The moment the celestial fox spirit became aware of the presence of the four newcomers, his warning bells started blaring inside his head.
His foxfire beasts, whose jobs got cut at the same time that the attack came down on them, ran towards him, making a shrill, alarmed sound.
’Bad news! These guys are bad news!’ the little foxes screamed among themselves, and indeed, these people felt bad news.
Despite them being human, he felt immense malice leaking from them.
No, Shen Yuan did not mean it superficially, like their looks and style give them an evil feel.
They do wear grotesque demonic beast masks— one of them even had an ugly pair of dirty white wings growing from her back— but this outlandish mix of uncoordinated fashion style did not make Shen Yuan uncomfortable.
What Shen Yuan meant was this strong, palpable negative energy he feels coming from the four.
This energy is something he commonly senses from strong malevolent spirits.
Are they like Chairman Mao and Bai Tingfeng, who received the power of a great spirit?
That is a little worrying. These people seem to have adapted well to their blessings, in contrast to Bai Tingfeng, who is just learning to control his recently.
’These four are the real deal.’ He whispered to himself. He then displayed caution that he did not show when facing his previous enemies.
"Great job on slicing my barrier. You did it so cleanly. I was surprised that someone could cut through space." Of course, for someone egotistic like him, he maintains his calm and attitude.
"Well, that’s quite perceptive of you. I guess putting you on our top kill list was justified." A woman who holds a great black sword answered smugly.
Among all the cardinal masks Shen Yuan had seen, this woman’s mask was particularly striking, a blank white mask. The sides of her head were carved with black and white wings that hid her ears.
Of all the present cardinals, she stands out because she gives off the strongest presence. The air around her screams that she is the leader of the Cardinals.
"But how unfortunate, killing you is not our priority." The Cardinal’s Leader said to Shen Yuan softly, as if mocking him. "We are only here to make a point."
"And what exactly is that?" Chairman Mao harshly said. He was more impatient than before because he could feel that they were now at a disadvantage.
They cannot afford another taxing battle between S-class awakeners. Not now, when there is an open rift next to them!
The energies that come from fighting S-class awakeners can potentially expand the rift and cause a sudden dungeon break!
The air that the leader of the Cardinal gives off turned cold. A chilling, sinister smirk played on her lips as she said, "That you cannot just take away what is ours."
"You see, Chairman Mao. The Cardinals are one body. Every member serves an irreplaceable function, so if you take one away, the rest will retaliate as a whole. You should not, even just a bit, assume that you can keep our cardinals as captives. Look around you, these deaths and destruction stemmed from overestimation of oneself."
"You were too arrogant to think that you could stop the chosen people from fulfilling their purpose." Chairman Mao and Shen Yuan grimaced. These deplorable human beings.
"You know that we wanted to change the world into a paradise full of mana, correct? You, an S-class awakener, would benefit most once that happens. Why are you so hellbent on stopping us?"
"Your purpose will not only destroy the natural balance of the world but will also kill millions of people!"
The Leader of the Cardinals just shrugged at Chairman Mao’s outburst. "I see. I understand your reason now. I cannot respect it, but as a morally good person, I expect that you can understand ours, okay?"
"So, how about this? Let us go since we understand each other’s sentiments."
’The Cardinals really do belong in the same group! They speak in the same tone!’ Bai Tingfeng thought.
Of course, Chairman Mao declines!
The woman clicked her tongue, seeing the rejection behind the stubborn gaze.
"Here, I thought that I would spare you from dealing with a dungeon break by letting things slip. I guess we would just fuck all, huh?" She raised her arms and was about to wave her great sword when—clang! Someone attacked her straightforwardly.
"No way I will let you use your broken powers." Shen Yuan told the leader of the Cardinals. He pressed his elongated claws on the blade to prevent the woman from countering him.
On closer look, the leader of the cardinals was an alpha woman with a big stature and impressive strength.
Shen Yuan is struggling a bit as his omega physique is inferior compared to an alpha swordmaster like her. "I can smell a nefarious spirit from you. Who gives you the blessings?"
