Chương 194: Showdown

Faced with Jingjue's mocking and sarcastic questioning, Jiying immediately realized that the pretense had lost its meaning.

But surrendering has never been his style.

Far from panicking at the exposure of her stance, she glanced at Jingjue with the same indifference one would show an idiot, and asked in a flat tone, "Jingjue, what nonsense are you spouting? Are you still half asleep?"

This casual rhetorical question seemed to mock how absurd and laughable Jingjue's confident accusations had been.

"boom--!'

Just as Jingjue was slightly taken aback by the question, the mirror platform beneath Jiying's feet suddenly shattered. His figure transformed into a black lightning bolt, almost invisible to the naked eye, instantly traversing a distance of tens of meters and charging straight toward Jingjue with unparalleled momentum.

His right fist, covered in jet-black arm armor, gathered terrifying ethereal energy and slammed into his chest.

There were no words, no warnings, only the purest and most direct attack!

Faced with this sudden and fierce attack, Jingjue's expression did not change in the slightest.

The next moment, Ji Ying's iron fist pierced through his body without any resistance. His slender figure, like a shattered mirror, instantly turned into countless fragments of varying sizes, which quietly dissipated in mid-air.

"Are you going to keep up this act?" Jingjue's mocking voice drifted from not far behind Jiying.

"That clumsy performance looks... utterly ridiculous."

Having missed his target, Ji Ying slowly withdrew his fist, silently turned around, and saw yet another Mirror Lord, walking with composed and elegant steps, slowly emerging from a floating mirror.

"I must admit," Jingjue clapped lightly, as if applauding Jiying's "performance" just now, "your previous disguise was indeed perfect."

"So perfect—it really made me think you were just someone whose mind was full of muscles and fighting, but who was incredibly strong..."

"A troublesome fellow like me who's worth my slight attempt to win over."

"However," he changed his tone, his mockery growing stronger, "your unusual attitude toward those pathetic magical girls has finally made me suspect something."

"Shameless schemes and plots"?

"Unseemly tricks"?

"Disgusting"?" Jingjue repeated with amusement the words Jiying had used to describe him.

"Heh—your comments are really full of hypocritical sense of justice, just like those ridiculously naive magical girls—it's disgusting."

"Oh?"

Ji Ying slowly twisted his neck, assuming a warm-up posture to stretch his muscles, and the dark heavy armor on his body emitted a dull and unsettling metallic scraping sound.

He retorted in a matter-of-fact tone, "Can't it just be that I simply admire fair and square fighting and despise those underhanded tactics?"

"If that's all there is to it, then perhaps you really are just an incurable fool with a strange moral obsession," Jingjue replied with a light laugh.

His voice suddenly turned cold: "But after you instinctively made a protective move against the image of the inspector I created—any explanation would seem too weak."

Jingjue's voice was filled with all-knowing confidence as he dissected Jiying's undeniable flaws step by step: "Faced with an enemy's attack without warning, your first reaction wasn't to use your indestructible armor to block, nor to use your invincible blade to retaliate—"

"Instead—she sidestepped, even exposing her entire back to my attack range, in a nearly disheveled manner, to fling that patrolman" towards what he considered a safe zone.

"Without the protection of that armor, you wouldn't be able to stand here so calmly and talk to me right now."

Jingjue slightly raised his head, his scarlet eyes, hidden in the shadow of his hat, seemed to pierce through Jiying's heavy armor and see into the deepest part of his soul: "Your indestructible black armor, and your ridiculously soft heart—" He let out a soft laugh that sounded like a sigh, yet also like a mockery: "How ironic—it's truly a wonderful irony."

After the lie was completely exposed, Ji Ying remained silent for a moment, then frankly admitted his previous actions: "That was indeed my mistake."

"However, it seems my performance was just a hair's breadth away from being a success. Being fooled by my flawed acting must have really hurt your pride, right?"

"I'll be more careful next time."

Ji Ying flexed her wrist, and the black blade on the side of her arm guard snapped out with a "whoosh" before quietly retracting. In a relaxed tone, as if discussing the weather, she uttered the coldest death warning: "Strive to—before you even realize anything, twist off that ridiculous masked head of yours."

"Hmph!" Jingjue let out a disdainful snort. He could, of course, hear the provocation in Jiying's words.

"I was wondering before, how could such a coincidence happen? Why did I just capture that troublesome inspector, and then you and Stardust started 'fighting' at the exact same time on the other side of the city?"

"Now it seems that it was all a show you and she put on for me, just to force me to open the entrance to this mirrored maze so that you, my 'companion,' could come in and rescue me."

"That inspector—before entering my territory, he must have left something outside to notify you, right?"

