Chapter 397: with translation of chapter title

Ruyue Xian Tairan and Shuotian Liuxing rode a motorcycle to a seaside beach, the sea water shuddered, the endless waves continuously washed against the seaside reefs, leaving the reefs riddled with holes.

The seaside is about ten kilometers from Heavenly River; at a motorcycle's top speed it takes ten minutes, which is already very fast, and after the kidnapping few could reach the scene in such a short time.

But for the Lion Switcher Lishenghou, this amount of time could even kill someone on the stage by rupturing their organs; using it just to kidnap a student is seriously underestimating him.

He kidnapped two, one male and one female; the female is Heimu Lan, and the male is her childhood friend, Caowei Chun.

The Lion merely gave a light toss, and the two people he was carrying on his shoulders were all thrown onto the beach; that piercing pain quickly woke the two who had already been unconscious.

"Chun!"

"Lan!"

The two had just opened their eyes when they saw a live lion before them, waving its claws in its hands, trying to eat them both.

The two immediately cried out in fear, but Heimu La realized this wasn't a real lion, but the monster that had knocked her out at school.

Although she had only just transferred to the school, she had also heard rumors of a monster appearing on campus; she originally thought it was just a rumor spread by some student, but she never expected the rumor to be true—there really was a monster on campus, and this monster had kidnapped her and Chun.

The Lion pressed the Constellation Switch in his hand, revealing his true identity before the two; the monster was actually a human transformation.

Lishenghou tossed an ordinary Constellation Switch in front of Heimu Lan, saying, "Don't waste time, press it for me."

Now only one of the twelve constellation switches remains; I, Wang Guangming, did not hesitate to kill my close friend to produce this constellation switch, solely to monopolize the research results.

He also spent over ten years on a barren plot of land building the present Heavenly River Academy, painstakingly concealing his original superhuman power, solely to gather the constellation switches and journey to the distant depths of the universe.

The plan is now extremely close to success; the effort poured into it is countless; now I, Wang Guangming, entrust this final task to him—this is absolute trust.

Only success is allowed, no failure.

"I don't want it, I absolutely don't want it." Heimu Lan looked at the Constellation Switch before her and immediately refused.

Although she didn't know what it was, she saw that the black-clad man before her had become a monster through the switch; she didn't want to become a monster, nor did she want such power—she only wanted to protect Chun.

"Is that so? Then you don't care about Caowei Chun's life either?" Lishenghou shifted form again, turning back into the Lion, and he tightly gripped the prone Caowei Chun.

With that immense grip he squeezed Caowei Chun's neck and lifted him whole; the Lion certainly wouldn't kill him outright—he just needed a hostage.

But Caowei Chun's pallid face told Heimu Lan, if you don't press it, he will die.

"No! No! Don't hurt Chun!" Heimu Lan saw the slight Caowei Chun being choked by the monster, let out a piercing scream, grabbed the Constellation Switch on the beach, clenched it in her palm, her bent thumb already resting on the red button.

"Don't press, don't press the switch!" Caowei Chun isn't an idiot; he's just slight of build.

He didn't know when he and Lan had met; he only felt that day he was very upset because his classmates had bullied him.

From childhood his body had been slight like a bamboo stalk, while Lan was different—not only was her strength great, but she was also formidable in a fight; since he met Lan, he had never been unhappy again, because whenever he was bullied, Lan would help him get revenge.

No matter how strong the enemy, victory is always attainable.

He and she were always together, whether going to school, leaving school, or during breaks; he could no longer speak to any girl other than Lan.

But as time went on, Caowei Chun began to doubt himself—not that he didn't want to be with Lan, but that as a man he felt it shameful to need a girl's protection; this made him start to become silent, trying to counter his inner resentment with silence.

No matter how silent he was, when he encountered Lan's concern he still responded instinctively; his inner resentment grew stronger, his resolve to leave strengthened as well, but the one thing that never changed was his desire to protect Lan.

When he secretly watched Lan with his gaze, he often thought that if one day the monster from the urban legend howled and came to kill, he would definitely pick up his weapon and stand in front of Lan.

