Chapter 237: A Foxian Tale of the Haunted 『 Part Twelve 』
「 "Teng Xiao was the General of the Luofu, holding command over the Cloud Knights; Ignamar, meanwhile, was the leader of the Heliobi, giving orders to the demonic host. The two were like heaven covering earth, or Yin and Yang in opposition. A battle of dragons between them was entirely reasonable and in accordance with the rules."
"However, in the present moment, I am the General of the Xianzhou, whereas you are no longer Ignamar—you are merely a prisoner in chains. If you wish to engage me in battle, you must abide by my rules. Defeat my army and cut a path to the central command tent; only then will I grant you this opportunity."
With just a few airy sentences, Jing Yuan reversed the roles of attacker and defender. His aura was overwhelming, leaving Cirrus momentarily unable to find any grounds for rebuttal. Helplessly, the Heliobus had to agree. Yet, the opponents it needed to defeat were none other than Stelle, Huohuo, and their two companions.
"Eh? Us? N-n-n-no problem… right?" Huohuo's presence was feeble, her answer clearly lacking in confidence.
Stelle sighed. She had originally planned to push the General out as their ace in the hole, but after going around in circles, it turned out the 'ace' was still herself… 」
「 .....」
〜Akame Ga Kill World〜
The Empire, Jaeger Briefing Room—
"Whoa…!"
Wave's eyes widened, his fists clenching involuntarily.
"General Jing Yuan is incredible! It's not just his strength; his way with words is amazing, too. In just a few sentences, he rendered that Cirrus speechless!"
"Wave, you practically have the word 'admiration' written across your face."
Kurome took a bite of her cookie, glancing helplessly at Wave. Ever since General Jing Yuan first appeared, he had become the role model Wave dreamed of emulating… Whenever the General appeared, it was as if Wave had an auto-lock targeting system fixed on Jing Yuan.
This level of obsession… was going to interfere with training.
"Wave, you could learn from his combat style instead of always charging headlong into the enemy formation. Even someone as strong as Jing Yuan needed to coordinate with his teammates when fighting Phantylia."
"Oh, oh… right."
Wave scratched his head sheepishly.
"But besides combat, I really want to learn General Jing Yuan's conversational techniques… I don't know why, but when the General speaks, it's like there's some kind of magic to it that compels you to believe him. Does this have to do with reading books? I didn't read much growing up…"
Run smiled faintly, his voice gentle.
"Conversational skills can be learned. When I was a teacher in the countryside, I taught quite a few students like you."
Wave's eyes lit up.
"Really? You'd be willing to teach me, Mr. Run?"
Run nodded with a smile.
"Of course. First, you must learn to control your tone—the reason General Jing Yuan is so convincing is not merely his strength, but the composure and confidence with which he speaks."
Wave nodded earnestly, imitating Jing Yuan's posture by straightening his back and lowering his voice:
"'You must defeat my army and cut a path to the central command tent; only then will I grant you this opportunity'—like that?"
Kurome let out a pfft of laughter, nearly choking on her warm tea.
"Idiot, that's way too forced."
Run also couldn't help but chuckle.
"Your tone could be a bit more natural. The key is to let the other party feel your underlying confidence, not to deliberately put on airs. However, Wave, it is good that you have this mindset. Before long, we will be fighting Night Raid. Let us continue the next lesson after the battle concludes, shall we?"
—
「 Cirrus still looked down somewhat on the group before it, but the General chuckled with the assurance of one who holds a winning hand. "If you win, I shall resume the duel of old. If you lose, you must answer one question for them—no lies, no sophistry. Do we have a deal?"
Cirrus agreed on the spot, impatient to begin the first skirmish. However, having lost the majority of its Heliobus fragments, it was truly feeble; Stelle dispatched it effortlessly with a couple of swings of his bat.
According to the agreement, it first had to answer a question for Huohuo. After being informed about the disappearance of Bailu mentioned on the Ghostly Grove, Cirrus truthfully revealed that this was the work of Arkeri, a Heliobus with a heavy playful streak who loved nothing more than free-spirited frolicking.
Bailu was also a child who yearned for freedom, and a freedom-loving Heliobus possessing a freedom-loving Bailu… it all made sense.
Having obtained this crucial intelligence, Stelle prepared to set off for Aurum Alley. However, before leaving, she had one lingering doubt. She approached the General, wanting to know why Cirrus and its kind were so obsessed with dueling the General.
From Ignamar to Fyxestroll, and now Cirrus… it seemed every Heliobus possessed a massive, unyielding fixation.
To this, the General explained: "According to ancient myths, the Xianzhou once faced an invasion by a great enemy, a desperate situation where the entire race faced extinction. To save the situation, a mortal hero went so far as to make a pact of possession with the ancestor of the Heliobi, the [Flint Emperor]."
"The Flint Emperor lent his power for the battle, and should the mortals return triumphant, they would lose their own bodies forever."
"After that great war ended, not a single hero survived, and the Flint Emperor was also grievously wounded. The transaction thus came to nothing. People gradually forgot this story. But the Heliobi remember. They seek repayment for this debt, and will never forget it for all eternity." 」
「 .....」
〜One Punch Man World〜
Z-City, Apartment—
Genos stood by the window, his golden mechanical eyes flickering slightly.
"Sensei, the Xianzhou people not only violated the pact but also imprisoned the ancestor of the Heliobi on the Zhuming Xianzhou. Do you think… the actions of the Xianzhou people are reasonable?"
"Reasonable, yeah,"
Saitama said without looking up, his finger pausing on an advertisement for half-priced beef at the supermarket.
"Creatures like Heliobi are immortal and indestructible, and I think the Xianzhou people classified them as abominations of 『 Abundance 』, right? Regardless of any pact, that kind of monster definitely needs to be controlled."
"But the Flint Emperor only made a pact with humans, correct?"
Genos's tone carried a rare heaviness.
"Oh, that… yeah, he got a raw deal."
Saitama finally looked up, scratching his smooth head.
"Do you know exactly what happened in Xianzhou thousands of years ago?"
"Apologies, Sensei, I am unclear on the details."
"So, there you go. No one knows what really happened in that history. I don't believe the Xianzhou people would have imprisoned the Flint Emperor if he posed absolutely no threat. It's like if a Dragon-level monster appeared in the city center—even if it hadn't killed a single human, the Hero Association would still move to eliminate it."
"…It's a threat, Genos. It doesn't have much to do with pacts anymore. If they didn't imprison it, and one day the Flint Emperor recovered his strength… and went on a rampage, Xianzhou would be in danger. Anyway, regardless of the probability, the General definitely has to consider that possibility."
"I see."
Genos's eyes lit up, an expression of admiration involuntarily forming on his face.
"As expected of Sensei, your insight is always on point."
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