Jingjue analyzed to himself, a look on his face that was a mixture of admiration and contempt: "Heh, she really is a troublesome opponent. It's a pity, in the end I was still the better one."

"As for what you just said about 'next time'—are you still naively deluding yourself into thinking there will be a next time?"

"Are you ready to pay the price for fooling me?!"

"Trying it won't cost you anything, will it?" Ji Ying shrugged casually, completely ignoring Jing Jue's threat.

"And speaking of deception—didn't you also want to deceive me with a mirror image of a star string, hoping I would leave here with that mirror image?"

"So it seems—" Ji Ying's voice suddenly turned icy cold, as if freezing the surrounding air, "I seem to have just as much reason to settle scores with you!"

"Heh, you want to settle scores with me? Well, we'll see if you have the ability." Jingjue continued to mock in his disgusting tone, "Be careful not to end up like that poor inspector, becoming a beautiful exhibit in my shop window."

""

"Speaking of which, if I hadn't noticed the flaw in your disguise so quickly, and had instead let you take that Star String's image back—" What kind of interesting expression would you make if you saw your companions reunited, only to discover that you had rescued a fake?

"Heh, just thinking about it for a moment, I find that kind of subsequent development—it seems quite interesting?"

"For that, I really need to thank you."

To Jingjue's surprise, Jiying was not angered by his nasty remarks. Instead, he said a thank you in an extremely calm tone, which surprised him a little.

"Although I couldn't prevent my stance from being exposed, saving the real Hoshino is the most important thing to me."

Immediately, Ji Ying slowly raised his head, his tone suddenly becoming extremely firm: "Also, Jing Jue, before you talk big, you'd better consider the weight of your opponent. If you think you're capable of doing that, then feel free to try."

"I came here to take Xingxian back, not to become what you call a trophy."

"" Ji Ying took a step forward, and the terrifying void energy emanating from his body caused the surrounding space to begin to distort slightly.

"This is an ultimatum: hand her over, or I'll personally demolish this disgusting rat hole of yours and find her in the rubble. Choose one."

"Star String" — Jingjue repeated the code name in a low voice, and chuckled again, "You even know the code name of that inspector. It seems that your relationship is closer than I thought."

"Should I call you naive, or foolish? A being with authority over the Void Realm would actually expose their own stance, even—to the point of making enemies of their own kind who are closer to them—just to protect those vulnerable little girls?"

"Tell me, Jiying, what made you make such a foolish choice? Did they promise you some irresistible benefits? Or have you been completely brainwashed by their ridiculous 'love and justice'?!"

Jiying gently shook her head.

"You can't understand why I did these things," he said calmly and indifferently.

"Of course, you don't need to understand."

"Take your ridiculous beliefs and let them rot in your grave."

The moment the words left his mouth, Ji Ying's figure vanished from the spot without warning once again.

He appeared before Jingjue in an instant, moving even faster than before. The black blade in his hand shot out with terrifying power capable of cutting through space, swiftly slashing towards Jingjue's neck.

This strike was incredibly fast and incredibly ruthless, even leaving a clear black trail in the air.

Jingjue's pupils contracted sharply. Just before the sharp blade touched his neck, his figure narrowly disappeared into the mirror behind him, dodging the fatal blow.

The black slash missed its mark and struck the mirror behind him. The mirror did not shatter; instead, it was erased from space like a pencil drawing wiped clean, leaving not a single fragment behind.

Jingjue's figure emerged disheveled from another mirror in the distance. Looking at the mirror that had been completely erased, and feeling the terrifying power of the attack that had almost split him in two, he felt a sense of shock for the first time.

If I had been hit head-on just now, just one hit—just one hit—would have completely destroyed my perfect mirror puppet!

As expected, the power this guy wields is even more powerful than I imagined!

He didn't show his surprise, but instead forced himself to remain calm and said in a deep voice, "I never intended to learn about those boring things, but Jiying, before the fight officially begins, I have something I want to ask you!"

However, what responded to him was another round of fierce attacks from Ji Ying.

The figure of Ji Ying kept flashing on the broken platform. Each appearance was accompanied by a pitch-black slash that was enough to tear space apart, forcing Jing Jue to use mirror jumps to dodge in a sorry state, and he was completely at a disadvantage.

After narrowly dodging another attack, Jingjue finally managed to create a relatively safe distance.

He calmed his rapid breathing slightly, then shouted angrily, "I said I have something to ask you! You muscle-bound lunatic, can't you understand human language?!"

Ji Ying stopped not far away, a hint of amusement flashing in his dark red eyes.

He had heard Jingjue's words from the beginning, but he was too lazy to pay attention to them, thinking that it was just another boring trick to stall for time, or that he wanted to use those tired lines to mock him.

