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{3rd Pov}
Qin Yu'er let out a quiet sigh as she listened to the task that had been assigned to them.
Their mission was to somehow reach Japan without any support from their clan and without relying on any provided funds.
Thankfully, in this era, it was relatively easy to smuggle oneself into another country, especially for mages.
All they needed was a suitable harbor and enough money, which they planned to gather by hunting beasts along the way in order to fund their journey to Japan.
However, the situation between China and Japan was far from simple.
The two countries had maintained extremely poor relations for many years due to a major war that had taken place in the past.
During that conflict, the Japanese military had committed several serious war crimes, leaving deep scars that had never truly healed.
Not only were countless Chinese civilians brutally killed, but many women were also raped by Japanese military soldiers as a way to vent their lust and frustrations.
These atrocities had driven a massive wedge between the two nations, one that remained even long after the war had officially ended.
Hatred, resentment, and mistrust continued to linger on both sides. In the present day, Chinese and Japanese people still largely hated each other, each believing firmly in their own version of history.
China continued to speak openly about the atrocities committed on its land, while Japan denied that such war crimes had ever taken place.
Because of this unresolved history and the pain left behind, tensions between the two countries never truly disappeared, making any journey between them far more complicated than it appeared on the surface.
Qin Yu'er could already feel the disgust in her teammates' eyes as they discussed Japan and talked about how they would gather their tokens easily.
The hostility in their voices was obvious, and the contempt they held wasn't even hidden.
Listening to them, Qin Yu'er felt conflicted.
She couldn't understand their mindset.
Even if Japan had committed those atrocities… that was in the past.
Why should the children of the present, who had done no such things, be treated with such disgust, as if they were somehow lesser than human beings?
"The crimes of the ancestors will be borne by their descendants," Zu Xingyi suddenly said as he sat down beside her, his tone calm but firm.
Qin Yu'er raised her eyebrow slightly and turned to look at him.
"How did you know what I was thinking?" she asked, genuinely surprised.
"Because among all of us who are mocking the Japanese team, only you are staying silent," Zu Xingyi replied.
"And to be fair, I share the same thoughts as you. But even so, I don't think it's wrong that they hate the Japanese."
He paused for a moment before continuing, his expression serious.
"They were taught about what the Japanese did to our land in the past, and how they got scot-free for most of it. If they have been taught to hate from the moment they could understand history, then hating them is all they know. It's not something they chose—it's something that was passed down to them."
Hearing that, Qin Yu'er couldn't help but feel a little stunned.
A moment later, she giggled softly and said, "Now that's really mature thinking… I don't think we've properly introduced ourselves to each other yet, right?"
"I am Qin Yu'er, representing the Imperial Magic Academy," she said calmly as she extended the introduction.
Zu Xingyi responded with a confident grin.
"Zu Xingyi, representing the Zu Clan."
At the same time, Zu Xingyi was silently thanking all the philosophical books he had secretly studied the previous night.
He had been wondering how to approach Qin Yu'er without sounding shallow or arrogant, and now he couldn't help but thank those books in his mind, feeling that they had finally paid off.
After that brief exchange, Qin Yu'er and Zu Xingyi quickly hit it off.
Their conversation flowed naturally, and before long, the two of them were laughing and talking comfortably, as if they had known each other for a long time.
However, this scene did not go unnoticed. Qin Yu'er's female friend, who secretly had a crush on Zu Xingyi, observed everything from the side.
Although her expression on the outside remained perfectly neutral, inside her mind she was fuming with jealousy, her resentment quietly growing as she watched the two of them grow closer.
Soon, night finally fell, and everyone returned to the respective rooms they had booked for the night.
They had already gathered enough money for their journey, so the plan was to rest properly today before departing for Japan early the next morning.
When Qin Yu'er arrived at her room and stepped inside, she instantly felt that something was wrong.
A strange presence lingered in the air, making her senses flare up.
Her body tensed as she immediately went on guard.
"Who is it?" she asked coldly, her eyes scanning the room as she wondered if one of her teammates had entered without her knowledge.
