“…… Stupid guys. ”

No one knows who the sand's murmur is talking about.

There is a sense of grief in it.

Lin Yu, on the other hand, was about fifty meters away from the square.

She stared directly at the body that had fallen to the ground.

"I'm sorry ......"

Contrary to the tough gaze, Lin Yu's muttering voice seemed weak.

The corpse that was unrecognizable was Lin Yu's mother.

"Lin Yu."

Someone suddenly appeared on the side. It's Blue Sun.

"If you want to bury you, I can help you."

Lan Yang held two shovels in his hand and said expressionlessly.

“…… Good. ”

Lin Yu smiled faintly and turned his head.

"Thank you for your help."

The shovel brought by Lan Yang was a bit of a struggle for the petite Lin Yu.

But she still staggered to turn the shovel through the dirt. Lan Yang also imitated her movements.

"Sister Lanyang, you don't have anyone who needs to be sacrificed?"

"No...... Because I've always been alone. ”

“…… I really envy you. ”

As soon as the teasing words blurted out, Lin Yu immediately whispered "I'm sorry", maybe he found that he had lost his words.

"It's okay."

Lan Yang shook his head while digging a hole and said, "It must be sad to lose an important loved one."

"I feel very unwilling."

Lin Yu said in a sobbing voice, "If I were a little older, I would have been able to go on behalf of my mother in the first place. can also protect the patriarch and die as the guardian of the family. But ......."

A voice suddenly sounded from behind Lin Yu, who had stopped digging the grave and clenched his teeth.

"Don't laugh off people's big teeth."

Before I knew it, Sand and Anai were here.

"Surrogate death? Do you think this is happening to your mother?"

"What do you know about ......-sama Sand!"

Shazi glared angrily at Lin Yu, who reflexively wanted to argue the facts.

And yet—

"Of course I do...... It's easy for me to understand my friend's feelings. Have you forgotten? Your mother, she...... When she gave birth to you, I took you to soak in hot water and cleanse yourself."

"Ah......h

The sound of the sand is like hating iron but not steel, and it is like being alone.

"Ridiculous, ridiculous. Are you kidding me? When I was a child, it was your mother who acted as a mentor and friend to accompany me to play and study, and raised me up healthy and healthy. That's why I hope that I can also go back and bring you as their children to play and learn, and raise you as adults. I never expected it...... It could have ended so heartbreakingly."

"I'm sorry...... Sand Lady."

"You don't need to apologize to me."

With a lost face, the sand inhales briefly, then exhales.

"But I have a question for you."

Suddenly, she shot her spearhead into the depths of the nearby woods, scorched and collapsed by the fire.

"I would like to ask the ignorant people who regard my teachings as nothing, trample on the peace of the village, and are brainwashed by the end of the previous generation. I don't know how you feel when you see this village lost its former appearance?"

Sands tore open his throat and shouted, "...... Answer me, Nangong!"

"Huh......?"

The name that came from Shazi's mouth made Lin Yu's eyes widen in disbelief.

Lan Yang took a slightly defensive posture.

The sand just stared at a fixed point and didn't move.

After a brief silence.

"Cluck, cluck."

- with a sinister laugh.

From behind a tree that burned to the point of not leaving its original shape—

Nangong flashed out without a sound.

"It's been a long time, Sand Lady. It's great to see you're still strong."

Nangong curled the corners of his mouth as if teasingly.

Immediately, another figure appeared in the depths of the forest and in the darkness.

"Hello, glad I did."

The character who appeared with a hearty smile that didn't take the tension on the field into his eyes at all was Qiu Yin.

「…… Are you Ah Le's daughter?"

Sand's eyes were full of murderous aura.

"yes, that's right. I am the orthodox second-stage patriarch of the Deer Clan."

"Hmph, this is a complete inheritance of your mother's personality."

"Closer to home, what are you doing here?

Qiu Yin dodged the sarcasm of the sand.

"Are you here to pay homage to the dead? Unfortunately, nothing of value can be found here. It's just wreckage and burnt marks."

「…… You are not allowed to insult the dead!"

Lin Yu couldn't help but scream, and Qiu Yin just glanced at her.

"I'll be with you later, little girl."

From Qiu Yin's expression, he couldn't feel the evil aura at all, but it was even more chilling because of it.

Shazi stood up in front of Qiu Yin, protecting Lin Yu, who couldn't help but look embarrassed because of Qiu Yin's momentum.