He knocked the monster away in a few moves, then amidst the applause of his classmates he put his arm around her waist and openly told the girl, from now on I'll be the one protecting her.

Of course just thinking about it is fine, but Caowei Chun also knows this is merely a fantasy in his head, mere wishful thinking; someone like him has no power at all, not even the courage to tell Lan the truth—he's just a useless good-for-nothing in reality.

Not only are his grades poor, his appearance is also quite ordinary; if boys were ranked, the most dazzling could only be the sun, whose radiant light is what all girls yearn for, just as they like jewels and diamonds; and when the sun sets, what rises at night is the bright moon.

As for the stars shining behind those two, nobody pays attention to them; stars originally emit light, but it's a case of bright moon, few stars, and the sun's radiance can even devour the moon.

Unfortunately, Caowei Chun isn't even worthy of being called a star; he can only be likened to a firefly emitting green light in the night, and even more unfortunately, this firefly has liked that girl, who shines like the bright moon, since their first meeting.

"Lan, don't press, listen to me, don't press down—once you press it there's no turning back; as long as you don't press, you can survive!" Caowei Chun, clearly being choked by the ferocious Lion, whose razor‑sharp claws could easily snap his neck with just a little force, nevertheless found the courage to shout at Heimu Lan.

Clearly, when faced with bullying and teasing from classmates, he would only bow his head silently and submit to their abuse and orders, lacking even the courage to resist; but now, under the monster's death threat, he could grit his teeth through the trembling muscle spasms, each bone aching with a creaking pain, and maintain calm thought.

The monster's sole purpose is to make Lan press the switch that turns her into a monster; following that logic backward, most of it likely means that as long as Lan is not threatened and does not press that button, she can survive.

Because he understood that now was not the time to be afraid, he could not serve as a lever to threaten Lan; at the same time, while shouting, a feeling of relief welled up in his heart—he finally spoke his mind, believing that even if the monster killed him now it would be worthwhile, proving to himself that he could protect the girl he liked.

"Press it, and as long as you press you'll gain power—don't you want to save your good friend?" The Lion looked at Heimu Lan's hesitant expression, then at the Caowei Chun he was holding, and dealt a straight punch to his abdomen.

This hostage is talking a bit too much.

That punch was heavy; Caowei Chun's whole body felt as if hit by a car, his originally pallid face twisted by the blow, and he had no strength left to struggle.

"Don't press……don't press……" that barely audible voice still whispered; Caowei Chun hadn't lost consciousness yet, he still had a bit of strength.

"Sorry, Chun, this time I can't listen to you; wait for me, I will definitely rescue you." Heimu Lan glanced lightly at Caowei Chun, then firmly aimed at the Constellation Switch and pressed it down—as long as she could save someone, it didn't matter if she became a monster.

"Hahaha, the final Star Disciple is finally about to be born."

Now Lishenghou has to admit that Hayami Kohei is excellent at gathering intelligence; he not only learned all of Heimu Lan's information, but also uncovered her weaknesses and concerns completely.

Brilliant starlight flickered, the dark body enveloped Heimu Lan, and finally, like a butterfly breaking its cocoon, the outer shell shattered completely, accompanied by the ceaseless sound of flowing water—the final Constellation Apostle had awakened.

From the Lion's wide jaws bristling with sharp teeth came an excited roar; it fixed its gaze on this last awakened being, its golden eyes reflecting the beautiful form of the Pisces breaking free from its cocoon.

The Pisces' entire body was covered in yellow and black; a pair of massive gills sprouted from its shoulders, like curved blades; gray‑black armor plated its body tightly, the abdomen bore streamlined scales, and the gray‑white scales shimmered with light.

Heimu Lan lowered her head to gaze at her arm cloaked in golden armor; the ceaseless moisture in the air kept flowing into her body, and in that moment she understood the power she possessed—though still unfamiliar, it was immensely strong.

Her azure, droplet‑like eyes turned to the Lion's hand, where her good friend Caowei Chun lay breathless; she made up her mind, she would wield this power well.

Power is neither good nor evil; only the user decides whether to employ it to save or to harm.

