Honkai Impact: Grandma Pine Sparrow is still chasing me!

Chapter 291 He is a formidable enemy

After reviewing the information provided by Bai Ji, Qiong announced that she would focus all her energy on "dealing with powerful enemies," but Kiana dismissed it as a joke. Facing the relatively mature yet clueless Kiana, Qiong was finding it difficult to cope.

Is there no law? Is there no morality? Can't you at least abide by public order and good customs? Is this how you test your officials?

If it weren't for the curious but fearful Matsuko watching the drama unfold up close, Qiong's situation would have been even more difficult... He was somewhat aware of his own limits; without Matsuko acting as a safety valve, he might have succumbed to Kiana's relentless advances and temptations, eventually surrendering—who could withstand such a test? He wasn't some saint!

"Honey, would you like to chat with me?"

Looking at Kiana's mischievous grin, Sora really wanted to say she wasn't interested.

"Go chat with Song Que. I need to focus my energy on the Ten Arts War."

Kiana displayed a rather indifferent attitude.

"Hey, your batting skills are unmatched, Galaxy Bat Man! Why would you need to prepare so carefully?"

Kiana brought her mouth close to Sora's ear and gently blew air into it.

"Compared to this, don't you want to go home sooner? Even if you don't want to show off your 'stick skills,' you can still go home quickly, okay?"

"Songque, Nian Gao needs to talk to you!"

Qiong Yi was startled and decisively chose to pull Song Que, who was watching the show from the side, into the conversation as well.

Clearly, this End Worm was lusting after him, so he tried to avoid being alone with her and even locked the door when he slept at night...

No, locking the door won't help, will it? If she wants to, can the door stop her?

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"Master Baishu, did you not sleep well last night?"

"Yeah, I didn't sleep well... Also, you can just call me Qiong."

Sitting in the spectator area, Qiong rubbed his slightly sore eyes: He had spent half the night guarding against Kiana's night attack, but she didn't even show up. It was no wonder he couldn't get a good rest. He admitted that he had thought too badly of Kiana, actually believing that she would launch a night attack.

No matter what, Kiana is still Kiana, and she wouldn't do something as despicable as sneaking up on an innocent man in the middle of the night.

"Because the enemy is troublesome, I've been so worried I haven't been sleeping well."

Faced with Qiong's explanation, Song Que looked suspicious: "Didn't you just solve the problem by sweeping it away with a stick for so many days? Why are you worried today?"

"My true intention was not..."

"Oh, there's nothing to worry about!"

Kiana, who had turned into a "rice cake" shape, interrupted Bai Ji's rambling conversation and coiled herself on Qiong's head in public, causing Qiong to hurriedly break free.

Originally, she wanted to appear in human form, but Kiana compromised under Sora's strong insistence—Sora was, after all, a boy, and you have to respect a boy, give him a certain degree of freedom and dignity, at least make Sora feel that Kiana respects him, only then will she have a chance to get a share from Mei. Just like not launching a night raid last night, if she had, it might have backfired. Dealing with a stubborn fool like Sora, as long as he and Mei haven't gone all the way, it's best to trap Sora in a gentle snare…

This is what Bronya Zaycek, a master of love theory, said.

"Nian Gao! What are you doing! This is the competition arena! Get down here!"

To others, Qiong seemed no different from the past few days, except for a slightly lower mental state. Only Qiong's two companions knew that her relationship with "Nian Gao" had changed, heading headlong in a direction they had never imagined.

The snake that Qiong had pulled off flew back into the air, still smiling at Qiong.

"Don't worry, you're the man I've chosen, there won't be any problems! But, if you agree to one small condition, maybe I can help you a little? Like getting another holy mark tattooed on your back..."

Although carving a single mark would consume a significant amount of Honkai energy reserves, as long as Sora agrees to her conditions of kissing and exchanging oral fluids to replenish her mana, it would only mean returning a few days later. With Sora receiving further enhancement from her Stigmata, she would gain a more Kaslana-like Sora and a more stable coordinate system, making it a win-win situation!

Hmm, how about carving a Herrscher of Fire? I believe Qiong would love the unstoppable flames and Kaslana's big blue eyes...

"Miss Rice Cake, may I ask what a Stigmata is?"