"Hmph, do you want to do it?"

"Hey, why are you still here, aunt? It's been your business for a long time, and you still have the face to talk nonsense there...... The deer clan no longer belong to your generation, right? ”

"Where are the Ah Le people?"

"Wow, so you're here to find my mother?"

"Of course. Failing to get that idiot out of breath was the sin of our generation. She has to be ...... by my own hands Death on her again."

"It's a pity that my mother never took you seriously."

"Really?"

Qiu Yin said, and the sand laughed as if she had seen through something.

"She can't move now, can she?"

「…… Are you fooling me?"

Qiu Yin frowned in a seemingly skeen-like manner.

"That kind of thing didn't have the value of what I had so painstakingly thought about, and I knew the answer. Don't you know? The person who overthrew Ah Le seventeen years ago was the previous generation of the "holy" family...... My mother. But she gave up her life to stab the patriarch's body with her sword."

Hearing this, Qiu Yin's expression flashed with a hint of cruel pleasure.

"If you say that, isn't Ya's mother your mother's enemy? What an intoxicating karma."

"Stop talking stupid nonsense. If you dare to say it again, don't blame me for being a deliberate insult."

"It's scary."

Seeing that Qiu Yin answered without emotion, Shazi snorted coldly.

"By the way, what are you two doing here?"

"Giggles. That's what we're going to say."

The one who opened his mouth to answer was Nangong.

"It's so funny that I can't laugh. It's so stupid that I can't help but want to laugh...... I even used the campus radio to find people to gather, as if I was afraid that people would not know that you were about to take action."

"Hmph. Maybe you're right."

Sand generously affirmed.

"Did Ah Ye relay the news to you? Really, why is everyone so unreasonable."

"But you know what? The two of us will be in this place, which means ...... Naturally, there are other ambushes on Ye Ya's side."

"You didn't hesitate to ......"

Contrary to Lin Yu, who was so stunned that he stiffened, Shazi's attitude was always calm and steady.

"Is that address a decoy?"

"God knows, what do you say?"

Qiu Yin replied with a smile.

"But maybe I left my personal information on purpose."

"Why?"

"Because I want to lure Natsu into investigating...... Who I really am."

That face is like a girl with a dream, innocent and joyful.

However, no one present understood the meaning of Qiu Yin's expression.

Lan Yang paid attention to the name Xia Jing.

「…… Summer Scene."

She frowned slightly, her tone revealing concern.

"Giggles. Do you still have the leisure to worry about other people's lives or deaths?"

Nangong smiled cruelly at Lan Yang.

"Don't you understand why I would rather let go of Ye Ya and choose to come to this place to ambush?"

With a sinister face hanging from the corners of his mouth, Nangong looked at Lan Yang with a murderous gaze.

「…… You traitor. I won't let you go even if I die."

"I didn't betray. I just got it...... It's just my mood."

"Hmph, it all means the same. I'm not interested in you anymore. I'm going to end your life here today."

At this time, Shazi stood in front of Lan Yang in the form of intervening between the two.

"Don't be afraid, Lan Yang."

I saw the sand with a cold look in his eyes—

"Nangong. Aki Ginko...... Do you really think your plans will go as smoothly as you think?"

Sand scoffed at the two in front of her.

"I advise you not to underestimate the 'holy' too much. If you merely bravely break into the enemy's territory, is it not the same as a sheep falling into the mouth of the tiger?"

"Oh, what does that mean?"

Sand didn't answer Qiu Yin's question......

"Ana."

…… Instead, he stretched out his right hand to Ana, who was waiting for an opportunity.

"Yes, Sand Lady."

After the maid put down the coffin behind her, she opened the lid and put her hand inside.

After some groping——

What was taken out of it was a long knife about six feet long.

Black handle. Golden scabbard. Vermilion blade.

Sand took the weapon from Ana's hand, which was far longer than his own size.

Without much effort, drag the grip and pull the knife out.

The scabbard fell to the ground, revealing the original shape of the blade with a dim glow.

Nangong raised the corners of his mouth and muttered the name of the treasure.

"You know what? But I don't think you have actually tasted its power."

The sand wields its terrifying blades with ease.

- Hum.

With the sound of scraping, the space around the blade swayed as if it were a hazy heat.

Anger churned in his cold eyes, and the sand with a cruel smile on his face posed towards the two of them.