The moment she blinked, her surroundings changed abruptly.
In the blink of an eye, she was no longer inside her booked room.
Instead, she found herself standing within a dungeon-like place, dark and ancient, filled with an oppressive atmosphere.
Shock surged through her veins, and she reacted purely on instinct.
Her Ice Magic erupted violently, an overwhelming cold spreading outward as she attempted to freeze everything in her vicinity.
However, before her magic could fully manifest, she suddenly felt her control weakening.
The flow of her Ice Element became unstable, slipping through her grasp like melting snow.
An anti–Ice Magic Domain spread out rapidly, pressing down on her with crushing force.
An immense pressure descended upon her body, making it difficult even to breathe.
Qin Yu'er turned around sharply, her heart pounding, and her eyes widened as she finally saw the source of it all.
Before her stood a figure completely covered in dark armour, purple flames burning ominously across its surface.
The being was seated casually atop an ancient-looking black throne, its gaze fixed directly on her as if she were nothing more than prey.
In the next instant, the Aura of an Emperor erupted from that being.
The sheer pressure slammed into her without mercy, forcing her to her knees.
Her forehead struck the cold cobblestone floor as her body trembled uncontrollably, and she felt her grip over her Ice Magic slipping away entirely under the overwhelming dominance of that presence.
She was instantly terrified.
Having lost control over her magic, she was now no different from a normal human, albeit one with a stronger body.
Fear gripped her heart as her thoughts spiraled uncontrollably.
'Who is this being?! I have never felt such a terrifying aura… Is he a Monarch?! No— even a Monarch shouldn't be able to do something like this, right?' she thought while trembling on the cold ground, her body pressed helplessly against the floor.
Then she heard a voice.
"Qin Yu'er… the one blessed by the Frost. I have summoned you into my presence. I am the Star Emperor!"
The hoarse and authoritative voice boomed through her mind rather than her ears, echoing deep within her consciousness.
As the words faded, she slowly felt the immense pressure surrounding her begin to recede.
The suffocating force lessened, and her body gradually stopped trembling as the fear loosened its grip on her.
She lifted her head slightly and looked toward the armoured figure, her mind struggling to process the meaning behind the words he had just spoken.
'Star Emperor?! He is an Emperor-level being?!'
The realization struck her like a bolt of lightning.
In that instant, any remaining hope of resistance vanished completely.
There was no path to escape, no chance of defiance.
No matter how strong she might be, she knew with absolute certainty that she stood no chance against an Emperor-level existence.
"I give you permission to stand," the figure said calmly.
Qin Yu'er slowly rose from her position, carefully steadying herself as she stood up and stared at the armoured figure before her.
Within a few breaths, she forced herself to compose her emotions and regain her usual calm.
She then gave a traditional Chinese salute, bowing respectfully as she spoke, "My humble self gives her respects to the Emperor."
After a brief pause, and with a hint of hesitation that she couldn't fully suppress, she raised her head slightly and asked, "May I know why the esteemed Emperor has summoned me?"
"I have summoned you," the Star Emperor, also known as Astreo, replied without the slightest hesitation.
Clad entirely in his Chaos Armour, his presence remained overwhelming even as his voice stayed calm.
"To grant you the opportunity of serving me."
Hearing those words, Qin Yu'er's heart sank.
From her perspective, the being standing in front of her—the so-called Star Emperor—was nothing less than a monster.
Although he possessed a humanoid form, she knew all too well that in this world, even demi-humans were not accepted as humans, but instead labeled as monsters.
Appearance alone meant nothing.
And even Qin Yu'er herself believed in the old saying: "Those who do not share the same race as me must have a different heart."
More importantly, as someone who firmly stood on humanity's side, she found it impossible to accept the idea of serving an existence she perceived as one of the leaders of monsters.
To her, such an act felt like betrayal—not only of mankind, but of her own beliefs and convictions.
"Forgive me… but I cannot accept that," she said without any hesitation, her voice steady despite the fear in her heart.
She bit her lips slightly, already preparing herself for the punishment she believed would surely follow.
