"Meat girl?"
The girl turns around to face the person speaking.
"Excuse me?"
A familiar look!
It was the Mei! The girl who sells barbeque meat!
Mei, who doesn't know what Li Xuan Hu looks like, asked, curiously yet warily.
"Oh pardon my rudeness... It's me, Li Xuan Hu."
Mei had begun to move back away from Li Xuan Hu a little, knowing that he was overly friendly.
"I am sorry... But do we perhaps know each other?"
Then Li Xuan Hu remembers the day they met each other.
"Ohh... right. We wore masks that time and never introduced ourselves."
He thought about yesterday, and then he opened his dimensional space and grabbed his mask.
"You might not remember me, but I am sure you'll know who I am now." Then Li Xuan Hu gently put his mask on and gazed underneath his mask.
From that moment forward, Mei remembered who he was!
"You!!!" Mei approaches Li Xuan Hu, surprised but pissed.
Then..
Mei slaps him hard!
Shock and surprise, Li Xuan Hu, even his brothers, Li Qing Long and Li Baihu, who were there standing behind him, have gotten startled by what they have witnessed.
"You... because of you... because of you... My house... and my sister... everything... all of it... are now gone! All because of what you did!"
Tears overflow from Mei's eyes, and a frustrated look on her face after she slaps Li Xuan Hu.
In shock, he saw the tears and got bewildered underneath his mask.
"Because of you, my younger sister was taken away from me! And my house, which my mother worked for, is now all ruined! If you just didn't offend the Lawlor household and beat a half-dead bunch of young masters, my sisters would be here with me! Why must I suffer for something I have never even done?! Just why?!!!"
Mei knelt down with her knees on the ground and then cried a lot.
Li Xuan Hu didn't say anything, but instead he responded by kneeling down on his on the ground and bowing down in front of her.
"I deeply apologize for what I've done! I know I caused a lot of trouble that day. But I wasn't aware that this was going to happen to you! I never expected that you would suffer for what I've done! I am truly sorry! So please... If there is anything I can do for you to forgive me, I am willing to offer you anything you want to ask for, so please... Let me repay you!"
Mei wipes her tears and annoyingly responds to him.
"You're just a kid, like me. Even if you're strong, what can you do to help me?" Then Mei stood up. "Just stay away from me; that would be better."
Then Mei turns her back away from him and walks away to line up at the counter.
However, before she even got away from him, Li Xuan Hu spoke.
"If I can get your sister back and help you build your new home, will you forgive me?"
"!" In shock, Mei stops and turns, hearing a firm response from Li Xuan Hu.
"I assure you, I'll get your sister back safe and alive… Once this event ends, I'll make sure those people will never lay their hands on you or even your sister. So... I want to hear it from you. Will you forgive me once I get your sister back?"
Mei was met with a rage and a cold stare beneath his mask.
Upset, Mei yelled at him.
"w-wha... Are you crazy?!! You can't possibly go against a whole clan from different prominent families, alone?!!! Besides, the people you killed and beat up that time... all of their families are here! So it's impossible!!!"
Then Li Xuan Hu stood up and walked towards Mei, stopping in front of her.
"My Mom told me that there are two meanings of 'F.E.A.R': 'Forget everything and run' or 'Face everything and rise' The choice is yours. So which choice did you choose, Milady?" Li Xuan Hu makes a firm yet calm and pleasant statement as he speaks softly to Mei.
"!" Mei flinched and shivered when she saw Li Xuan Hu standing in front of her.
Mei is confused and yet troubled by emotions. She knows that it's futile to hold out against it, but refuses to accept it.
After witnessing Li Xuan Hu's power yesterday, she knows that he's strong. However, the conflict is not as simple as it seems.
Going up against a small and spoiled brat group is different than going up against veteran people. The chances are slim.
Even though the odds were stacked against her, she reasoned that it was better to take a chance than nothing at all.
Thus, she gulped for a moment, then spoke calmly.
"I… I… I want to see my sister once again."
