Chapter 138: Spirit Warriors

When night had grown deep, the battles outside had not ended.

The withdrawn mind flayers suddenly launched several waves of attacks after nightfall!

Though their scale was small—even the monstrous beast did not appear—they did tie down the city's defenders.

Due to the unique nature of underground light sources (bioluminescent moss) and the universal night vision of underground life, twenty-four-hour rotational warfare was possible if resources and manpower were invested.

In contrast, localized wars on the surface were hard to wage at night, as life there overly depended on the sun.

"Again, those sneaky rats."

After returning at night and getting no rest, the reluctant goddess was called out again for overtime.

Before her lay an alley completely burned to ash, filled with foreign cloaked figures and dark elf couriers come to collect goods.

Verna didn't even bother interrogating them—she just set the whole place ablaze.

"I don't care how you smuggle normally—now, get control of those tunnels!" she snapped at the matrons behind her.

Almost no underground dweller couldn't dig tunnels.

Huicheng's surface districts were riddled with smuggling tunnels; as for Mordielka, already beneath the earth, no one knew how many tunnels and smuggling routes existed.

In the past, they could turn a blind eye, since most tunnels were actually private family property, and they had plenty of secrets unfit for daylight.

But this time, the mind flayers' sneak attacks revealed numerous thieves and spies emerging from these tunnels. Verna knew these infiltrators weren't aiming for internal sabotage—they were heading for the secret chambers of the dark elf families.

The sudden nighttime assaults were likely just cover for these hidden agents.

The mind flayers probably realized they couldn't take the city quickly, so they were trying to activate contacts or bribe some families.

Fortunately, the "miracle" from daytime still held its deterrent power—these families wouldn't show clear disloyalty in the short term.

"Thank goodness. Otherwise, there might have been internal chaos," Verna admitted, worried.

By dark elf standards, even as a goddess, Verna was still far too young.

That meant she had climbed over many to reach her position—and naturally, many resented her.

The night was deep; she continued patrolling, more to warn the matrons, signaling "I'm still watching."

Whoever's tunnel the spies emerged from would face trouble—that was blatant intimidation, possible only because the city lord had enough prestige to enforce such pressure.

When Verna returned to the city lord's mansion again, it was already two or three in the morning; her sister had fallen into deep sleep.

And the other new sister, so much like herself, had vanished without a trace.

"I'll let you off for now—talk tomorrow," she sighed, abandoning her plan for a night chat and heading to bed.

"Sister!" A sudden voice made her stop.

Turning back, she saw her foolish older sister hugging a pillow and grinning foolishly.

"Now, do you respect me?"

Verna fell silent—but then saw her sleeping sister flailing her arms and mumbling foolishly, "I'm the real sister!"

"Pfft."

Verna let out a rare laugh, then quickly covered her mouth.

Back in her room, though normally plagued by intermittent insomnia, she slept deeply.

Perhaps she, too, hoped to meet her sister in her dreams.

Yet she did not know that her sister Arachne was not merely talking in her sleep.

She was joyfully boasting in her dream about how she punched giant beasts and stomped on the goddess—yes, the villain in her tale was none other than her arrogant little sister.

The mist had been dispelled; in the Hall of Spirits, the white-haired, crimson-eyed eldest daughter of the dark elf nobility demonstrated her meteoric rise before a line of young spirit candidates.

Behind her, an identical "Valkyrie Arachne" occasionally set down her book, watching her with a look of weary fondness.

But in truth, most candidates focused not on the smug priestess, but on the nearly perfect Valkyrie behind her.

"So I received divine favor, took one step—and became a high-rank priestess. Now I can already use fifth-rank divine spells."

Achieving high-rank priestess status overnight was something you couldn't boast about outside (it damaged reputation), but here, in this hall of youth, it drew envious glances.

Fifth-rank was the starting point of a high priest—and the limit of overnight ascent. Beyond that, even accelerated priests had to complete a mountain of coursework.

Even with divine spells granted, Arachne could not freely cast fifth-rank divine arts—she needed time to master them; for now, she was just an empty shell.

"But 'Valkyrie Arachne' can cast them for me." That, perhaps, was the true "perfect sister."

"Is this the power of the spirit?" someone asked, glancing at Kuku on stage—they knew who had brought this change.

"Could I have this possibility too?" someone else wondered, hoping for their own seed to bloom.

"Can you explain how you awakened this ability?" someone tried to gather experience.

The candidates cared little for the high priestess—though "high bureaucrat" was somewhat admirable, it wasn't their goal; they all believed they'd become great masters in the future.

But this extraordinary power—the nearly perfect "other self"—was simply too enviable.

"This isn't one plus one greater than two—it's one plus one greater than ten. She's worth eleven of you, because in battle you hold her back, so subtract one," Viodonia said, envious yet still cutting.

She was genuinely bitter—her former little friend, whom she'd barely respected, had suddenly become a chosen one.

When told she was "not as good as her sister," Arachne crossed her arms and beamed with pride.

"Heh, my sister is strong, my sister is strong, and I, who just coasted on their glory, am strong too."

At this moment, even Viodonia was speechless—she sensed Arachne's mindset had fundamentally changed, and it wasn't merely due to newfound power.

"Is this the spirit's influence?"

