Chapter 371: Team Anya, I Am the Captain!

"It is truly surprising, yet impossible to debunk."

Kikyo, who had always been as calm as still water, could not help but reveal a look of shock as she stared at her game panel.

"Because I am already dead, and my body is a clay figure molded from pottery, is that why my constitution stats are so low?"

Even when transported to a strange place, Kikyo was not surprised, nor did she have any desire to explore; she simply collected various information by instinct.

But she had not expected that this world called the Samsara Game would actually claim to be able to grant all wishes.

Even knowing Naraku's conspiracy back then and learning the whole truth, she turned and left without the slightest hesitation, without a shred of lingering attachment.

Inuyasha already had a new companion by his side, Higurashi Kagome; even if he showed the deepest pain and reluctance, Kikyo would not be moved.

She was just that kind of person; born with vast Reiryoku, she was destined to become a Shrine Maiden to protect humanity, and everything she did while alive was to shoulder the responsibilities of that Reiryoku.

And not her own responsibilities.

It was not until the appearance of Inuyasha, and their entanglement, that Kikyo stepped down from the image of a goddess sitting high in the temple, descending into the world and gaining a touch of mortal life.

She found not the responsibilities of a Shrine Maiden or a goddess, but the responsibilities belonging to the human named Kikyo.

However,

She was now dead, and in her view, the dead should return their souls to the netherworld and should not have any extravagant hopes for the future.

She was not yet dead, and her belief in continuing to live was to find Naraku and take revenge.

"What if I say, I still want to live on?"

No one wants to die, and even the lonely Kikyo wanted to find the meaning of life.

The Samsara Game was like a ray of hope that suddenly appeared in a world of total darkness, making her involuntarily want to believe and try.

Even if it were fake, it would just mean sinking completely into the darkness.

Therefore, Kikyo was the first of the four new players to believe, and the one willing to take action to undergo the newcomer trial.

"The trial is about to begin, does anyone want to quit?"

Kikyo raised her head, looked at Esdeath and Erza, and finally, her gaze rested on Anya.

A little human girl who could use Reading Mind; no matter how one looked at it, she seemed the weakest and the most likely player to give up on the trial.

Anya asked timidly: "Big Sister Kikyo, will you protect Anya?"

She loved adventures very much,

especially the adventure plots in spy TV dramas, but if it were too dangerous, she could only choose to give up.

After all, even if she could use Reading Mind, Anya was just an ordinary child.

"Anya likes adventures very much, so she wants to go to the trial, but Anya is very weak, Anya is very useless..."

Having Reading Mind, Anya could know everyone's inner thoughts, so although she was young, she had a temperament that surpassed many people.

What was most commendable was that,

even while listening to countless darkness, Anya still maintained kindness and vitality, had not lost hope in the world, and certainly had not fallen into a dark Anya.

Anya did not want to give up this adventure, so she lifted her head, her eyes filled with expectant stars, and said sincerely: "Anya wants to adventure, I can give all the Reward Points to Big Sister Kikyo, Big Sister Esdeath, and Big Sister Erza..."

"Stupid brat, adventure is a very dangerous thing!"

Erza controlled her strength and tapped her lightly on the head.

Just a light touch, and Anya was in so much pain she rolled all over the floor.

Anya was teary-eyed; she craved adventure and craved excitement, partly due to a child's curiosity.

But the bigger reason was wanting to find a novel world.

Anya was born from a certain secret experiment, which was why she possessed the ability to read minds.

The Organization treated her as a test subject and an anomaly; after escaping the Organization, she was treated as an anomaly by the children and the director of the orphanage.

She was successively adopted by families, only to be returned for being an anomaly as well.

The ability to read minds,

was not only a weapon for her to protect herself, but also a double-edged sword that stripped her of her status as a human.

It was not until she was adopted by Twilight and Yor—a spy and an assassin, both anomalies who could not appear in the ordinary world in the light—that Anya was accepted and felt a long-lost touch of warmth.

But even so, Twilight and Yor could not completely understand Anya.

Suddenly transported into the Samsara Game and seeing Erza and the others who, like her, possessed special abilities, Anya's heart fluttered.

She really did not want to say goodbye to them.