From her perspective, refusing such a powerful existence could only end in death.
The Star Emperor fell silent and continued to stare at her without saying a word.
The oppressive atmosphere lingered, making every second feel unbearably long.
Qin Yu'er stood firmly in her place, and after finally gathering enough courage, she raised her head and looked at him defiantly.
"I am loyal to humanity," she said firmly.
"Even if an Emperor stands before me and asks me to join him, I refuse."
At that, the Emperor suddenly chuckled, the sound echoing faintly through the dungeon-like space.
"Loyal to humanity?" he asked calmly.
"Do you truly understand what you are saying right now?"
"Indeed," Qin Yu'er replied without backing down.
"I know I have angered the Lord Emperor, and you may kill me now. Even so, I will not betray my race."
With those words spoken, she slowly closed her eyes, as if calmly preparing herself for death. In that moment, fleeting memories surfaced in her mind—images of Zu Xingyi, her teammates, and even her female friend from the team.
She waited, ready to face whatever fate the Emperor decided to impose upon her.
"Qin Yu'er, your loyalty to humanity is wasted," she heard the Emperor's voice say instead.
Hearing that, she opened her eyes immediately, a deep frown appearing on her face.
The fear she felt earlier was now mixed with anger and frustration.
"My loyalty to mankind and humanity is not yours to question, even if you are an Emperor," Qin Yu'er snapped.
"Do you even know how many monsters kill innocent people every single day?! Do you know how many soldiers die while fighting against monsters on the front lines?"
She snorted coldly, the respect that had once existed in her eyes now completely replaced by righteous fury.
"You say the Monster Kind is to be blamed?" the Star Emperor replied calmly, yet his words carried undeniable authority.
"This world operates on the law of survival of the fittest. Monsters kill humans for their advancement, and humans kill monsters for their resources. Do not pretend you don't know this."
His words struck her directly, forcing her to fall silent. She clenched her fists and lowered her gaze, her emotions churning violently inside her chest. For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
After a short pause, Qin Yu'er finally spoke again, her voice calmer but still firm. "Forgive me… it seems I spoke the wrong words in my anger."
She raised her head once more and looked at the Emperor, her eyes unwavering. "However, I still stand by my decision. I will not betray humanity."
"They fear you," the Emperor said, rubbing his chin with clear amusement in his tone.
"Yes, they do," Qin Yu'er replied calmly.
"However, it is not their fault. They are scared of me because I might lose control and harm them. The previous Calamity Bearers have done exactly that, and because of those past incidents, they fear people like me. That fear didn't come from nowhere. But even so, I will prove to everyone that Calamity Bearers aren't disasters. We can become guardians of humanity."
The next moment, Astreo suddenly burst into laughter, the sound echoing loudly throughout the space.
"Guardian?" he repeated mockingly.
"Guardians of humanity? Do you even know how vile your race truly is?!"
Before she could respond, the terrifying Emperor-level aura erupted once again.
The overwhelming pressure slammed into her body, freezing her in place just as she was about to speak.
In that instant, she was painfully reminded that she was standing before a True Emperor, an existence far beyond her reach.
Astreo slowly stood up from his throne.
As he did, the surroundings changed instantly.
Space itself seemed to twist, and Qin Yu'er's head was forcefully turned as her gaze was directed toward the new scene unfolding in front of her.
"Thousands of years ago… humanity was weak. They had no magic and were treated as livestock by other races," the Star Emperor began narrating as the scene around Qin Yu'er shifted.
The illusion displayed the suffering of early humanity right before her eyes.
She watched as people dressed in ancient clothing ran desperately in fear, their faces filled with terror as monsters chased them relentlessly from behind, their screams echoing through ruined lands.
"However, some races chose to protect them," the Star Emperor continued.
"Those beings were called guardians by humanity. They were worshipped as Gods, Totems, and by many other names."
The scene changed once more.
This time, it showed groups of humans kneeling and bowing in reverence before massive and majestic beasts, offering prayers and sacrifices in exchange for protection.
The atmosphere was heavy with awe and devotion.