Underneath his mask, Li Xuan Hu smiled earnestly.
Then he knelt in front of her and removed his mask, gently reaching for her right hand and then gently putting her backhand on his forehead.
"With your desire and blessing bestowed upon me, I shall do my best to achieve what you want, for your wish shall be my command. Milady."
"!" Mei got flustered, and that made her face immediately get red!
"You freak!!! Until I see my sister, I'll never forgive you!!! And also, don't act like we're close!"
With such flattery from Li Xuan Hu, Mei gets agitated and runs off with her face embarrassed and flustered.
Li Xuan Hu stood up from the floor and smiled.
Meanwhile, his brothers, who witnessed everything, have approached him.
"Brother… Do you like Mei? Are you serious about what you said? You know yourself that you can't do it alone, right? Wouldn't it be better if you just asked for help from Mom?" Li Baihu is curious and yet inquisitive when he questions his brother.
Then followed up by Li Qing Long, who was a bit confused about the situation.
"Brother... I don't usually pry into your life, but this time is different. So I want a clear answer... You'll break Mom's punishment, won't you? For such a large quest you set, you need a huge amount of effort to pull it off."
"I know... Which is why I'll do whatever I can so Mom can forgive me temporarily. I'll ask her for help from her in exchange for severe punishment later on. But for now, we have to end this tournament fast."
Then Li Xuan Hu masked himself and walked forward towards the queue, leaving his brother behind.
Li Baihu, who never gets his questions answered, pouts and speaks annoyingly.
"What's up with him? Ignoring me as if I wasn't here. "
Li Qing Long, who is standing beside him, looks at him with reluctance and then sighs.
"Just ignore him. He's in the puberty stage."
"Ehh~ I don't think so. It seems to me that he acts like he always does."
"If you know, why did you even ask? Haizz~ you know what… Do what you want. I'll queue now. Anyway, just mask up!"
"Hey! Wait up!"
Li Qing Long was repulsed after hearing such a ridiculous statement from his brother, Li Baihu, and he then headed towards the queue to line up, while Li Baihu followed him from behind as they put on their masks.
Meanwhile, outside where the rest of the earth's celestial beings are,
Jesus and Satan are now talking to each other.
Sitting next to each other as well as next to Li Jing's mother, Li Na, Jesus and Satan decided to speak in the Enochian language.
"Jesus... I'd like to ask something, if you don't mind."
Satan calmly spoke while he took a box of cigarrettes from his pocket and lit one up.
Jesus replied gently.
"Sure... What is it?"
"You've seen your script, yes?"
"Yes…"
"Then, which one will you lead to heaven?"
"…" Jesus didn't respond, making Satan sigh from his seat and speak nonchalantly.
"You know, as much as I despise the rules in heaven, I never despise you and the people who are in heaven. When God made you, we never interfered nor bothered anyone, since we have been told that you'll bring an end and a new era to come. You owe us, so I'd like to ask again which daughters that you shall guide from the order of heaven above."
"Jiang's first daughter... is the one we shall guide."
"Wait... 1st daughter? Are you talking about before?"
Satan got disturbed as he frowned in confusion.
Jesus just nodded in reply to Satan's question.
"Wait... How are we going to know which one will be Jiang's 1st daughter when in this world Jiang will give birth to her 3 daughters at the same time?"
"It's easy; they have their memories from the past, so we could just ask them once they grow up." Jesus speaks softly as he gazes on the ground in front of him.
"Oh right, heaven can do something like that... So whose authority is it? I am sure Metatron won't agree easily with that, unless it's Father."
"Well, as you've thought... It was Michael who requested it and God supported his decision; and indeed, Metatron and the rest of the angels, including Samael, were totally against it. However, when "Father" intervenes, Metatron has no choice but to obey. It was quite a commotion..."
Satan giggles, then speaks mischievously. "Hehehe... It must be. I can only imagine how it turned out."
Then Satan casually opened his dimensional pocket, then grabbed a beer and opened it up.
"But still, to think Michael would go to that extent to help Jiang..."
