Upon hearing Kiera's voice, Roxy felt a sinking sensation in her stomach as if her insides had collapsed. The sharp feelings of anxiety and hopelessness overpowered her, stripping away any sense of comfort in the Mortal Plane.
Emperor Lexicon had already taken so much from her--her life, dreams, obligations, and future--through his soul pact. Although she couldn't blame him, the thought of losing her little brother was too much to bear. He wasn't her blood, but his obnoxious clinging had brought them closer, and she now realized how important he was. If she tried to protect him, then--
Roxy snapped out of her daze when the oppressive atmosphere suddenly gave way to a single cheer, and then the entire area erupted in thunderous applause.
"If you look riiiiiight over there," Mars pointed, pointing where the wolves mauled Varis, "You'll see that the last man acting fly got charbroiled over medium and fed to the wolves. So unless you want to join Captain Kibbles in getting nibbled, I suggest you stop acting like you're special."
The Immortals' jaws dropped from the spellbinding impersonation. They felt like they could see her over his body and hear her voice--it was that amazing!
"YEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Roxy's vision blurred upon realizing what had happened, making her feel as though she could faint. In retrospect, she wished that Kiera had intervened instead.
Mars was running headfirst into an early grave. It was one thing to replay images, but playing back conversations--with hyperthymestic detail--was a different matter. Any rational war leader would try torturing information about their enemy from the teen!
However, when the brunette pixie looked at Kiera, she found her smirking in amusement, which made her heart skip a beat in confusion. Moreover, the mystery person was also amused. Did they not know? Or did they not care?
"So I'm like, wow, that was... rude," Mars frowned, triggering knowing laughter from the Immortals. "I get you're strong, but aren't you at least a little jealous of flying?"
The sheer disappointment on his face, contrasting with Kiera's expression--showcasing a callous lack of empathy--sparked raucous laughter.
Mars erupted in indignant exasperation, recounting the woman's nonchalant response. "And do you know what this woman says!?" he cried. "NOTHING! She smirks, snuggles up to Mr. Envious, pulls his sleeve twice, and--"
The bonfire-lit lake erupted in chaotic cheers as Mars, now in Kaze's body, grabbed Kiera and flew her around, conveying his message through motion alone. Roxy panicked, fearing Kiera would attack because someone other than Kaze was touching her body, but the hooded teen smirked victoriously instead.
Perhaps people had misjudged Kiera, and their warnings were exaggerated? Or maybe she was more complex than anyone realized? The unknown made Roxy's heart race!
"Not only is [Mr. Perfect] flying this woman around while she makes faces at me, but when one of our idiot people tried attacking, they fuckin' teleported!" Mars cried indignantly. "She teleported right behind this man and touched his back. Confused, he turned around and--"
SMACK! BOOM!
"What did I say about acting tough?" Mars scolded in Kiera's voice. "Even among this group of mediocre idiots, you don't even make the bell curve!"
The massive crowd erupted in laughter, nearly inciting a riot as hundreds of people jostled to get a better view of the spectacle.
"Now let's make something clear!" he snapped. "This woman bitch slapped a heaven realm cultivator like he was a fly and sent him crashing into the ground. Do you know how fucked that is?"
The Immortals couldn't even process the man's words because he was repeating a slow-motion replay of the impact multiple times, and they couldn't stop laughing.
"Just imagine it!" Mars cried. "You think you're pretty cool and strong for being a flying, heaven realm cultivator before your century mark, and suddenly some mortal teenager in a princess-carry bitch slaps the shit out of you to remind you why you're a scout in the reserves!"
Booming laughter split the airwaves like a thunderclap, leaving the Immortals reeling. They would expect that level of brutal honesty from Kiera--not the storyteller who got stomped!
"And the audacity!" he scoffed, clearly affronted. "This woman smirked after and says to me: [I haven't asked Kazey to teach me how to fly so I can humiliate you in his arms. So, no, I'm not even [a little] jealous of your uncool flying."
"OooooOOHHhhhHHHHhhHH!"
The crowd went wild with a [burn!] harmony, verbally crucifying the beleaguered teen who was playing the role of the emotional cripple.
"If words could kill--she verbally impaled me and left me as a warning for future enemies," Mars laughed. "That was the point. Mr. Charmer flew her around to humiliate us and break our spirits and prevent future hostilities--and it worked.
This prick named Adam learned the hard way after vying for revenge. Boom, boom, BOOOOM! Your princess flew around like an entitled royal, slapping the law into him like a recalcitrant peasant.
The other men in our group were emotionally traumatized after watching her emasculate a man four times stronger than them. It was inhumane!"
Female Immortals cheered and whistled, showing their support for Kiera. In an instant, she transformed from the Level 80 boss to access Kaze Lexicon's bedroom to a symbol of female cultivator strength. Everything had become so twisted.
"What about you!?" Larkin asked excitedly.
"Yeah, about that...." Mars scratched his cheek awkwardly. "Fast forward a few ruthless insults and some more humiliation later, someone is getting nibbled near Captain Kibbles, and five people were severely traumatized into joining Immortal Skye. As for me--"
He wiggled his shoulders to get into position.
"[So what's it gonna be, Lieutenant Emasculation?]," he said cutely. "Ahem. While I have nothing against you and know you're strong, I can't leave here without a fight."
Shock and excitement bolted through the crowd like lightning, unbelieving the flying man's words. It excited them, knowing that he might have fought her!
"So she looks at me, exasperated, and says:" Mars chuckled. "[Ooooooh, so you're one of those--gotta prove my testicles work better than my brain--kind of guys. I can kinda respect that.
But look, bro; if you're desperate to get your ass beat, you can just ask. We'll happily take turns."
The crowd went wild when Marilyn, Kylie, and Addison smirked in the recording derisively.
"Really!?" he exclaimed with sparkling eyes, replaying his genuine reaction. "Will you fight me without Mr. Cool's help? I promise not to kill anyone!"
Mars shook his head with a frowning expression. "Yeah, I'm that guy."
A wave of excitement greeted his self-deprecating humor. Although most had only seen him for the first time at his coronation as an Immortal, they had already grown to like him.
"So, what happened!?" a woman exclaimed, trembling with excitement.
"We don't talk about it," Mars smirked. His cheeky response triggered a land of disappointed groans and laughter.
"Awwwwwwwww!" a cute voice called out, igniting excitement among the Immortals. But their enthusiasm turned to horror when they saw Mars' bewildered gaze scanning the crowd.
"Just tell 'em, big bad war god," Kiera urged, removing her hood. "I'm curious to hear the Posthum's point of view."
Roxy's heart skipped a beat as whispers and anxiety rippled through the crowd, threatening to shatter their immersion. If Mars weren't careful, Kiera's introduction would expose all the flaws of his technique, bursting the illusion like a balloon.
But then something unexpected happened.
"Okay, if you want the truth," Mars said, smirking as he ascended into the sky. "After agreeing to fight me, I drew my holy sword of justice!"
Mars raised his hand, and a blinding golden sword illuminated Immortal Skye, reflecting against the lake. Everyone could participate in the rowdy attraction for the first time, attracting reverberating cheers and excitement from around the lake.
"An idiot until the end," Kiera rolled her eyes, connecting her thumb and middle finger.
Snap!
With the light sword igniting the nighttime sky with elemental Qi, everyone could see a massive section of the sky warp before--
BOOOOOOM!
A real explosion rocked the sky, resembling a nuclear bomb meeting a fireworks display. Roxy's heart stopped as she stared at the burning sky in disbelief and Kiera's cold, unremitting expression.
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