"What a cute Anya; if you were whipped, you would probably cry very loudly, right?"

Esdeath looked down at Anya from above with an eager gaze; she was a battle maniac, not a murderer.

It was just that her cruel methods toward enemies and her many years of growth had fostered her sadistic personality.

Seeing a pretty little girl like Anya, she couldn't help but want to slightly torment her, provided it didn't endanger Anya's life. "Big Sister Esdeath, you are so scary..."

Anya was so scared she hurriedly hid behind Kikyo, who looked the kindest.

She had just read minds and read that Big Sister Esdeath wanted to take a leather whip and lash her delicate bottom.

It was truly too terrifying.

Kikyo asked softly: "Anya, adventure requires being prepared to die; can you really do it?"

In her era,

even young children had to experience crises and hardships; everyone fought against demons and chaotic armies with a determination to die.

"Anya can!"

Anya showed a rare serious expression and said: "Even if I am a child, Anya also wants to help my family!"

She could see through that Twilight, who adopted her, was actually hiding his identity and sending her to a Noble academy to get close to the country's top officials in a legitimate way.

Both father and mother had goals; once the goals were achieved, the hard-won happy family would likely fall apart, and Anya would very likely be sent back to the orphanage.

Even while bearing this fragile sense of insecurity, she was still grateful in her heart to Twilight and Yor for bringing her warmth; if she could repay them, through the adventure she liked, she could possess strength as powerful as Mother Yor, and then help them.

That was Anya's thought.

"What about Erza?"

Kikyo picked up Anya, who was flustered from being stared at by Esdeath, and turned to look at Erza.

Erza nodded and said, "I want to investigate deeper information regarding the Samsara Game, and then go back to tell Fairy Tail."

Being able to transport her, an S-Class Mage, here without a sound—Erza felt very uneasy without figuring out the truth.

If it were the evil faction, then this ability to travel through time and space, to teleport and toy with lives at will, would be far more dangerous than all the Dark Guilds on the continent combined.

"Esdeath?"

Kikyo's gaze finally landed on Esdeath.

She did not particularly like such a battle maniac; in the Sengoku era where she lived, such people often had hands stained with blood and slaughter.

However, they were, after all, New Players transported here together.

Facing an unfamiliar environment and unknown dangers, acting together was the best choice.

"Of course I will undergo the trial; how could I shrink back from such an interesting hunt?"

Esdeath licked the corner of her mouth and said, "Besides, I really want to know who exactly founded this game. If I could challenge them, it would surely be exciting to the extreme, right?"

"However, I do not intend to act with you."

In her mind,

only the weakest Danger Beasts and human tribes act in groups; truly powerful predators only ever act alone.

Before Kikyo could continue speaking,

Esdeath's arms had already reached out into the burning campfire, and her figure vanished into a faint glimmer.

"Since that's the case, shall we act together then?"

Erza watched Esdeath disappear indifferently, having no intention of stopping her at all.

Kikyo was likewise not the type of person who liked to change others' minds.

Anya, thinking of the inner voice about a whip lashing her bottom, dared not speak up to stop her even more.

Erza frowned and asked, "Who will be the captain?"

Under normal circumstances, an S-Class Mage like her would have absolutely no problem commanding a team.

But Kikyo's strength was not weak either, and she was from another world; if she were to rashly command tactics, it would be easy for problems to arise.

Likewise, Kikyo did not understand Magic abilities.

Kikyo looked at the pink-haired little girl held tightly in her arms and said, "How about we let Anya be the captain?"

Before Erza could be puzzled, Kikyo explained, "Anya has an ability similar to mind-reading and can peek into our hearts; this ability is most suitable for commanding."

Erza was stunned at first, then quickly realized.

She had never said her name from beginning to end, yet Anya had been able to call it out directly.

"Waku waku?"

Anya's eyes turned into star shapes, and she felt a bit dizzy.

She was actually the captain? After thinking it over, Erza felt that with a mind-reading ability, they could indeed coordinate better, so she nodded.

"Big Sister Erza, Big Sister Kikyo!"

Anya danced with excitement and cheered, "Anya Squad, ready to set off!"

(End of chapter)