Jesus looks up in the sky and speaks softly.
"Well, Jiang is quite a nice drinking buddy in Lucifer's bar. To be honest, I never thought Michael would help when Jiang and his kids died that day."
Satan took a drink first, then spoke.
"Michael only managed to track where Jiang's kids' souls went, but unfortunately for Jiang's soul..."
Jesus sighed, not a sound of depression but a relief.
"You know... I am happy that Lucifer found Jiang's soul."
When Satan heard the ridiculous information that came from Jesus himself, he became repulsed and spit his beer out of his mouth.
Leviathan who was sitting in front of him, was surprised by a sudden drop of water on the back of his head, while Belphegor continued to be asleep. He didn't seem to care about getting his whole back wet from Satan's action.
Even Li Na, who was sitting beside Jesus, was also surprised for a moment.
Meanwhile, Leviathan touched the back of his head and felt the coldness, and turned his head around and gazed up at Satan.
"What the heck, dude?" Frowning, Leviathan spoke upsetly.
"Sorry, dude... I didn't do it on purpose. Jesus and I were talking. My bad..."
Leviathan gazed at Jesus, who happened to smile at him as a sign that what Satan said is true.
Upset, Leviathan turned his head and spoke annoyingly.
"Just keep it to yourself and don't try to disturb anyone around you..."
Satan quickly replies calmly to Leviathan and apologizes sincerely.
"I am sorry, man. That won't happen again."
Then Satan looks at Jesus and speaks to him.
"Back to our conversation... What are you talking about? It's the other way around! Jiang summoned Lucifer…"
"Really? Why?"
"I don't know… Death never told me."
Then, from behind, an old man speaks.
"You guys don't have to know... Since it's nothing important."
"!" Hearing such a familiar voice, both Satan and Jesus immediately look back.
"Old Man Death!" Satan immediately stood up and hugged Death.
While Jesus just said "hi" as he raised his right hand at death, greeting him.
Except for Jesus and Satan, everyone has greeted Death with a smile on their face.
"Hi Death! /Yo, Death! /Hello~ /Hi! / Death~!"
Leviathan, Mammon, Belphegor, Beelzebub, and Asmodeus greeted Death casually.
The celestial beings quickly followed.
Greeting Death with the uttermost respect.
"How nice to see you again, Lord Death." Buddha bowed down to death as he greeted him.
"It's nice to see you, Lord Death." Like Buddha, Brahma bows down in front of Death as he greets him.
"Greetings, Lord Death." While Xiwangmu Niangniang and the Jade Emperor knelt and lowered their heads in greeting to Death.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Lord Death." Like Xiwangmu and the Jade Emperor, Amaterasu knelt down and lowered her head as she greeted Death in front of her.
"It's pleasure to meet you all, everyone." A polite response from Death as he waves his right hand to them along with a genteel smile on his face.
Then all the celestial beings lift their bodies and heads up in a welcome.
"I wonder if I can join your company?"
Then Satan scoots over, giving Death a space and a seat to sit on.
Death just smiled at Satan as he sat down beside him.
"So... Where's Lucifer and Jiang?"
As he sat, Death curiously asked where the two were.
"Ahh… About that: They're taking their time, no need for us to be concerned about." Death's question was quickly answered as Satan spoke nonchalantly.
Death responded casually while caring for Belphegor and attempting to dry Belphegor's wet clothes.
"I see... I understand. I guess I'll tell them later, once they've come back. "
"Hmm... You have piqued my curiosity, Death. What is it that you want to tell them?"
"No need for you to know, for now…"
"If it ain't serious then, whatever~"
Then..
The girl Leviathan was holding and the boy Mammon was possessing awoke at the same time.
There is a sound of moaning from both children as they open their eyes.
"W-w-what just happened?" The kid that Leviathan was holding woke up confused and disoriented as soon as she opened her eyes.
Then the kid with the beautiful face of a little girl and smooth and soft skin and hair spoke as well, confusingly yet softly.