"Yes. Seeing Kuku's past, these current struggles mean nothing. Without this turning point, I might have remained an immature sister for another hundred years." Arachne didn't hide the source of her change—without this transformation, she'd never have grown.

Arachne wasn't the only one who had grown; the other candidates had visibly matured as well.

But in this hall, the most watched figure remained the majestic Valkyrie.

And everyone noticed: she was clearly different from the real Verna.

"Kuku, can you really teach me knowledge?" she asked, setting down her book—still rational, still polite.

She seemed humble and eager to learn.

Around her, piles of materialized books had accumulated—all the knowledge she'd requested: martial arts, history, magic.

A newborn soul was filling its foundational knowledge.

"It doesn't matter. I can summarize a training and combat system for you—but after that, you'd better find another spirit. Find one skilled in combat," Kuku said, teaching without discrimination—even planning to give the newcomer a training regimen after leaving.

After Kuku's assessment, the Valkyrie's structure resembled a divine emissary formed from divine power.

She possessed extraordinarily exaggerated physical attributes and exceptional talent in divine flame, divine spells, magic, and martial arts—paired with divine weapons granted by the gods, she was destined for the terrifying path of tripartite cultivation: magic, martial arts, and divine arts.

Even more astonishing: she could borrow her sister's "divine spells." One Arachne specialized in divine arts; the other in magic and martial arts—ultimately forming a terrifying combat weapon.

"This perfect body is a crystallization of magic and divine power. Paired with this 'divine artifact,' she's almost like a legendary spirit warrior."

Dainya's exclamation—the familiar keyword "spirit warrior"—caught Li En's attention.

But others seemed unaware; someone asked:

"Spirit warrior? Like the ancient spirits we're encountering now?"

"Yes, somewhat similar—but spirit warriors are physical manifestations of spirits, special entities capable of interfering with the real world."

These were ancient secrets; few knew them.

Dainya looked up at Kuku, who was furiously writing, her emotions growing more complex.

Li En himself was startled.

Spirits could return to the world and interfere with reality?!

"Spirit Codex? Is it related to you?"

【This Spirit Codex has no such function.】

The Codex, which only responded to functional queries, gave Li En a direct denial.

Then what was this? Was it a mere coincidence? Could there be another true Spirit Hall? Or could this Spirit Hall still change—after all, Kuku had already appeared in the real world.

"Gaga. Impossible. We have only one. My current Kusla is merely a virtual machine running on your hardware—I'm just uniquely special. With you existing, a second real spirit cannot appear."

So what was going on? Was it truly a random collision?

". ou don't know about spirit warriors because they only appear during world-shattering crises—and vanish again once the crisis ends. You know 'The Seven-Colored Great Adventure of Solen,' right? That was actually a global crisis—legend says an outer god descended upon the mortal realm."

Dainya spoke of a household "fairy tale"—the candidates were confused; this didn't seem right.

A tale of slaying a terrifying outer god had become a fairy-tale adventure?

". t's said the 'fairy tale' was used to define and weaken the outer god. Then, using the identity of 'Fairy-Tale Demon King,' it was sealed."

"That's not the point. The point is: one of the seven heroes in the story—the 'Red Phoenix Knight'—was actually an ancient hero from a thousand years ago. My ancestors took part in that adventure."

Hearing this, Li En exhaled in relief—it was just a coincidental overlap.

"Even if Li Ensu is insane, he wouldn't cross-dress. This Spirit Hall that can summon spirit warriors—surely has nothing to do with me."

Hearing Dainya mention several female spirit warriors, Li En finally relaxed.

Even if one cross-dressing lunatic appeared, there couldn't be dozens of twisted, perverted Li Ensus.

Kuku merely watched him silently, praying he'd never encounter a spirit warrior—otherwise, he'd be in for a real show.

"Kuku, what are you smiling at?"

"Gaga. I thought of something funny! Something funny!"

Below, Dainya continued recounting these secrets, drawing the candidates' attention.

"How are spirit warriors born? Legend says only heroes, upon death, are invited by the Spirit Hall," Dainya continued, trying to seize control of the Spirit Hall's narrative.

Li En watched silently—he realized Arachne and Dainya were both striving to "boost their reputation," ultimately competing for the loyalty of these young candidates.

Arachne's example further proved the potential of this legacy—everyone here likely had an extraordinary future.

For the elites of both races, these "future heroes" were their most precious assets—and naturally, they fought to win them over.

Even before fully ascending, Arachne had already unconsciously begun thinking for her sister.

Li En did not interfere. As Kuku said, these young candidates each had their own futures—these recruiters would ultimately win them over with "benefits and treatment."

He also noticed that Sali Man was staring fixedly at "Valkyrie Arachne," her drool nearly dripping with envy.

At this point, no one could stop her from inheriting the Heroic Soul fragment.

After these minor incidents passed, the group could only turn to the matter at hand—the mission to attack the second beast's hatching site.

Everyone had their own thoughts and opinions, and no one could reach a decision—until then, the one who had remained silent, "Bai," stepped forward voluntarily.

"This is an opportunity—can you help me?" She herself dispelled the mist.

The pure-white magical girl instantly stunned all the candidates who had met her before.

Sali Man was so startled that her tail stiffened straight out.

"You—you've come to hunt us down?!"

The Heroic Hall is dead, but not truly dead—how could you hunt them down?! That snake was too embarrassing; even Li En couldn't bear to look.

(End of Chapter)