Amy burst into tears as she gazed at her reflection in the large mirror. She could hardly believe that the person staring back at her was herself, as her appearance was nearly indistinguishable from what it had been a few hours before.
She was wearing a mid-blue pencil dress made of a fabric that could have easily doubled as a summer dress. However, the dress fitted a dignified representative. It was thin at the waist, curved around her hips, and then became narrow below the knees, giving her an hourglass figure.
However, her attire was only a fraction of what left her spellbound. The most remarkable change was her hair, a stylish lob haircut that elegantly accentuated her face and lightly brushed past her shoulders. It was slightly longer in the front and had subtle waves that made it look shaggy.
Although the look clashed with Sky Plane fashion, it was also edgy by Earthian fashion. Addison had happily styled her hair like Kiera's, as per Crux's unusual request, but using metallic blue dye as the [bottom layer] instead of pink on the top. It was subtle but brought depth and dimension to her appearance.
Amy had never worn nice clothing before, so the makeover left her feeling emotional. She smiled, modeling her new appearance, repeatedly laughing and crying in disbelief. The sight moved her redheaded stylist, who smiled gently.
"Is it to your liking?" Addison beamed, anticipating her approval.
"I LOOK BEAUTIFUL!" Amy cried, her smile contrasting her streaming tears, "T-THANK YOU!"
"Oh, hun; come here." The redhead said, opening her arms lovingly and accepting the cultivator into her embrace, "You deserve to feel special."
After thanking Addison, the surprises didn't stop. The three of them moved to Sanctuary to meet another cultivator whose hands were full.
WHooOOoOShhH!
A Guided Arrow shot through the sky. To Amy's surprise, a woman wearing a toga shot it, flying in the air.
CRacCk! CRACK! BOOOOOM!
The bolt of Qi curved when it neared the ground, snaking through the forest and chasing after a group of three. It hit multiple trees, felling them as the group spread apart to avoid it.
"Damn!" Veronica scoffed, looking at the hole and fallen trees behind her, "She's a monster now that she has Guided Arrow and Minor Healing!"
Kaze had given her Guided Arrow and Minor Healing to self-study. Without his guidance, her progress was slow but steady. As a result, the training got progressively more challenging.
"Right? I knew my confidence was too good to be true." Jake chuckled self-deprecatingly, "But that just means we'll have to work harder. It's to our benefit."
"Your positivity is the only thing keeping me going." Kylie laughed half-bitterly.
Sage stayed silent in trance-like concentration. Of all the trainees, she was the least injured daily. She refused to suffer injuries that required more than Minor Healing to heal, thus preventing Kiera from touching her.
She had slowly started accepting her new life. In all honesty, Kaze hadn't placed any oppressive restrictions on her. On the contrary, her apocalypse mania had made her a textbook megalomaniac, manic with grandeur and blood-drunk with power. So all he did was dial her back to reality.
Sage Harrington would become a more nuanced villain, but until then, she aimed to obtain as much power as possible and avoid any favors from Kiera or others who could restrain her. The only person she would adhere to was Kaze Lexicon—no one else.
"She's pursuing the others—good." Sage whispered to herself, "It's time to counterstrike."
The redhead ran into a clearing of trees that had been previously hit by a flurry of Crux's attacks and waved her hand, creating a Slash Attack across the clearing, hitting a tree twenty feet away.
CReeeAaaCcK—BOOM!
"I won't fall for a diversion this petty." Martha scoffed, scanning the area with a vision technique at ghostly speed. "There you are—GAH!"
By the time she saw Sage's grinning face, it was already too late. A Guided Arrow wrapped around her body, hitting her in the shoulder and spurting blood everywhere.
Sage smirked, noting her victory. While Martha managed to avoid a full hit, she still lost a chunk of her shoulder. In a prolonged battle, it could kill the woman.
It was a masterful diversion that played off Martha's experience. Since the cultivator knew that there was no reason for someone to hit a tree when she was flying, she looked for her horizontal to the strike. As a result, she didn't pay attention to her periphery, where an arrow curved from.
Sage was a master of deception, analyzing her opponents and turning their strengths against themselves. Her attack proved that perfectly, showcasing Martha's arrogance towards poor strategies, and exploiting it dramatically.
"You've isolated yourself; now you'll pay the price," Martha scoffed, flying south at high speed, away from the others, until none could see her. Then she circled in a large arc and shot into the forest. "I'll show you that I've been holding back."
She flew over the top near the ground at a speed that didn't rustle leaves, dead silent as she stalked the redhead. Within thirty seconds, she had an arrow out and could see the redhead looking around the forest with an arrow drawn. While it impressed the cultivator, it was irrelevant in the scheme of things. The match was over, and in the real world, there wasn't a second chance.
By the time Sage sensed the woman, it was already too late. She didn't have the reflexes to turn around fast enough—it was over. However, to her astonishment, no arrow came.
Sage turned to find the emperor between her and Martha, healing the latter with a radiant golden light. "Your sparring is over for the day; please head back to the lake. There's much to discuss, so please hurry."
Without another word, he disappeared.
The word [lake] was flattering to the point of being nearly offensive. Ever since the emperor turned it into "Hellscape Stew," it was a quarter-filled hole with randomly textured indents from the scales of aquatic creatures. It was an uncomfortable sight for trypophobes.
Jake, Veronica, and Sage exited the forest to see Keira snuggled up against Kaze and Kylie getting a hug as she timidly approached the pink-haired woman's territory. While she was intimidated, she still approached enough for him to reach his arm around her. It was cute to watch for those around them.
"As you can see, everyone's still alive—praise me." Kiera demanded adorably, triggering gentle yet wry smiles.
"Your talent for accomplishing ordinary things despite your overwhelming power is remarkable." Kaze smiled cheekily, ruffling her hair, "And your talent grows at a dazzling speed; great work."
"T-Thank you…." Kylie blushed, scared to be too gushy around the Princess, who was thankfully preoccupied, melting into a puddle of emotions.
Once everyone gathered around, the emperor separated from his partners and addressed them.
"Before I explain why I'm here, I'd like to say that you've made remarkable process, excellent work." Kaze announced, triggering a wave of emotion that ignited everyone's hearts.
After giving them a moment to revel at the moment, he continued. "I'm here letting you know I'm leaving tomorrow for a few days. Therefore, you will maintain order while I'm gone."
A wave of shock washed over everyone, nervous about the prospect. The cabinet members often forgot that they lived in the apocalypse when he was around but remembered in full force when he was gone. So the announcement left them minorly shaken, wishing he would reconsider his plans.
"In preparation for departure, it's time to repay past debts, as you are finally powerful enough to accept what I owe." Kaze smiled mysteriously.
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