Chapter 183: Mini Seville
"What did you say?"
Ying Jiuyao’s tiger-like eyes narrowed in disbelief as he stared at Fei Zhao.
"He’s Princess Alita’s Beast Husband. What reason would he have to harm Anan?"
"Do you have proof?" Night Abyss asked in a low voice.
"The proof is right here."
Fei Zhao turned his palm upward, and a soundwave enveloped in Fox Fire levitated above it. "This is the voice from the spatial vortex just now. Listen closely."
"Every frequency in its vibrato is a perfect match for the records of Louis’s speech from three months ago."
"And Raymond was killed by a Level 3S Leopard Clan Beastman."
Frost condensed on Lan Cangming’s fingertips as he murmured,
"No wonder he paid so much attention to Qiuqiu at the last royal banquet. He must have realized Qiuqiu’s bloodline is special."
Ying Jiuyao’s tiger stripes glowed blood-red. His voice was hoarse as he said,
"The Princess Badge, Raymond’s murder, the black market connections... it all lines up."
"Investigate."
Night Abyss’s venomous fangs glinted coldly. "Before we flay him alive, get the spatial coordinates out of him."
Fei Zhao’s tail ignited with ethereal blue Fox Fire. "I’ll retrieve his movements for the past six months right now."
"Let’s go!"
Ying Jiuyao took one last look at where Su An’an had disappeared. As he turned, the stone wall shattered from a burst of his rampaging Energy.
’Time to show that leopard the price for messing with Anan.’
...
Meanwhile, Su An’an was being torn apart by the turbulence of the Otherworldly Space, feeling as if the raging Energy was about to crush her organs.
Seville’s six Wings bloomed with a blinding Golden Light in the chaos.
Ancient Holy Runes flowed across each Wing, yet they continuously cracked and shattered under the corrosion of the spatial storm.
"Don’t move."
He suddenly pulled Su An’an and Qiuqiu into his arms, his blood-stained hand cradling the back of her head.
His other hand gripped her waist tightly.
Dizzy, Su An’an clung to his collar, her cheek pressed against his muscular chest. All she could hear was the frantic, uncontrolled beating of his heart.
"Scared stupid?"
Seville glanced down, a mocking curve playing on his blood-stained lips.
"No!"
Su An’an was grateful for Qiuqiu in her arms; the small cub was the only thing keeping the embrace from being too awkward.
"Damn it!"
Suddenly, Seville’s pupils constricted.
Ahead, at a spatial node, the faint outline of a blood-red cage appeared, and the terrifying howls of a Mutant Beast echoed from within.
"Hold on tight! We’re changing our destination!"
Golden flames suddenly erupted from Seville’s six Wings, and the Holy Runes on them exploded one after another.
A new branch was violently torn open in the spatial passage.
The three of them plummeted like a shooting star into the unknown darkness.
The last thing Su An’an saw was Seville’s paper-white face and the golden blood trickling from the corner of his lips.
THUD!
Su An’an struggled awake from her dizzy spell, the damp scent of humus filling her nostrils.
She instinctively tightened her arms. The breathing of Qiuqiu, who was still in her embrace, was faint, and his small body was alarmingly hot.
His black scales were losing their luster at a visible rate.
"Qiuqiu?!"
She scrambled to sit up, but the moment the green healing light she gathered at her fingertips touched the cub’s forehead, it was repelled by a strange force.
His small beast ears drooped listlessly, and the golden markings on his tail were as dull as withered leaves.
Evidently, the toll of forcibly tearing a new path through space was far too great.
"Seville!"
Her hoarse cry echoed through the dark, dense forest.
"Over here."
A young but icy voice came from beside her feet.
Su An’an looked down, and her pupils constricted.
A three-and-a-half-year-old toddler with silver-purple hair was looking up at her indifferently.
His oversized robe dragged across the moss like a blanket, and his six miniature black-and-white Wings drooped listlessly.
Yet, a stubborn tuft of hair stuck straight up on the top of his head.
