Hua's voice was calm, yet it carried an undeniable weight—enough to tug the atmosphere back from the brink as Elio and Polka's words continued to clash.
Wei Qing raised an eyebrow, looking at the Xianzhou Marshal. He genuinely hadn't expected that, at this point, there was still anything left for him and Hua to "talk" about.
"Talk?" Wei Qing narrowed his eyes slightly, the Stellaron in his hand pulsing brighter and dimmer. "Marshal, didn't we already talk?"
Hua's gaze swept over the shoulder wound she'd left him with moments ago—already healed under Abundance's power.
"Our conversation was interrupted," she said steadily. "I intended to take you back to the Yuque."
"But now, the situation has changed."
Her eyes shifted to Elio. The cat's appearance had tipped the balance. Even with Hua and Polka working together, they hadn't been able to secure Wei Qing. And now, with a new "helper" at his side, the odds of capturing him had only gotten slimmer.
Elio sat elegantly at Wei Qing's feet, tail swaying lightly. "Oh? The Xianzhou Marshal wants to negotiate with us Stellaron Hunters? Now that is fresh."
"It's not negotiation," Hua replied, hesitation flickering in her eyes. "Consider it… a request I'm making on Luofu's behalf."
"Wei Qing. Even if it was only for a short time, you were once Luofu's General. And even now—despite being an Emanator of Destruction—Lan's favor toward you has not been withdrawn."
She paused, then continued, "That means on the Path of the Hunt, you still hold a… special standing."
Wei Qing didn't speak. He waited.
"I can represent the Xianzhou Alliance," Hua said, her voice carrying across the barren planet, "and propose a temporary agreement."
"Today, you may leave with the Stellaron. Consider it a concession from the Xianzhou."
Even Polka glanced over slightly at that, though she didn't interrupt.
"Conditions?" Wei Qing asked bluntly.
"Three." Hua raised three fingers.
"First: Leave Luofu immediately. You are not to cause further destruction to any Xianzhou facilities or civilians."
"Second: The Divine Foresight—Shenjun—is of no real use to you, but it is vital to Luofu. You will return it."
"Third…" Her gaze deepened. "When Abundance's spawn threatens the survival of the Xianzhou—if I issue a summons—you will answer the Hunt's call once."
Elio's tail stopped moving. The amber cat-eyes gleamed with something unreadable.
Polka clicked her tongue softly, clearly unimpressed.
Wei Qing fell silent for a moment, then laughed. "Marshal, don't you think it's funny to say this now? An Emanator of Destruction responding to a Xianzhou summons?"
"In extraordinary times, one must do extraordinary things," Hua said without wavering. "Since Lan acknowledges your road, the Xianzhou can accept this… special cooperation."
"Special cooperation?" Wei Qing repeated, the smile on his lips edged with mockery. "Marshal, is this… officially sanctioned paid rebellion?"
Hua didn't move an inch. "If you feel that description fits, then so be it. Given the current situation, this is simply the choice that benefits the Xianzhou most."
She glanced at Elio at Wei Qing's feet, then at the silent Polka.
"If we insist on a deathmatch today, the ending may satisfy no one."
Polka finally spoke, her voice cold and clear. "Hua, you're playing with fire. Walk with Destruction, and you'll be burned."
"The Xianzhou walks the Hunt's road," Hua answered calmly. "We have always lived alongside destruction. The question is—what is destroyed. I understand your concern, Polka, but the Xianzhou has its own calculus."
Wei Qing didn't answer immediately. He lowered his gaze to Elio. The black cat was looking up at him too, amber eyes glinting with that inscrutable shine.
"What do you think, Elio?" Wei Qing asked. "Give me your opinion."
"Meow~" Elio drawled lazily, washing his face with a paw. "It's your choice, Wei Qing."
"But I'll remind you: once you say yes, you officially step onto the Xianzhou's chessboard."
Wei Qing lifted his eyes to Hua. Those weathered eyes held nothing but bottomless calm.
"Marshal… your proposal is interesting," Wei Qing said slowly, voice unreadable. "But why should I agree?"
"We've fought long enough, haven't we? Because you can't keep me here?"
"And as part of Destruction, from the start my role was infiltration."
