Walking toward the edge of the forest along the lake, there were two girls: one, a graceful young woman with long, elegant brown hair, and the other, a cold-faced girl clad in black armor, wielding a black Holy Sword... Muginami Shizuri and Black SABER.

Since splitting up to cover more ground, these two had been moving steadily westward, and almost four days had passed.

"Seriously, it's been ages. Not only haven't we found him, we haven't even sensed a single trace of him. Ahhh~~~" Muginami Shizuri stretched with a languid yawn, turning to the girl beside her as if deliberately trying to provoke a response. "You feel the same way, right? Hey."

The girl in black armor glanced at her briefly upon hearing the voice, then turned her head away in silence.

"..." Muginami Shizuri couldn't help feeling a surge of frustration; she’d once again offered warmth to a block of ice. If it were anyone else treating her with such disdain, or if someone had ignored her like this before, she would have certainly made them taste the full power of an Atomic Collapse. But this person before her... how to put it? She just felt utterly helpless.

It wasn't just a factor of sheer power; more so, the oppressive, stiff atmosphere made her feel constrained, as if bogged down in a quagmire, unable to move freely.

She had spent nearly four days in the company of this person, yet the total words exchanged between them wouldn't exceed four sentences. Muginami truly had no idea what this black SABER was thinking, nor what she intended to do. She wasn't even sure if the girl possessed normal human emotions.

Not only were her demeanor and actions strange, but her very presence felt profoundly odd.

"Ugh, I should have just picked someone else to team up with from the start. Even that vampire Evangeline would have been better company than this one..." Muginami rubbed her forehead with a headache, thinking to herself.

It wasn't that she disliked Black SABER; it was just that this suffocating atmosphere was becoming unbearable. After all, in this desolate world, even in their current emergency situation, one needed someone to talk to. She wasn't some hermit isolated from society; sometimes she needed to chat just to relieve the monotony. Even Rei, who naturally disliked speaking, could manage a few words with her back then, but this black figure beside her...

Muginami clearly remembered the exact four sentences the other had spoken: "Ah. Oh. Mm. Uh..."

Four sentences, four words—simple, direct, crystal clear, and not even a single repetition. Truly a linguistic genius.

"Sigh," Muginami sighed deeply, tilting her head back to look at the sky. Seeing that dusk was beginning to settle, she suggested, "It will be dark soon. Once we get out of this woods, let's find a place to rest for a while. It’ll be hard to search after dark anyway. What do you think?"

"Fine," Black SABER replied flatly.

"..." Muginami froze, stunned. She had expected no reply, or perhaps a noncommittal grunt or sound to dismiss her. She never anticipated the other party would actually answer her seriously—even if it was just one word.

For a fleeting moment, Muginami felt an immense sense of accomplishment, an urge to weep with joy.

And then, somehow... her mood lifted, her back stopped aching, her legs stopped cramping, and she could walk out of the forest effortlessly in one go... Wait, wrong analogy—she walked out of the forest without effort.

"Huh? What is that thing?" Half an hour later, the two had just emerged from the woods. Muginami paused slightly. Based on their journey so far, leaving a forest usually meant encountering either plains or mountains; such terrain had become the expected norm. But what lay before her eyes now was the ocean, which confused her.

Having become so accustomed to one pattern, realizing that habit was wrong was slightly embarrassing.

However, what concerned Muginami most wasn't the sea itself, but the towering castle she spotted in the distance, right in the middle of the water.

How could there be a castle in the sea? Regardless of the answer, it was an incredibly bizarre sight.

"Want to go take a look?" Muginami asked the girl beside her.

Black SABER remained silent but gave a slight nod.

...

Boom-boom-boom-boom...

Kuroiwa timed her attack perfectly. Just as Yun Feng paused for a fraction of a second, twenty rock projectiles shot out from her cannon barrels. Setting aside the incredible firing rate of twenty rounds per second, Kuroiwa’s projectiles didn't shoot in a straight line; they spread out instantly, covering the enemy from multiple angles.

For an ordinary person, there would be no possibility of escape from such an assault. Even a powerful individual of Kuroiwa’s rank would likely be thrown into disarray. But—

Just as the twenty rock shells were about to hit Yun Feng, a giant monster suddenly burst forth from the earth in front of him. The beast opened its maw, and every single projectile was swallowed whole.

"This is..." Not only was Kuroiwa shocked, but Liu Qu and Zhai Lian also paled slightly at the sight.

Yun Feng, however, stepped out from behind the colossal beast with a calm expression. "Spirit-Rank Phantom Beast—Wood Fiend. My apologies. The Five Elements counteract each other—Wood conquers Earth. Your attack is useless against me now."

The giant beast beside Yun Feng was about three meters tall and broad, making its original animal form hard to discern, though its exterior bore a resemblance to a bear. Crucially, it was a Wood-elemental magical beast.

Kuroiwa’s expression hardened. Her giant cannon in her left hand instantly transformed. The circular barrel flattened, sharp blades sprouted from both sides, and she moved with lightning speed, slicing viciously toward the Wood-elemental beast.

"Spirit-Rank Phantom Beast—Fire Python," Yun Feng uttered softly, unhurried. As his words faded, the temperature in that level of the castle instantly skyrocketed, and a massive, ten-meter-long python of blazing fire materialized from thin air.

It immediately lunged forward with its crimson jaws open, biting toward Kuroiwa with lightning speed and cunning angles.