"W-where am I?!"
As the boy lifted his head up with a smooth and soft voice, like a girl, he immediately began in shock and shivered.
"W-what happened to me?! My voice?! My hair?! My body! My thing?!"
In shock, immediately after the kid woke up, he lost his consciousness and fell down on Mammon's chest.
Mammon caught the child and gently held him to his body.
Confused and baffled, everyone looks at Mammon.
"What the heck was that?" Perplexedly, Leviathan asked Mammon, who was sitting beside him.
"Dude... What did you do to that kid?" Asmodeus was bewildered by the sudden commotion, so he asked as well.
"Nothing. I just rearranged his physique and fixed his body."
"Then why is that kid acting like he's lost his wellbeing?" A curious question from Brahma.
"Well, about that. The thing is, since his male body part has been cut off, I had no option but to turn his body into a girl. Just like with any sex change surgery... but better. You guys get what I mean, right?"
"Ohh... I see. Although he can't get impregnated, he sure can experience the pleasure... However, there's something I'd like to ask: does his body grow like any other girl's does?"
"Other than menstruation, sure, his body will grow like any other girls. I boosted his estrogen and lowered his testosterone. You know, if there's an extra body part when I fix this child's body. I could change this kid's body back into his original form, but unfortunately all I had was a pair of arms... so all I can do is emergency recovery."
"That's quite understandable in your case, but it's also expected that he'll also react like that. In this case, it would be better if you explained to that kid later what situation he has." Amaterasu nonchalantly responds to Mammon.
Then, from that moment, the girl who is sitting on Leviathan's lap has intervened and speaks up.
By raising her right hand while shivering, she attracts the attention of people around her, including Amaterasu's party and Leviathan's companions.
"Umm... There's something I want to say!"
"Sure little girl, what is it?" said by Amaterasu, polite and sweet.
"Please adopt us! I am begging you!"
The girl lowers her head, bites her lips, and clenches her clothes in anticipation of their response.
However, the hope she hoped for has finally come.
"Of course, little girl." said by celestial beings, blissful and warm.
But on the other hand, Mammon speaks firmly.
"Your greed is quite astonishing. But that's alright; it's bound for people who seek help to be greedier... Which is why, from here on, you and your brother shall live with me!"
The girl's eyes overflowed with tears as she heard Mammon's statement.
She couldn't speak from her overwhelming joy and relief inside of her emotions.
Seeing how she burst into tears, Leviathan tapped her head and said:
"This is the hope you and your brother were hoping for… So cry... you two have suffered enough. It's time for you two to find what you can call 'Home'."
The girl leant on Leviathan's firm chest, held his shirt, and then cried silently.
Meanwhile, back where the triplets are,
An intense and heavy atmosphere has broken out!
Between Li Xuan Hu and the young man wearing full plate armor, he has short-brown hair, yellow eyes, and fair skin tone.
The young man holds Mei's left wrist, lifts her from the ground, then licks her nape.
Mei was shivering from terror and disgust.
As Li Xuan Hu stood in front of them, controlling his anger and emotions.
"You... let go of her! I won't repeat it again. " The firm and malicious voice of Li Xuan Hu is heard as he glares at the young man.
"Hmm?! Why would I do that, you imbecile? Don't you kno-"
Then, instantly, without anyone noticing, Li Xuan Hu uses his ability to stop time!
In an instant, Li Xuan Hu cuts the young man's arm that is holding Mei's left wrist; using his hand imbued with his power and elements like fire, air, and lightning, his aura takes the shape of a blade and then burns the arm that fell on the ground.
As Li Xuan Hu cuts the young man's arm, he catches and carries Mei like a princess and moves away from the young man.
As he walked away, Li Xuan Hu deactivated his ability and let everyone go back to normal.
The young man continued to say what he wanted to say from that point on; however,
"-w who I am… Hmm?"
The young man screams from agony and pain, as he notices his whole right arm has vanished in an instant!
"Argghhhhhh!!!!!!"