"Now I'm a Stellaron Hunter—and still the Emanator Qingzhou. The Xianzhou's survival, Luofu's gains and losses… what do they have to do with me?"
His words were cold blades cutting through the air.
"Answer the Hunt's summons? Heh. Marshal, what if I show up—and you bring extra hands to surround and kill me?"
Hua's expression didn't shift at all, as if she'd expected this.
"I won't do that. The Xianzhou won't do that."
She looked to Elio. "Your Stellaron Hunters—however strange your methods—one of your core aims is still to prevent Destruction's end."
"So I believe your nature isn't absolute Destruction."
Polka let out a faint, disdainful hum.
"Hua, you're oversimplifying. Power's essence decides its destination. Destruction is the end—termination of all things. It has nothing to do with the Hunt's goal. Even if objectives align briefly, the paths diverge in the end."
"Different roads can still run together—for a while," Hua replied evenly. "Balance isn't a still pond. It is something held in motion."
She turned the question back on Polka, "You insist on eliminating variables to preserve a fixed future—but is Nous' calculation truly the only truth? Has the IX Mechanism's design actually brought eternal peace?"
Then her eyes returned to Wei Qing.
"Wei Qing. These conditions are neither a plea nor a command." Her voice carried a quiet certainty. "But I know you will agree."
"And if you refuse…"
Hua's aura gathered for a breath—pressure immense—then, just as suddenly, it ebbed, like air leaking from a tightened fist.
"…Then I'll accept that I misjudged," she said softly.
She wasn't his match. Polka had her own agenda. In the end, Hua could only gamble on one thing: that Wei Qing still held a sliver of feeling for Luofu.
She let the words settle.
"The choice is yours."
On the barren planet, the wind moaned, sweeping up stardust like drifting fog.
Wei Qing stood still, not rushing his answer. Elio continued licking his paw, as if a negotiation that could reshape the universe had nothing to do with him.
"Marshal Hua," Wei Qing chuckled, self-mocking and dismissive at once. "Don't you think you're basically guilt-tripping me?"
"Ever since I left Luofu, have you ever once believed you 'misjudged' me?"
Hua's gaze didn't flicker. "Before today, the Xianzhou's priority was Abundance's spawn. With you, we mostly… observed."
"Observed?" Wei Qing arched a brow.
"Lan's will has always been something we weighed," Hua said plainly. "The fact that your blessing wasn't withdrawn—that was a signal."
"But today, if you refuse, that signal will no longer matter."
"No longer matter…" Wei Qing murmured, tasting the words. The smile faded. He looked at Elio. "Was this in your script?"
The black cat stopped grooming. "Scripts are dynamic. Every choice branches. Yes or no leads to different finales. But either way…"
Elio's eyes narrowed with amusement.
"…it's interesting."
It was the usual riddle. But Wei Qing understood the hint: Elio had a version either way. The consequences were Wei Qing's problem.
After a long moment, Wei Qing lifted his head. His eyes were clear.
"Fine." He sounded almost casual. "Marshal Hua—this round, you win."
"Your conditions aren't unreasonable. I can agree."
Because she was right: he did owe Luofu.
If Luofu truly faced catastrophe in the future, he would intervene—if only for the three hundred years they'd shared.
He could have taken the Stellaron and turned Luofu upside down, even crippled its foundations.
But he hadn't.
Was it because those three centuries left a mark? Because the faces of old friends could never be reduced to dust?
Wei Qing didn't know the answer.
And he didn't bother to find it.
Hua gave a slight nod, unsurprised. "Thank you for understanding."
Polka's presence, however, turned colder by a degree. "Hua. You'll regret today."
"Perhaps." Hua's tone remained steady. "Then it is a risk the Xianzhou must bear."
Wei Qing ignored Polka and spoke directly to Hua. "Condition one—I'll leave immediately. Fine."
"Condition two—Shenjun…"
Behind him, the vast dark-gold shadow let out a low, unwilling hum, as if resentful.
But in the end, it became a streak of light that peeled away from Wei Qing's body, condensing midair into a fist-sized golden sphere packed with immense Hunt power. It drifted toward Hua.
Hua accepted it with one hand. A familiar weight settled in her palm. Something complicated flickered in her eyes before she put it away.
"And the third condition," Wei Qing continued. "When Abundance threatens Xianzhou's survival—your summons, I will answer."
