Chapter 359

As the dance steps spun, the stage's boundaries seemed to begin dissolving. Darkness like a tide washed over the ankles, yet the moment it touched the ground it turned into myriad specks of starlight.

Where the black swan's high heels brushed, starlight wove a tapestry of memory. Countless points of light flowed at their toes, sometimes gathering into blurred silhouettes, sometimes scattering into fallen traces. Each spin awakened a new fragment, yet at every turn it crushed the old light.

""Everyone has a past; the past shapes the present. Some can grasp their memories, others are entangled by them, unable to escape.""

With a light push of the black swan's fingertip, Huang Quan began to spin in her palm.

The black swan admired the scene, she slightly lifted her head, the corner of her mouth curling into a confident arc—

""So, I made my move.""

——

The War of the Twin Cities.

""This woman, does she intend to probe an emissary's memory? Interesting……"

In Zaun's underground factory, Silco leaned back on a leather sofa, his eyes fixed intently on the black swan's movements, fearing to miss any detail about the Star God.

""What could be in the emissary's memory? The Star God's blessing? The Star God's appearance? Or…… the true meaning of the 【Hunter】 Path?" Merely a slight imagination, he already began to feel impatient.

Jinx lay lazily on a nearby pipe, swinging her legs, chewing on some candy she'd gotten from who-knows-where. She glanced at the sky curtain, pursed her lips: "Boring… boring! What else could it be? Nothing but meaningless junk—like who you kissed as a kid, how many people you killed, how you got stronger…… Their path powers we can't use, so why bother caring?"

Silco gave a light chuckle, his eyes still locked on the sky curtain: "You're always so impatient, Jinx. Secrets are like the pipes beneath Zaun—on the surface they seem plain, but who knows what flows inside?"

""If we could learn about other civilizations through her memory, that would be of great help to us."

Silco picked up the wine bottle on the table, poured himself a glass of red wine, smelled its rich aroma, and showed a satisfied expression: "More importantly…… information. The sky curtain isn't only being watched by us; those folks from Piiertewofu are surely paying attention too. If they grasp the emissary's information while we don't, they might get ahead of us in this extraordinary power of the 【Path】."

""So what? You make it sound like they have Path-walkers."

""What if, Jinx…… even if there's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, we can't give up." Silco's voice low and hoarse: "If the emissary's memory truly contains the method to step into the 【Hunter】 Path, I must ensure Zaun grasps it first and gives rise to the first batch of Path-walkers."

——

""I need to know… what kind she is?"

Their dance steps traced elegant arcs in the void, like two stars pulling at each other. The black swan's left hand lightly supported Huang Quan's waist, her right hand interlocking fingers with hers, guiding the next turn in the darkness.

""This banquet attracted many—companies, the Memorial, the Fools, the Nameless… and…… the 【Destruction】 Annihilation Squad."

""They were supposed to keep the appointment, but——"

In the gap between spins, the black swan suddenly tightened her grip on Huang Quan's fingertips.

Their gazes suddenly met in the dance—the black swan's aggressive look bore the sheen of long-planned intent, as if trying to stir up waves. Yet Huang Quan's pupils remained calm, like a deep sea unmoved by any storm.

""The Duke of Netherfire is dead; he and his heirs will attend no more feasts. Lovely 【Wanderer】, what have you done?"

Her gaze stabbed like a needle into Huang Quan's eyes, yet in an instant it was swallowed by a towering wave of blood——

Charred beams slanted into the rubble, the dome of the Netherfire mansion collapsed with a roar. Countless broken, burning limbs littered the steps, each seething, burning corpse like an unextinguished candle.

And at the end of the mountain of corpses and sea of blood, Huang Quan slowly turned around.

That pair of scarlet eyes stared straight at her.

""May I ask… are you asking me?"

——

OVERLORD.

Monster.

Ainz judged thus upon seeing the wanderer standing amidst ash and ruins.

When the Duke of Netherfire first appeared, Ainz had already made a rough assessment of his forces.

Considering his and his offspring's and subordinates' record of destroying civilizations, and the countless killings he has committed in the universe without sanction, he likely has the ability to destroy the underground great tomb of Nazarick.

Yet they died so easily. Ainz didn't even see Huang Quan suffer any injury…… In other words, this was a one-sided slaughter from the start.

If skeletons could have expressions, the guardians would surely see their Supreme One's face showing a rather bitter smile.

(Sebas handles things reliably, let him impersonate the Abundance Emissary without worrying about giving himself away…… but if this attracts a monster like Huang Quan, wouldn't that be more loss than gain?)

(……but we're not as flamboyant as the Duke of Netherfire, merely implementing this in some human nations, so it should be fine, right?)

After careful consideration, Ainz still decided to maintain the original policy.

To say he's completely unafraid——that's surely a lie. But Ainz isn't so timid as to bind hand and foot against possible threats.

""A-Ainz-sama!"

Suddenly, Mare's voice rang out in the throne room.

Ainz instinctively looked his way, only to see Mare timidly pointing a finger at the sky.

The sky?

Ainz looked up at the sky, only to witness a sight that made his flesh creep.

——

The strings suddenly emitted a harsh dissonance, as if a blade had cut the violin strings.

Huang Quan's dance steps suddenly turned violent. The hand she had lightly rested on the black swan's waist clenched tight, her fingers digging deep into the other's skin. Before the black swan could even cry out, Huang Quan tore black feathers from her body.

First one, second one…… countless feathers drifted down in the scarlet. Huang Quan's eyes lost their former indifference, now holding only a beast-like focus.

In her panic she tried to break free, but no matter what she couldn't escape—like a moth trapped in a spider's web, the more she fluttered her wings, the tighter the sticky threads bound her limbs.

——Huang Quan had firmly pinned her in this duet's spin.