Chapter 550: Played It Loose

What was she doing just now?

She went to steal a bird.

By the way, she teased that bird, watched Ilya cry, and had a great time.

News of the Command Spell? What is that?

I didn't notice.

But can you tell the truth now?

Obviously not.

"Um..."

Ailixiya blinked, trying to look innocent, and said, "Xiao Huo Huo, hear me out—I was handling something very important at the time—"

"Is it more important than fighting Jing Yuan?"

Huo Huo narrowed her eyes, walked up to her, and stared up at her.

That gaze was like a knife, making Ailixiya's smile waver.

Only then did Ailixiya notice that Huo Huo's dishevelment wasn't just dust—her aura was much weaker than usual, as if she'd just gone through a fierce battle.

(It seems the General... is indeed not easy to deal with.)

Ailixiya rarely felt a twinge of guilt.

"But look—"

She quickly spoke, her tone full of exaggerated praise: "Xiao Huo Huo, you actually managed to fight that kind of being to a draw! Amazing! So brave! I, your sister, am totally in awe!"

Huo Huo watched her performance with a blank expression.

"If you had responded to the Command Spell back then,"

She said calmly, "That Divine Lord would also be swallowed into my belly."

Ailixiya's smile froze again.

The air behind Huo Huo began to twist, faintly showing Lapis Flame flickering.

Those green eyes held no anger, no resentment—only a chilling calm.

The air seemed to solidify.

Alarm bells rang in Ailixiya's mind.

(Uh-oh, Huo Huo is really angry.)

But who is Ailixiya?

Her face showed no panic; instead, she broke into an even brighter smile.

"Oh dear, Xiao Huo Huo, look—"

She turned sideways, pointed at the center of the living room, and said, "Although I couldn't take down that golden guy, I found you something else nice, sis!"

Huo Huo's gaze followed her finger.

In midair, a girl was entwined layer by layer with black tubes, suspended there.

Although her eyes and ears were now covered, that elegant bearing could not be hidden even in her disheveled state.

Those tubes wrapped around her, outlining a slender waist and long legs, giving off a strange allure in the sunlight.

Ailixiya stepped over and patted Robin's shoulder—the tubes shifted aside just enough for her to reach.

"Although I didn't take down that golden guy, I found you another Servant."

She said with a smile, "Caster, Robin. Pretty, right?"

Huo Huo stared at Robin for a few seconds.

Those claw-like green eyes showed no emotional fluctuation.

Then——

Behind her, a towering Lapis Flame erupted!

That Giant Fox suddenly appeared in the room!

Its massive body nearly filled half the living room, Lapis Flame burning on its form, its hollow eyes locked on Robin suspended in midair.

It opened its massive jaw, and a purplish-black glow could be seen surging within its throat.

Robin's body tensed sharply.

Although she could see or hear nothing, the terrifying magical pressure, the feeling of being locked onto by some colossal entity, made her tremble uncontrollably.

(What...?)

Her fingers clenched, nails digging into her palms.

Those warm tubes now gave her a bit of pitiful support, keeping her from collapsing outright.

The Giant Fox's jaw opened wider and wider—

"Clap!"

A crisp clapping sound rang out.

The Giant Fox's movement stopped.

Huo Huo turned her head, those green eyes fixed on Ailixiya.

That gaze seemed to ask: You'd better have a good explanation.

Ailixiya kept her smile.

She gave a light cough:

"Hold on."

Huo Huo didn't move.

The Giant Fox also stayed still, hanging there with its jaws open, the purplish-black light in its throat flickering.

Ailixiya reached out and brushed her hair—Robin instinctively flinched, but the tubes held her in place, unable to move at all.

"Look, Xiao Huo Huo."

Ailixiya's voice was soft, carrying a seductive tone, "Eating her would be such a waste. She's a Caster, her power lies in her voice. Even if you swallow her, you won't gain much strength. Better to keep her; she's more useful that way. For example, what is my ability? Corruption. I can transform her into one of us—forever, the kind that never betrays."

Huo Huo said nothing.

Ailixiya continued:

"Also, her Master is exceptional. That little white‑haired girl has great potential. If we use Robin as bait to lure her Master over—"

She curled the corner of her mouth, leaned close to Huo Huo, and lowered her voice:

"That's a one‑arrow, two‑eagles."

Huo Huo stared at her.

No emotion could be read in those green eyes.

The atmosphere in the living room was taut like a fully drawn bowstring.

Robin hovered in midair; though invisible and unheard, the terrifying pressure still bore down on it.

She could feel something nearby, so close it seemed about to press against her skin.

(Is this to kill me, or…?)

She dared not think further.

Finally—

The Giant Fox behind her slowly closed its mouth.

The azure Flame contracted, and the massive silhouette gradually faded, finally vanishing into the air.

Huo Huo turned around and, without looking back, headed toward her own room.

When she reached the doorway, she stopped.

The bare foot on the floor, its toes blackened with ash, curled slightly.

"Next time you let me lose you—"

She didn't look back, her voice as cold as ice, "If you use Command Spell to disobey again, I'll swallow you too."

The door slammed shut.

Ailixiya stood in the living room and let out a sigh of relief.

"I almost lost the game..."

She muttered softly, then turned her head toward the hovering Robin.

Robin still hung there, the tubes still coiled around her, leaving faint red marks on her fair skin.

Her eyes were covered, hiding expression, but the slight tremor of her eyelashes showed she had indeed been quite frightened.

Ailixiya reached out and gently pinched her cheek.

Robin's body stiffened.

"Don't be afraid, little cutie."

Ailixiya's voice returned to that melodic tone, "You're safe for now. At least you won't be eaten today."

She walked to the window, gazed at the city outside, and a knowing smile curled at the corner of her mouth.

"From now on, just wait for your little Master to come find you."

Perspective shift.

Ying sat on the sofa, back against a soft cushion, both hands neatly placed on her knees.

Her posture seemed relaxed, but on close inspection her fingers were slightly curled, the knuckles turning a bit white.

The sweat had dried, and the sticky feeling on her body had lessened considerably.

A faint sweat stain still lingered on the school uniform shirt, but compared with her earlier disheveled state, she now at least maintained basic decency.

She stared unblinkingly at the Monkeys in the white coat before her.

Jiaoshou lifted the teacup and handed it to her once more.

"Have a sip."

Behind the vortex‑shaped lens, the round black eyes were full of "kindness", "Look at you, climbing fifty floors, exhausted and thirsty, your lips are chapped. Nothing was added to this tea; it's just ordinary black tea."