"But only once."
"And I do what I believe should be done. I do not take orders."
"In truth," Wei Qing thought to himself, "if this happens, it'll likely be during that next major war against Abundance."
But perhaps not. With Jidu Mirage permanently erased by the Undying Slash, that disaster could never revive. Without that trump card, maybe that war wouldn't happen at all.
"Agreed." Hua answered without hesitation. "Once is enough."
The agreement was sealed. A fragile, subtle equilibrium formed on this dead world.
"Then the deal stands," Wei Qing said, clapping his hands as if dusting off something invisible. "If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
He bounced the Stellaron lightly in his palm.
"Carrying this around in front of two big shots is… stressful."
Hua gave no comment. "Go."
Polka remained still, her hollow eyes pinned on Wei Qing. She said nothing, but the pressure around her didn't fade.
It was obvious: she hadn't come this far for this outcome.
Elio's tail-tip hooked around Wei Qing's ankle.
"Looks like someone isn't ready for the curtain to fall," the cat said, voice amused.
Polka stepped forward. Her candy-colored skirt drifted in the thin air.
She didn't look at Elio. Her gaze never left Wei Qing.
"The agreement is between you and the Xianzhou."
"But what's between you and me… is not finished."
Wei Qing almost laughed. "Lady Elbow-Eyes, don't tell me you think you can keep me here by yourself?"
The air tightened instantly.
Two of the sharpest existences beneath the Aeons stared each other down. Invisible Paths collided. The planet's surface trembled faintly.
Elio "meowed" at the perfect moment, breaking the dangerous stillness.
"Oh dear," the cat sighed. "Looks like talking won't solve it."
It hopped onto Wei Qing's shoulder, tail sweeping his neck.
"Polka, didn't you want to 'talk' with us?"
Polka's gaze shifted to Elio. "Your script doesn't interest me."
"But your actions have gone too far."
Elio didn't argue.
Instead, he shot Wei Qing an oddly wounded look.
Wei Qing: "???"
Good grief.
Aren't we on the same side?
What's with that look—are you about to cut ties with me right here?
Elio spoke, tone unhurried and faintly aggrieved.
"…I've been trying very hard to rein him in."
"And he's been 'much calmer' these last few decades, hasn't he?"
Polka's voice turned openly mocking. "Calmer?"
"Elio… you call what he's done these decades 'calm'?"
"As far as I know, the 'future' described by Finality has been altered by him repeatedly."
"And your Stellaron Hunters began moving hundreds of years early."
"That is your 'rein him in'?"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 178)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 150)
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TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter110)
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I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter225)
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Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 77
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 195
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 170
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass Volume2/5
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 225
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 65
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 76
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 66
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 65
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 210
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 154
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player Volume4/30
The Violent Girl Group Is Beat 115
Uma Musume: The Horse Girl Who 67
Uma Musume: From Beginner 130
Becoming a Horse Girl, I Will 85
Uma Musume: I Want All 105
I Can Copy Unique Skills 100
Summoning an Evil God, but the 70
Supernatural Multiverse 90
My Harem Is Indescribable 85
Jujutsu Kaisen: Heroic Spirit 90
"I'm just a Valkyrie passing through." 68
Uma Musume: Today Is Another Romantic Battlefield 100
Still playing traditional Honk 69
The Most Filial Son Under Heav 75
What Should I Do After Switchi - Volume2/3
Reincarnated as a Demon, Skill 60
Hell-Difficulty Dungeon? 55
Transmigrated as Sukuna 71
Checking In in Demon Slayer 75
The Reincarnating Trainer of Tracen Academy 80
I Refuse to Become a Heroic 66
My Best Friend Into a Slime? 58
A Saiyan Stands Above Marvel 65
What Do You Mean by Using a Lab Mod to Be the Hero? 63
Tanya Starts from Re:Zero 59
Why did they assign me to Uma 55
MYGO Beauties 56
DanMachi: Emiya the Giant Hero 45
The Gacha Merchant Who Started 49
Honkai's Otherworld? Wait—Who Are You People?! 36
Emiya Shirou, Determined to Slay Every Curse and Evil Spirit 35
The Uma Musume Who Became 30
I'm Definitely Not the King of 35
After Maxing Out Every Class 35
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