"Your country, China, itself had some of the most powerful Totems," the Star Emperor said calmly.
As his words echoed, the scene shifted again, revealing four extremely powerful beasts, each radiating overwhelming might and ancient authority, standing as symbols of protection that once safeguarded humanity from extinction.
A huge turtle, mountain-sized in scale, could be seen traveling calmly across the vast sea.
"The Black Tortoise," the Star Emperor said.
The scene shifted again.
Qin Yu'er then saw a massive white tiger standing atop snowy mountains, its roar echoing across the frozen land, shaking the heavens themselves.
"White Tiger."
Once more, the scenery changed.
Flames erupted, melting ice and scorching the land as fire spread to cover the entire sky.
Qin Yu'er looked upward and saw a dazzling, enormous bird engulfed in flames, its presence majestic and overwhelming, resembling a phoenix reborn from fire.
"Vermillion Bird."
The Star Emperor paused for a moment, letting the weight of the scene settle.
Suddenly, a thunderous roar shook the skies.
Qin Yu'er raised her head in shock and saw a gigantic dragon, several kilometers long, flying freely through the heavens, its body coiling through the clouds like a divine being.
"And finally… the Azure Dragon, the strongest guardian of humanity," the Star Emperor continued.
"They chose to protect your race, shielding humans from the Monster Kind. They treated humanity with care, not as food, but as something worth preserving."
Qin Yu'er was completely shocked.
Her eyes widened as she watched the ancient scenes unfold before her.
She had never known that the world—and her country—had such a profound and awe-inspiring history hidden in its past.
'Then why can I not find any mentions of Totems in any of the history books that I have read?' she thought in confusion.
Of course, she did not doubt the Star Emperor even for a moment.
She didn't even consider the possibility that an Emperor-level being would lie to someone like her, someone who could be considered no more than an ant compared to his existence.
However, she soon received her answer.
"Humanity eventually learned Magic from beasts," the Star Emperor continued.
"At the beginning, several different types of Magic systems emerged. There were even forms of magic that cannot be classified within the Elemental System that exists today. However, as humanity slowly gained a foothold in this world…"
As he spoke, the scene shifted dramatically.
"…a massive war between ocean monsters and land monsters erupted."
Before Qin Yu'er's eyes, titanic monsters clashed with one another.
The land shook, the seas raged, and the sky itself seemed to tremble as enormous beings fought in brutal combat.
The scale of the war was far beyond anything she had ever imagined.
"The Totems protected mankind at the cost of their own lives," the Star Emperor said solemnly.
"Thousands of Totems were wiped out by the Ocean monsters, fighting side by side with humanity's few mages. But in the end… they won."
The scene played out around her in a cinematic manner, showing sacrifice, destruction, and victory intertwined together.
Qin Yu'er stood frozen, watching as countless Totems fell one after another, yet never retreating, never abandoning humanity until the final moment.
"However…" the Star Emperor continued, his tone turning colder, "…humanity, upon seeing that the Totem kind had grown weak, began to feel as though they were being treated like pets. And so, on the eve of the final battle, they betrayed them, bringing an end to the entire era of Totems."
The Star Emperor stopped his narration at that point.
Qin Yu'er stood there completely shaken.
She couldn't believe what she had just heard.
The idea that humanity had betrayed their own protectors—beings that had sacrificed everything for them—felt almost impossible to accept.
"Tell me, Qin Yu'er," the Emperor continued after a brief pause, "in your country, do you understand the disparity between commoners and clan members?"
Qin Yu'er snapped out of her trance and, after a moment of hesitation, reluctantly nodded her head.
"A battle for resources that affect the entire population of the nation takes place," the Star Emperor said calmly.
"And yet, China does not select the strongest people to represent it. Instead, it selects those who gain the votes of clan members, the military, and various organizations. Not because they are incapable of choosing the strongest, but because they wish to maintain control over the population. They do not care if the common people lose their share of resources, as long as their authority remains intact."
Hearing these words, Qin Yu'er was completely stunned, her mind struggling to process the harsh reality being laid bare before her.