Kuroiwa’s expression flickered slightly; she could see beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She abruptly stopped her movement mid-air, narrowly evading the Fire Python's surprise strike, and slammed her cannon down, shattering the python's head into dust.

However, fire is inherently formless. Before Kuroiwa could land, the scattered embers instantly coalesced. Simultaneously, the Wood Fiend let out a massive roar and charged toward Kuroiwa like an unstoppable battering ram.

Under the combined suppression of these two beasts, Kuroiwa immediately fell on the defensive.

In the less than five seconds from Kuroiwa's initial attack to her being suppressed, Zhai Lian and Liu Qu, on the other side, were momentarily stunned, deep in thought. The Book of Nature truly possessed unique profoundness. Even with their mid-tier Spirit-Rank strength, they could only manage to suppress the Black Rock Shooter; yet, Yun Feng achieved this with just two magical beasts. If, given time, he could summon more or stronger beasts... his potential power was limitless.

Towards such a potential future enemy, both harbored a certain degree of wariness. But now was clearly not the time to dwell on such matters; the priority was taking down the Black Rock Shooter.

Nodding to each other, Liu Qu transmitted the Soul Agreement to Yun Feng, while Zhai Lian launched himself forward to attack Kuroiwa.

"Hmm?" Yun Feng, busy commanding the two beasts, suddenly felt something appear in his mind. After a brief pause, he instantly understood it was the Soul Agreement from Liu Qu... The purpose of the agreement was for each person to obtain one World Heart? Not bad.

After only a moment's hesitation, Yun Feng signed the agreement... A Soul Agreement wasn't any written document; if it were, it couldn't restrain Travelers. Instead, it was a spiritual shackle. Upon accepting the agreement, as long as one mentally consented to wear this shackle, the pact was formally established and could not be broken until the objective was achieved.

The scorching heat contained within the crimson flames, the unrestrained power emanating from the furious Wood Fiend—facing the fierce onslaught of these two beasts, Kuroiwa wasn't on the brink of defeat, but she was certainly flustered. After all, magical beasts are not human; they do not fear death, they do not fear pain, and they cannot be easily killed.

Suddenly, an urgent premonition flared in her mind. Kuroiwa sensed a sharp, piercing force attacking her from behind.

There were only a few people present, and given the recent battle, she knew exactly who was attacking her. In terms of pure close-quarters combat ability, she knew she couldn't match that person.

A wolf in front and a tiger behind—this unfavorable situation could not be maintained...

Kuroiwa grit her teeth, suddenly flashing sharply to the left to face the Wood Fiend head-on. She braced the giant cannon across her chest and deliberately took the Wood Fiend's charge head-on, rocketing backward as if shot from a cannon. The massive impact surged through her body, leaving her feeling almost dizzy.

Kuroiwa bit down hard, drawing blood from her lip to shock her senses back into focus. Her right hand, wielding the long saber, stabbed fiercely into the wall behind her. As the saber flashed, the wall behind her instantly burst open, and before Zhai Lian and the Fire Python could land their attacks, she had already scrambled through the opening.

"Damn it, she escaped!" Seeing this, Liu Qu gnashed his teeth in frustration. The other two also looked regretful.

Her thinking was clearly more intricate than they had anticipated; knowing she couldn't win head-on, she chose to flee immediately without hesitation.

"Pursue her! We absolutely cannot let this opportunity slip away," Yun Feng said gravely. Before he finished speaking, he controlled the Wood Fiend to smash the entire wall apart and chased after her, the other two following closely.

Kuroiwa had no intention of fleeing. Just as the three didn't want to let her go, she felt the same about them. Since a direct confrontation was impossible, she would counterattack from the flanks. No one knew the structure of this castle better than she did. Relying on the right timing and geographical advantage, she might still have a chance to win.

Minutes later, Kuroiwa had fully stabilized her breathing and was cautiously running inward along the castle's circular corridor. Although her body sustained minor injuries, they wouldn't impede the fight.

Boom!

As she rushed into a spacious hall inside the castle, a massive figure suddenly burst out from the corridor on the right—the Wood Fiend!

Kuroiwa's heart seized. Before she could react, the Wood Fiend slammed into her violently, knocking her flying instantly. Before her body even hit the ground, hot air washed over her face—

The Fire Python swooped down from above, opening its massive jaws to bite at her body. Simultaneously, on her front, rear, and both sides, Zhai Lian's fists and Liu Qu's long saber struck like vengeful spirits, fast as lightning!

Bad!

Only then did Kuroiwa's face truly drain of color. Surrounded on four sides, even with incredible luck, there was no hope of escape.

Kuroiwa gripped her long saber tightly, having already resolved to take her enemies down with her even if it cost her life. But before she could make her move, her pupils suddenly widened—a sky full of black feathers suddenly descended from the air.

"Oh my, oh my. I only came to check things out out of curiosity, but I accidentally stumbled into quite a tight spot, didn't I?" A young girl's leisurely voice echoed in the air.

P.S.: Yesterday morning—no, it should be this morning at dawn—I was writing without much thought and suddenly felt inspired to draft an extra chapter. Those interested can go take a look... Also, I had originally planned to put that racing scene into the main story, but upon reflection, it's quite far off—at least two or three months away. My inspiration couldn't wait, and besides, I can freestyle whatever I want in an extra chapter, letting logic run wild, V.