The young man tries to endure the pain and suffering as his arm continues to bleed out like a fountain.
"You…! What did you do?!!!" Vexed and frustrated, the young man yelled!
Li Xuan Hu didn't respond, rather he just continued to walk away.
The young man burst into flames of emotion as Li Xuan Hu casually ignored him.
He grits his teeth, then takes his sword from his hips and pulls it out, before leaping towards Li Xuan Hu!
"You... arrogant little freak! How dare you ignore me!!!"
As the sword swings towards Li Xuan Hu's head, Li Baihu and Li Qing Long quickly step in between them and help their brother in danger.
Li Baihu and Li Qing Long stopped the young man using martial arts knowledge they learned from their father and mother.
Li Qing Long and Li Baihu used their power and knowledge as they imbued their bodies with wind and lightning elements and then enhanced their bodies to reinforce them to become strong and solid like diamonds.
Li Qing Long kicked the sword up, making the sword fly off from the young man's hand, while Li Baihu held the man's head and slammed it on the hard floor.
"Only a coward..."
"Attacks a Man from Behind..."
Li Qing Long speaks up, firm and irritated, followed by his brother Li Baihu, who is also irritated at the moment.
Li Qing Long catches the sword before it falls to the floor and holds it. He then steps on the young man's head, while Li Baihu stops the man by holding his head, then body slams him on the floor.
"You brats!!! unhand me!!!"
"Very poor choice of words. Very well..." Li Qing Long smiled at the young man, calm and collected.
As the two brothers pinned down the young man, Li Baihu started to pull the other arm of the young man. However, before it even happens, another young man jumps in and immediately takes an opportunity to attack Li Qing Long and Li Baihu.
Both Li Qing Long and Li Baihu jump away as they sense the killing intent that is coming from their necks.
"Evrart… Are you OK?" The young man tries to behead Li Qing Long and Li Baihu.
The man has short curly-brown hair, yellow eyes, and pale white skin, a ripped physique, and a tall body.
"Yes, Brother Isake..." In pain and out of breath, the man stood up beside his brother.
Then the young man named Isake glares at Li Qing Long, Li Baihu, and Li Xuan Hu, who's now looking at them as well.
"When I heard our little brother came back home crippled and traumatized, I thought he was fighting a monster... but who thought it was just a mere brat that took him down. But now... It seems my assumptions weren't all wrong. You guys are totally monsters! It looks like using that girl as bait really makes the rats come out. But I never thought that the price of it was my little brother's hand... Pfft!!! Puwahahahahahaha!!!"
After delivering a firm speech, he lowered his head for a moment, held his face, and then tilted up with him, laughing out loud!
"This… this… You brats!!! Do you think this is funny?!!!! I'll kill you right here, right now!!!"
A sudden outburst of power from the young man, as he yelled in anger!
The triplets nonchalantly glare back at the young man, who is emitting a powerful aura around him.
"Brother… If things get out of our hands, Mom and Dad are surely going to punish us more severely than this."
Li Qing Long calmly looked at his brother, Li Xuan Hu, as he casually ignored the guy who was angry.
"Brother... I don't want to receive Mom's punishment."
Li Baihu, who heard his brother, Li Qing Long's, statements, became instantly anxious as he shivered in fear.
Li Xuan Hu, who is still holding Mei in his hands, speaks firmly...
"Relax... That won't happen."
Isake twitched in his anger as he heard the bold statement.
"What did you just say?!"
Li Xuan Hu smugly smiled at the man named Isake and shifted and spoke loudly.
"I said... The things you want won't happen since if that happens, this event will turn into a shitshow before it even starts. And of course, the emperor of this country won't let it go unpunished by those people who destroyed his beautiful event. Isn't that right, coordinators?!!!!"
Then a group of people came and stepped in.
"Just what are you guys thinking, you idiots, doing this right before the tournament starts?!!!!"
"You boys sure have the guts to cause trouble!"
As people step in, two old men and a woman speak loud and firm!
A tremendous amount of pressure was suddenly felt!