The most incongruous part was his eyes. His amber pupils held the chill of a thousand years of ice, a stark contrast to his round, babyish face.
"You!"
The corner of Su An’an’s mouth began to twitch uncontrollably.
Little Seville expressionlessly held out his palm. A thread of golden Holy Energy appeared for a moment before sputtering out with a FIZZ.
He frowned at the dissipating speck of light. "My Holy Power is depleted. Regression period: three days."
The end of his sentence carried a cute, nasal lilt.
PFFT!
Su An’an covered her mouth to stifle a laugh.
"Still laughing?!"
Little Seville suddenly tugged on the hem of her dress, trying to strike a condescending pose.
But due to the height difference, it came out as an upward-glaring threat.
"Laugh again, and I’ll feed you and that burdensome cub to the Mutant Beasts."
Unfortunately, it had zero intimidating effect. He just looked like a bristling kitten.
Su An’an crouched down to his eye level and suddenly reached out to poke his chubby cheek.
"Like this, I bet you couldn’t even beat a mutant tadpole, could you?"
Little Seville’s expression instantly cracked.
Qiuqiu, still in Su An’an’s arms, suddenly squirmed restlessly.
Seville’s gaze sharpened. He immediately took a step forward and pressed his small hand onto Qiuqiu’s forehead without asking.
"What are you doing?"
Su An’an instinctively tried to stop him.
But then she saw a faint Golden Light emanate from Seville’s palm as he carefully examined Qiuqiu’s condition.
After a moment, his tense little face relaxed slightly.
"His genes haven’t collapsed. It’s just physical exhaustion!"
Su An’an froze for a second. Looking at the miniature Swan Priest before her, she said softly,
"I didn’t expect you would save Qiuqiu. Thank you!"
Seville pulled his hand back, the oversized sleeve tracing an arc through the air.
He turned his head away, his tone cold.
"Don’t get the wrong idea. I just can’t stand the Black Priest’s despicable methods."
Suddenly, he whipped his head back around, his amber eyes staring straight into Su An’an’s.
A cold, meaningful smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"But you... I never expected the Divine Female from the prophecy to be a vicious female who would poison her own Beast Husband and render him mute!"
Su An’an froze as if struck by lightning, her arms instinctively tightening around Qiuqiu.
She opened her mouth, unsure how to respond.
"Help! The Two-headed Toads are eating someone!"
A bloodcurdling cry for help suddenly rang out from the distance, shattering the stagnant atmosphere between them.
Su An’an and Seville exchanged a look and, without a word, simultaneously dashed toward the cry.
Towering ancient trees flew past on either side, and damp humus splattered underfoot.
Although little Seville’s legs were short, his six miniature Wings vibrated at a high frequency, allowing him to run even a fraction faster than Su An’an.
Rounding a patch of giant ferns, the smell of blood suddenly intensified.
Three poisonous Two-headed Toads, each the size of a hedgehog, were surrounding a boy from the Deer Clan.
"Watch out!"
Seville’s pupils constricted. He instinctively spread his Wings to shield Su An’an.
But he had forgotten he was now only the height of a three-and-a-half-year-old.
Su An’an scooped him up and tucked him under her arm. "Don’t get ahead of yourself, little guy!"
With her free hand, she had already conjured a silver-white arc of electricity and fired it precisely at a toad’s eye.
"Put me down!"
Seville bristled in her arms, but he had to admit that from this angle, he had a perfect view of the toad’s vulnerable belly.
Gritting his teeth, he shot out three rays of Golden Light from his Wings, locking onto the largest black spot on the toad’s stomach.
"Hit it there!"
Su An’an understood instantly. Her purple-black tentacles struck like venomous snakes, burrowing into the black spot.
The toad let out a shrill scream as its pustulent blood splattered onto the moss, corroding it and releasing puffs of white smoke.
The Deer Clan boy took the chance to break free, pointing with a trembling hand toward the depths of the swamp.
"Th-There are more."
A chorus of CROAKS rose and fell in the distance, and the entire swamp began to squirm unnaturally.