“Sorry, this is the Participant-Only Passage. May I ask you—”
“I am the Priest Hero. This is the latest powered armor I purchased from a top-tier Mechanist.”
“Please open your helmet to confirm your identity.”
“This armor is single-use. It can only be opened after the battle is over.”
“Hmm… Appraisal skill shows it really is the Priest Hero. Then, could you—”
“No.”
Under the escort of the guards, Bai Yue Ling and Silver Tooth arrived at the Contestant Rest Area.
“The battle will begin in ten minutes. Please make your preparations.”
“Okay.”
The rest area was empty, so she no longer had to endure the gazes from outside. Silver Tooth sat in a chair and finally let out a sigh of relief.
Because the armor was overly tall and imposing, whenever Silver Tooth walked outside, she always had an extremely high rate of people turning their heads to look. She had long grown accustomed to this attention-grabbing feeling.
But today was different.
Today, she had a strange illusion, as if the gazes of passersby could pierce through the armor’s shell, see her and Bai Yue Ling’s almost zero-distance intimate contact, see the sticky, warm sweat on their bodies, see the slightly flustered expression on her face.
‘How embarrassing…’
Silver Tooth took a deep breath. A stuffy, warm, maidenly fragrance rushed straight into her mind, throwing her just-calmed thoughts into chaos again.
This is so strange… I’ve never felt this way before…
‘Could it be… that I’m instinctively craving Little White?’
Silver Tooth quietly felt the slick, wet sensation coming from her body. With every breath, she could sense the other’s warm breath near her chest. Their breathing rhythms had completely synchronized, like intimately close lovers.
“Little White…” Silver Tooth asked in a low voice, almost as if possessed, “Do you like it?”
“I… I like it.” Bai Yue Ling responded happily, her tail gently swaying.
She tried to control her rapid breathing, attempting to relax her stiff abdomen. Due to the cramped space inside the armor, she had to tightly wrap around Silver Tooth’s legs and waist. Their bodies were almost pressed together, separated only by thin fabric.
“Sorry, I was too tense…” Silver Tooth whispered.
However, the moment she relaxed, she could feel Bai Yue Ling’s soft, warm little belly pressing tightly against her, as if declaring its presence. That sensation made her heart tremble, and she subconsciously tensed her abdomen again, the previous relaxation vanishing instantly.
“It’s gotten hard again, but it’s okay…” Bai Yue Ling murmured contentedly, “We’ll have plenty of time to train later anyway.”
Silver Tooth was slightly taken aback.
‘Later… training?’
‘What does Little White mean by that? Does she intend to do things like this again in the future?’
Her steel-like, resolute heart suddenly stirred with a strange flutter. Faced with the unreserved dependence of the girl in her arms, Silver Tooth, for some reason, softly replied:
“Okay.”
Just then, the rest area door was suddenly pushed open.
Silver Tooth looked up and saw a woman wearing light armor and holding a silver spear walk in. The other’s heroic and spirited demeanor made her slightly startled as well.
“Are you Little White?”
Although Bai Yue Ling couldn’t see the outside situation, she recognized the visitor’s voice.
“Xue Long? What are you doing here?”
“The news of your upcoming duel with Blood Rain in the Arena has already spread like wildfire throughout the royal city. I also have a scheduled match with you. As a martial artist, I naturally want to observe my future opponent’s strength in advance.”
Xue Long took long strides as she slowly walked forward, her silver spear suddenly thrusting out, stopping precisely one centimeter away from Silver Tooth’s chest.
“But I didn’t expect my opponent to be such a coward, lacking even the courage to take the field personally.”
Bai Yue Ling’s heart tightened. “What do you mean?”
Xue Long said coldly, “My intuition tells me there’s more than one person inside your armor. As a martial artist, I cannot tolerate such despicable proxy-fighting behavior.”
She snorted lightly, turned, and walked away, saying without looking back:
“Before the match starts, I will personally inspect you at the entrance. If you still try to deceive your way through, don’t blame me for being impolite.”
With the heavy sound of the door closing, Bai Yue Ling’s mood sank to the bottom.
Only five minutes remained until the match began.
Xue Long had easily seen through her plan.
“We’re finished…” Bai Yue Ling’s face turned pale. “That Xue Long…”
“What should we do?” Silver Tooth whispered. “Should we forfeit?”
“Sigh…” Bai Yue Ling sighed. “It seems we can only forfeit.”
Just then, a circular magic circle suddenly appeared on the ground, from which surged roaring flames mixed with mournful wails.
A woman with a graceful figure walked out from the flames, smiling as she bowed.
“We meet again, Priest Heroine.”
Bai Yue Ling was stunned. “You are… that Devil from last night?”
“My name is Aracira.” The corner of her lips curled into a sly smile. “Priest Heroine, how about we make a deal?”
“What kind of deal?”
“I can help you evade Miss Xue Long’s inspection, allowing you and Miss Silver Tooth to smoothly enter the Arena.”
Bai Yue Ling asked warily, “And the price?”
“There is no price.” Aracira chuckled lightly. “Consider it a free service I’m providing.”
“Free things are often the most expensive.” Bai Yue Ling did not let her guard down. “What do you really want?”
“In that case, I’ll be direct.” Aracira raised two fingers. “Two objectives. First, I believe you are an Otherworld Traveler with limitless potential, so I wish to establish a long-term cooperative relationship with you.”
Bai Yue Ling said plainly, “If it’s free every time, then I might consider it.”
“Hehe, the Priest Heroine is indeed sharp.” Aracira laughed. “Second, I have a very annoying competitor. It seems that, through General Taima’s connections, she has reached a cooperation agreement with Blood Rain.”
Bai Yue Ling was startled. “Blood Rain has teamed up with a Devil?”
“Correct.” Aracira’s tone grew slightly heavier. “Although the specifics are unclear, to prevent her from snatching away my title of ‘Hell’s New Generation Sales Champion,’ I must stop her.”
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend. So the simplest method is to support you in opposing her.”
At the same time, in another contestant rest area.
Taima pointed at the Devil burning with flames beside her, speaking seriously to Blood Rain:
“The Priest Hero has interfered with too many of our plans. Blood Rain…”