beef” with Yingxing; he just finds him hard to depend on. Who would depend on a general who would sleep more hours than he is awake?
Suddenly, a sword engulfed in water pierced through the monsters, stained with ichor blood similar to his. A water dragon roared as it soared into the air. With a vicious flood, the dragon slammed into the ground, sweeping away the other monsters. In a flurry of lotus petals, someone jumped into one of the monsters with his sword, leaving a wake of silver and gold before slicing their head off.
“Caelus, is that… you?!” March 7th’s voice caught Dan Heng off guard. Caelus? As if their Caelus? The aforementioned silver-haired, golden-eyed man stood before them - more different than he is similar. Want to know the reason why? His looks justified the difference.
Caelus is now dressed in regal black and red robes lined with gold. Ichor seemed to crown his head with his golden horns, flowing like water or rather liquid gold. The man looks draconic just like those Vidyadhara from those stories and not like the ordinary ones he has seen in Central Starskiff Haven.
“Caelus… You look beautiful.” Dan Heng blurred out before he even realized it. He covered his mouth, his face blushing like a tomato as he stared at Caelus. The other man was also blushing like him as the scales lining his face fluttered in embarrassment. “Wait, no-”
“It's okay, Dan Heng.” Caelus smiled with a blush and Dan Heng resisted hugging the now-transformed Vidyadhara, “I accept your compliment.”.
“That's enough being chummy, brats.” Yingxing cleared his throat, disturbing their oh-so-romantic moment, “We have a lot to do,” He looks at Caelus, “Especially you, Caelus.”.
Dan Heng immediately pushed Caelus behind him, pointing his bo-staff at Yingxing, “What will he do? And what do you mean by that?”. He swore he heard March 7th groan and Mr. Yang facepalm at his displayed hostility towards Yingxing, but despite Caelus looking more powerful than the two of them, he would protect him and his dignity.
“Oh, you'll see.” Yingxing smirked, which already gave Dan Heng a bad feeling.