"Pride!" One of the Cardinals called their leader, sounding a little concerned. He was a big, burly man wearing a loose parka and a fierce, beastly mask. Bai Tingfeng stepped forward to stop him, but he parried it with his big, furry monster-like arms.
’A heteromorphic awakener!’ Bai Tingfeng exclaimed as he noticed that detail. If his transformation were that of a strong beast, then it would be tricky to fight him!
The woman just laughed. "Blessings? Yeah, right. You are free to think of us that way, stupid little omega."
She effortlessly pushed Shen Yuan back.
"Lust!" She called her fellow cardinal, and the winged woman with a mask of a horned tiger quickly moved.
Her tiger skin shawl fluttered as she descended near the unconscious Mo Lihua.
"Our dear Cardinal of Lust is a mage well versed in curses. And she can immediately turn Mo Lihua into a cripple, unable to use her powers for the rest of her life." The Cardinal of Pride, who is also the leader, spoke.
She turned to Chairman Mao. "It is okay if you don’t let us go. We will burst our way here. You know we are perfectly capable of doing that. However, as we leave, I will make sure that Country C will lose one of their S-class awakeners."
Bruno Rivera burst into hysterical laughter. What kindness their Cardinal of Pride has! She will let Mo Lihua live!
"Go! Leave! You can leave, just don’t hurt Lihua!" A tough, angry voice came from behind.
It was Prime Minister Mo together with Admiral Wu Jin and several media people. He came here to capture the triumphant moment of Chairman Mao and his sister, Mo Lihua.
But who would have guessed that the scene awaiting him was his sister getting cursed?!
"Prime Minister!" Chairman Mao called, slightly surprised that the man was here.
Shen Yuan gritted his teeth. This guy again!
"Chairman Mao! You lost the moment you let them enter the Diyu! There is no helping here now. All we can do is negotiate." Prime Minister Mo said. He did not hesitate to blame the chairman when, in fact, Mo Lihua is in this helpless situation because of her actions.
Prime Minister Mo turned to the Leaders of the Cardinals. "No one will come after you. Just leave her alone. We all have enough losses. Don’t you think it is time to stop?"
The Cardinal of Pride laughed. "I think you are mistaken. Our side did not lose anything."
"But since the prime minister is agreeable, I will do as you asked. Lust, let her go."
The winged mage woman flew back to where she came from. Prime Minister Mo used that chance to run to Mo Lihua’s side.
Actually, he intended to take back his word and order Chairman Mao to go after the Cardinals.
However, the Cardinal of Pride was shrewd. She waved her sword, and the black aura covering it soon covered all the members of the Cardinals.
"My statement is actually not done yet. Aside from showing that we are vicious to people who stand in our way, we are here to prove that we are unstoppable!" The Cardinal of Pride looked directly at the rolling camera.
"You can try to catch us. But the winds of change we bring will never stop! The Cardinals will change the world into a paradise full of mana! Nobody can stop us!"
"Fucking shut up!" As if they were moving as one, Shen Yuan and Bai Tingfeng charged at the group.
Shen Yuan’s Heavenly Foxfire was roaring, and Bai Tingfeng’s Perpetual Light was blinding, but when their attacks went near their opponents, they fizzled out like a whisp of smoke.
One young man, presumably a beta teenager based on his physique, giggled. His entire body was shining with this orange light.
The light absorbed what was left of Shen Yuan and Bai Tingfeng’s attack.
"Thanks for the nourishment." The young man smiled through his reptilian-faced mask.
"So that is Gluttony," Bai Tingfeng uttered his realization.
"Fuck!" Shen Yuan cursed.
"Bye!" Bruno gleefully said, and his entire body got swallowed by the Cardinal of Pride’s black aura.
Just like that, the Cardinals successfully ran away.
"Do not let any video of the Cardinals leak," Prime Minister Mo ordered aloud. He said it loudly so that the media people would know.
However, nobody prepares him for the biggest betrayal. He did not expect that the very person who followed him would release the video of the Cardinals and the message they left stirred the current state of things in Country C.
The change is coming.