"Let the horses come, yellow-haired girls...... I'll make an exception and I'll give you a few tricks."

……

The other side.

Xia Jing walked through the living room and continued to run forward without stopping.

The destination is the kitchen opposite the living room. In addition to cutlery, there should also be items such as kitchen knives - in short, utensils that can be used as weapons.

Although it is not a threat, as long as it is scratched with a golden branch, it should at least have the effect of harassing the enemy.

Gotta hurry up. Although Ye Ning now helped contain the two enemies, the situation of two against one was very unfavorable. If Adai is too difficult for Ye Ya to deal with, Ah Ye is likely to take the opportunity to kill.

"Anno, come and help me!"

Xia Jing urged Anye, who came to the kitchen together. But she pursed her mouth in a straight line with a sad face, and refused to act.

"Hey, Anno!"

「…… I—"

Anno muttered, "I really have to fight...... Is it?"

Her expression was as if she was about to cry out in pain.

Xia Jing had never seen her look like that before. Unlike her, who is usually down-to-earth and generous, Anno showed an extremely cowardly look.

Xia Jing could understand why she was so hesitant.

Anno's hesitation is caused by the hostility with Aya, a girl who has admired since childhood.

「…… What stupid are you talking about?"

However, being able to understand does not mean that it is acceptable.

This is not the first time that Anye and Ah Ye have confronted each other. Listening to Ye Ya, Anye showed the idea of fighting at that time. But at this juncture, she couldn't move forward again.

"I know very well that you can't raise your fighting spirit, and I personally don't want to be an enemy of Ah Ye. However, the current situation is not suitable for reasoning with her......

"It's not...... It's not like that!"

Anno shook his head.

"Last time, Anno once said to me, 'Forget it, forget about fighting or forget me, it's up to you to choose.'" But I ......."

It's like being remorseful and sad at the same time.

"But I can't come to my senses yet!"

「…… Anno."

Xia Jing then understood.

Basically, Anno is a girl who makes up her mind once a day, and she will not be confused. Because of this, she resisted the status quo of acting in a hesitating, drifting mindset.

In the past, Xia Jing had always thought that she had already made up her mind to defeat the Prosperity Faction, save Li Qi, protect Ye Ya, and persuade Ah Ye to return the Deer Clan to the embrace of peace.

However, that was just a wishful thinking misunderstanding on the part of Xia Jing, and it was not.

Anno has never been able to get rid of his confusion. No—or was it because of the influence of external forces that she found out that she was still undecided?

I guess it was the impact of that time.

One day after school last month, after Xia Jing was humiliated by Ah Ye's contradictions, and then Anye was also said something by Ah Ye.

"Tsk...... Which pot is not opened."

Xia Jing's lip smacking and complaining were aimed at Ah Ye.

Her principles of action have indeed been calculated. For the happiness of her childhood sweetheart, Wang Chuan, she did not hesitate to abandon everything, even her own happiness and life.

Seeing such a strong determination, anyone will be shaken.

Even Xia Jing is no exception. I once asked myself if I was an impractical fool who was incompetent but wanted to save everything.

Anno is probably the same. No, her position is similar to Ah Ye's, and her inner entanglement is more serious than Xia Jing's. She couldn't laugh at the fact that I couldn't compare the situation with Ah Ye.

"Anno!"

Xia Jing grabbed her arm hard and pulled her.

"Don't think about it so much now! We're not trying to kill Ah Ye. Ye Ya must not have that plan!"

Xia Jing scolded in a quiet, but as tough as possible.

"I know...... But ......"

Even so, Anno's eyes were still full of confusion.

There's no way to take her. It's just a waste of time.

Xia Jing decided to go out and prepare only on his own, and began to open the cabinet under the kitchen table and rummage around.

A total of three kitchen knives were found. Xia Jing took it out and scratched the handle of the knife with a golden branch and placed it on the cooking table.

There is a breath of someone in the back. It seems that the pursuers have arrived. As a last resort, tableware can only be prepared later.

"Ah Ye...... Sister."

Yasuno muttered tremblingly.

Xia Jing turned around......

"Really, you're so early."

…… deliberately teased Ah Ye, who was standing at the entrance of the kitchen.

"Why don't you run away?"

Ah Ye asked expressionlessly.

"You've only won Nangong once, and you've got carried away?"

"It's not like that."

Xia Jing grabbed Anye's arm and pulled her behind his back.