But only now, seeing the other person's somewhat out-of-control appearance, did Jiying realize that things were not as she had thought.

So, as if he had just heard Jing Jue's words, he tilted his head and slowly replied in a mocking tone, "Oh? So you were calling me just now. Sorry, sorry, I was too engrossed in playing and didn't hear you."

"But please tell me what it is quickly, I'm very busy."

"Busy? What are you busy with? Busy chasing me down?" Jingjue was so angry at Jiying's shameless attitude of taking advantage of him that the veins on his forehead bulged and he almost couldn't breathe.

But he forcibly suppressed his anger, knowing that now was not the time to act rashly; getting the "secret" from this mysterious "kindred spirit" was the most important thing.

He took a deep breath and asked in a low voice, "Leaving aside why those magical girls would become allies with someone like you who exudes ethereal energy—"

"Didn't the great being who granted you 'authority' impose any restrictions on your actions?"

"And what's more, you broke the vow we made to each other, yet you haven't been punished at all—how did you manage that?!"

Upon hearing Jingjue's question, Jiying immediately understood.

—So that's how it is. This guy still thinks I'm just an ordinary "Void Apostle" who is loyal to some great being in the Void Realm and is absolutely bound by an oath. He thinks that my becoming partners with the magical girl is just to achieve some deeper purpose.

—And—"authority," he's mentioned this word for the second time now. It sounds like it might be an important concept in the power system of the Void Realm Apostles?

But now is clearly not the time to delve into this issue.

Ji Ying suppressed his doubts for the time being, looked at Jing Jue's eager and inquisitive eyes, chuckled softly, and asked in return, "Is this question—very important to you?"

"Of course it's important!" Jingjue blurted out almost without thinking, his voice filled with undisguised eagerness.

"How did you avoid that effect?! Answer me now!"

Jingjue's almost out-of-control appearance made Jiying even more certain of a certain guess in her heart.

He shook his head slightly and replied, "I can only tell you that all my actions are based on my own will and are not bound by any oaths."

"How about it, Mirror Lord—are you envious of me?"

"!"

Upon hearing this answer, Jingjue's breath hitched.

Envy?

It was more than just envy; it was the ultimate dream he had longed for his entire life, yet could never reach!

Break free from that superior "master" who sees you as a tool, break free from those absolute constraints etched deep in your soul that you cannot defy, and truly gain freedom.

And now, this goal that he had dreamed of achieving was so casually mentioned by this mysterious "kindred spirit" in front of him!

Jingjue's gaze toward Jiying completely changed, and the emotions revealed in his eyes were gradually ignited by a flame called "fanatical".

"Let's make a deal!" He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the surging emotions within him, and said to Silent Shadow, "Give me the way you break free from the oath's constraints, and I'll exchange that Inspector for you, how about it?"

"OK."

Ji Ying's quick answer surprised Jing Jue, and its decisiveness made him pause for a moment.

"Give me Xingxian first, and I'll tell you how to do it right away."

"No!" Jingjue immediately shook his head in refusal. After all, he was not a fool who would be blinded by desire.

"You must tell me the method first before I hand over that inspector to you."

"If I give you the person first, how can I guarantee that I will get what I want?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Ying let out a disdainful sneer: "I have the same concerns. How can you guarantee that you will hand over the 'real' Xing Xian to me, instead of trying to fool me with another identical mirror image?"

"Since you know I'm not affected by oaths, you certainly wouldn't be so naive as to use mutual oaths as a way to make a deal, would you?"

"Since that's the case—" A cold glint flashed in Jingjue's eyes, "then—there's nothing to discuss?"

Ji Ying chuckled and shook his head, his eyes filled with pity and mockery for Jing Jue.

"Should I call you naive, or foolish? Jing Jue, this is something you're only just realizing now?"

"you-!!!"

Jingjue finally realized that he had been fooled by the guy in front of him once again.

He never intended to make any deal. All the previous conversations and all the back-and-forth were just him playing with his own feelings!

Mirror Lord let out a scream filled with rage and resentment, his raging ethereal energy erupting without restraint: "Silent Shadow! You damned bastard, I will make you pay for what you've done today, I will make you—perish in this Mirror Labyrinth!"

"Jing Jue," Ji Ying's voice became unusually calm at this moment, as if stating a simple fact, "Are you—misunderstanding something?"

"Bringing Xingxian back by pretending to be one of your kind was simply to preserve this identity in the simplest and least revealing way, nothing more."

"When did you develop the delusion that you can defeat me?" His voice suddenly deepened, and a terrifying aura far more powerful than Jing Jue's erupted from his body.

"Are you ready—to face my true self?"

The moment Ji Ying finished speaking, Jing Jue suddenly felt a tremendous threat that made his soul tremble.