The analogy was extremely accurate for the situation.
In fact, Qin Yu'er already knew that China hadn't performed well in the past few World Tournaments.
During the last tournament in particular, their results had fallen to an all-time low, causing the nation to lose a massive amount of resources—resources that should have been distributed among the common population but were instead lost because of poor performance and internal politics.
"Tell me," the Emperor asked calmly, "what did I call you when you appeared here?"
Qin Yu'er thought back to his words and replied slowly, "Blessed by the Frost?"
Her eyes widened at that realization.
He hadn't called her an Ice Calamity Bearer.
He hadn't labeled her as a disaster or a curse.
Instead, he had referred to her as someone blessed.
That distinction was something she hadn't noticed until now, and only she truly understood how significant it was.
Everyone else who knew her true nature had always referred to her power as something cursed rather than blessed—something dangerous, something to be feared.
Over time, she had even accepted that label herself, believing that her existence was nothing more than a calamity.
Yet now, for the first time, someone had acknowledged her power as a blessing, and that single word shook her far more deeply than any accusation ever had.
"That is what your kind should be called," Astreo said coldly.
"But humanity, out of fear of your power and fear of losing control, chose to name blessed people like you 'Calamity Bearers' instead. They hunted you down so that the supremacy of their Organizations, Clans, and Families could remain unchallenged."
Astreo let out a low snicker as he spoke.
Qin Yu'er grabbed her head, a sharp pain surging through it as the cruel truth slammed into her again and again.
Every word felt heavy, suffocating.
"Let me tell you something," Astreo continued.
"Common people will fear you because of your strength. And the higher-ups will fear you because of the possibility that you might rule them one day. Humanity will betray you in one way or another. Even your so-called friend has gotten close to you while harboring evil thoughts."
"Stop!" Qin Yu'er shouted suddenly, glaring at him with trembling eyes.
"I–I have been silently listening to your words, and I understand what you are trying to do. You want to make me convert to your side."
She clenched her fists tightly.
"But I will not betray humanity."
"I admit that perhaps humanity betrayed those Totems," she continued, her voice shaking yet firm.
"But their descendants shouldn't be blamed for those sins! And I also admit that humanity has its faults… but if I were to betray them now, I would only prove that their hatred and fear of Calamity Bearers is justified."
She lifted her head and looked at him defiantly, her resolve unbroken despite the storm raging inside her heart.
"Lord Star Emperor, I will not betray humanity. So please, kill me rather than trying to get me on your side," she replied honestly, her voice calm despite the fear and tension weighing heavily on her heart.
The entire place fell into complete silence.
The oppressive stillness stretched on for several seconds, making her heartbeat sound deafening in her own ears.
Then, Astreo suddenly chuckled, the sound breaking the silence.
"You stand before an Emperor," he said slowly.
"You do recognize that, right?"
"Yes," she admitted without hesitation or excuse.
"Very well," the Star Emperor continued.
"I have my boundaries. Qin Yu'er, I shall spare you. The punishment for rejecting me is already written in your fate."
His voice grew colder as he spoke.
"One day, humanity will betray you. The friends you believe are standing by your side will also betray you. And when that day comes, you will finally understand the consequence of rejecting me."
After delivering those ominous words, the world around her shifted abruptly.
In the next instant, Qin Yu'er found herself back in her room, standing alone as if nothing had happened—except for the lingering chill in her heart left behind by the Emperor's warning.
She collapsed onto the floor, gasping desperately for air, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
Only she truly knew how terrified she had been of that figure.
In those moments, she had genuinely believed that he might even kill her friends and teammates the instant she rejected him.
That fear still lingered, clinging to her thoughts like a shadow that refused to fade.
Her mind spun chaotically as she recalled the warning he had given her before sparing her life.
Every word echoed clearly in her head, refusing to be ignored.
The weight of those ominous words pressed heavily on her heart, making it hard for her to calm down.
"There is no way…" she muttered softly to herself, thinking about her friends and the teammates she believed she could trust.
"They won't betray me… right?"
To be continued...
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