"It's a kind of...circuit?"

But soon, Kiana lost interest in explaining to Baiji what Stigmata were.

[What's going on? Lord Lithost, the organizer of the tournament, is actually at the arena?]

"Huh? The referee went off to play the game?"

Qiong suddenly sat up straight, invigorating himself. Like him, everyone else was either shocked or excited, all looking at the indifferent man on the field.

Lord Lithost's opponent is Luo Chenxue, a newcomer participating in the Ten Arts War for the first time!

Qiong looked towards the edge of the venue, where a very unconventional-looking woman with blond hair and red eyes walked confidently onto the stage. She was wearing a red cloak, her long hair was tied into a ponytail, and her clothes were so short that they couldn't cover her lower abdomen... Even when facing the organizers, her eyes remained firm—firm enough to make you want to devour Lithost.

The Chen Xue he remembered wasn't like this! Is the sophisticated older sister and the delinquent, fiery girl the same person?

"This is a cover-up, this is definitely a cover-up, isn't it?"

Unlike Qiong, "Nian Gao" didn't share the disbelief and shock; instead, she was filled with righteous indignation at the unfair competition system: What exactly did Luo Chenxue do to warrant such a severe punishment from the organizers? Was the new dark horse too formidable, causing the organizers to lose control of the betting odds?

Out of curiosity, Kiana temporarily enhanced her hearing.

~~~~~~~~~

"You don't seem surprised?"

Yes, Lithost still spoke in the same monotone tone as on the day he registered.

His dog is much cuter.

"Ha, I knew long ago that you were a despicable, insidious, and utterly inhuman person! But I really didn't expect you to be so shameless as to show up and participate in the competition?"

"Does Luo Chenxue have a grudge against Lithost?"

The others didn't have sharp enough hearing, but they could see that the blond-haired girl didn't concede defeat and conserve her strength for the next round as everyone expected, but instead faced the challenge head-on.

"But that's fine too, after all, my only purpose in participating in this boring and ridiculous competition is to find an opportunity to get close to you, and then—kill you!"

“I know, that’s why I’m standing here.”

"Stop pretending! I'm going to slit your throat and make you pay for your crimes in blood! I've waited far too long to kill you and ensure you can never do evil again!"

Facing Luo Chenxue, who was clenching her teeth and fists, Litost smiled—which Chenxue interpreted as mockery.

I sincerely wish you success.

"Go to hell, Lithost!"

"You flatter me, Miss Chenxue."

~~~~~~~~~

With Chen Xue's roar and charge, the competition officially began.

And then, it ended.

Lithost simply raised his hand, and the fist the size of a sandbag that was about to land on his face immediately stopped in mid-air in the shadow that suddenly appeared. The power of the shadow blocked Chen Xue's all-out attack. Then everyone saw that Chen Xue seemed to have suddenly lost her strength and fell face down, unconscious.

The entire room fell silent; everyone was stunned by what they had just witnessed.

"That man was definitely serious."

Bai Ji looked at Lithost on the stage, lost in thought.

Qiong's eyes widened, his previous fatigue vanishing instantly—even if he were fast, it would still take him three hits to defeat a weakling, but this Lithost...

If Luo Chenxue is so easily defeated in front of Lithost, will he be knocked down before he can even hit her with a single blow?

It's not impossible, is it?

"In my opinion, he did not seem to be using his full strength."

Baiji's addition cast another shadow over Qiong's heart.

The sparrow looked at the sky with concern.

"Qiong, your worries are valid, so if you foresaw this, there must be a solution, right?"

Qiong didn't speak, but just watched as Litost instructed people to carry Luo Chenxue away.

This is really a bit of a problem... I've been playing against too many weak opponents lately, and I've even stopped training my Valkyrie skills. Then suddenly I run into someone with real skill...

How to do?

"Everyone, there's no need to worry. The Ten Arts War has always been a matter of stopping short of a decisive victory, Master Qiong—"

"Just call me Qiong."

"In short, the Ten Arts Wars have always had robust medical support, otherwise Miss Chenxue would have been in danger. After all, the competition isn't a life-or-death situation—"

"But for Miss Chenxue, this is a life-or-death situation!"