She clenched her fists, her body burst with a halo of light, and in an instant she became a mass of rapidly flowing current.

This is the Pisces' special ability, liquefaction, allowing her to freely turn her own body into liquid.

In this state, not only is her speed greatly enhanced, but she can also become immune to most physical attacks.

A burst of speed from a rapidly swirling mass of water startled the Lion; before it could react, the Pisces surged forward with tremendous impact, slamming hard into its right hand.

Liquefaction is a fine ability, but more importantly, Heimu Lan herself possesses extraordinary talent in aikido, which is also why she has been able to continually protect Caowei Chun from bullying.

And now the Pisces' special ability further amplifies the strength of the martial arts she has been practicing.

The sound of rushing water washed past, and the Lion's other hand suddenly condensed into a curved blade, which he swung forward with unstoppable momentum at the onrushing Pisces.

Unbelievably, the one who stands at the pinnacle of the Star Disciples actually sensed a hint of danger from a little girl—although only a slight trace, it was still far stronger than that good‑for‑nothing Libra.

At this very moment, its only remaining task is to defeat her and retrieve the switch.

「Swish！」

Leo's unstoppable blade sliced straight through Pisces' liquefied body, the gap between its claws several centimeters, and it was certain it had hit, but the water split by the blade instantly recombined—its resistance, capable of cutting through steel attacks, didn't even block Pisces for a second.

「Boom！」

Among all the constellation apostles, Sagittarius represents speed and ultimate attack power, while Leo brings crushing force, yet at this moment Leo, famed as having the strongest power, was directly blown away several meters.

Even if a truck came charging, Leo could possibly withstand it with its own strength, but against Pisces' attack it had no way at all.

And when Leo was blown away, it released the grasped Caowei Chun, and the person staggered backward.

Seeing this, Heimu Lan gave up the idea of continuing the attack, seized the opportunity to take back Caowei Chun, wrapping him in her already liquefied body, and retreated in a flash.

But she hadn't flown far in her liquefied form before she fell from midair to the ground; fortunately, Caowei Chun wasn't injured again.

Heimu Lan had just obtained the Constellation Switch; although she had talent surpassing ordinary users, the time was still too short—she couldn't maintain liquefaction while carrying someone and escaping.

She knew full well that the only way for both of them to be saved was to defeat this monster.

She placed Caowei Chun on the ground, then her body liquefied again, colliding with the returned Leo that had regained its divine strength, with immense force.

「Boom boom boom! After Pisces fought with all its strength, she became truly one with the water flow—not only could she liquefy, but she could also penetrate everything around her, turning the surrounding environment into an ocean, roaming underground。」

Moreover, switching back and forth between solid and liquefied states left no chance to attack, and for a moment Pisces actually suppressed Leo completely.

But this was only temporary; watching Pisces constantly hopping around him, the constellation pattern on Leo's body burst forth with unimaginable light in an instant, and a faint gold welled up in its eyes.

Leo drew a deep breath and let out a furious roar toward everything around it.

That roar, like a tsunami layered upon layer, carried the power to crush everything, directly shaking the underground Pisces out.

Leo's roar is its strongest attack, raising its stored cosmic energy to the limit and then erupting in a single breath; even among the Twelve Constellations, few could withstand this blow.

Pisces' body was completely blown away by this gold, wave-like impact; its iron-hard scales all shattered in the impact, and sparks flared explosively across its entire body.

Pisces' body collapsed in midair; the figure clad in black armor suddenly shrank back, Heimu Lan fell to the ground, and the scarlet Constellation Switch bounced a few times on the ground before shutting off.

Lishen Hou twisted its neck, walked over to the switch, ignored Heimu Lan's pleading gaze, bent down, and picked it up.

Now the Twelve Constellations Switches are all in place, and Lord Wang's plan only needs one final step.

Suddenly, his ears twitched a few times; he turned his head toward the side road, where the engine roar sounded like a thunderclap, and a black-and-white motorcycle sped up rapidly approaching.

It was Ruyue Xian Tairan and Shuotian Liu Xing, who had rushed over following the coordinates.

(End of chapter)