Chapter 30: National Football Team MVP
Inside the hall, Alice’s clone stood on a raised platform at the high end, smiling warmly at the crowd.
“Everyone has worked hard. Alice has thoroughly enjoyed this game and has forged deep friendships with all of you.”
Alice’s smile remained as gentle as ever, but after this game ended, everyone knew she was a scheming bitch.
“Happy. Absolutely thrilled.”
The little detective girl ground her teeth.
“Ara ara? But we’ve had skin-to-skin contact—don’t look at me with such terrifying eyes.”
Whoosh~
Alice’s clone vanished from the spot.
At the same time, Su Xiao gripped the hilt of Dragon-Slaying Flash, drawing it a fraction from the sheath.
Alice appeared beside the little detective girl and sat down on the sofa next to her, pulling the girl into her arms with one hand.
“Save me~”
The little detective girl instantly caved and begged for help.
“How frightening. Alice doesn’t like your gaze.”
Holding the little detective girl, Alice turned her gaze sideways toward Su Xiao. A golden aura surged from within her and rushed at him.
Su Xiao’s eyelids drooped as he activated his Aura Release ability.
Whoosh!
A faint red aura burst from Su Xiao’s body, surging toward Alice, spreading a scent of blood.
Crackle, crackle, crackle…
The golden aura clashed with the faint red aura. The room sounded like firecrackers going off, with sharp pops ringing out.
The two auras corroded each other. Fatty leaped backward, the gold-rimmed glasses man stumbled back several steps, drenched in cold sweat, and the Three Brothers of National Football condensed energy hammers.
“What a shame I didn’t kill you earlier.”
Alice’s clone still smiled gently. The little detective girl beside her swallowed hard, clearly feeling the boiling murderous intent from Alice’s clone.
“The howling of a loser.”
Su Xiao’s black hair stirred without wind as he fixed his gaze on Alice’s clone.
Crack, crack, crack, crack…
Cracks appeared on the furniture in the hall. Seeing this, Alice’s clone withdrew her aura. Su Xiao’s aura surged forward. Alice’s clone barely reacted, but the little detective girl suffered—she had to guard against Alice while enduring Su Xiao’s Aura Release ability.
“Two games remain. Good luck.”
Leaving Su Xiao with a hypocritical “good luck,” Alice stood up and walked toward one side of the hall. She lightly tapped her finger on the wall. With a rumble, a hidden door opened, revealing a stone staircase leading upward—the path to the fourth floor.
Alice stepped onto the stairs. As she turned her back to Su Xiao and the others, her gentle smile faded, and a scene played out in her mind.
If one could read Alice’s memory, they would find a recollection from many years ago—so long ago that Alice had forgotten the exact year.
In the memory, on a certain planet in the Void, before a long-distance teleportation array.
The array was etched with intricate runes. This teleportation array was rarely used because it led to the Void Platform, which was half-abandoned—originally an execution ground of an ancient kingdom.
Beside the array sat a large iron cage. At first glance, it looked like a dog cage, but in reality, it was used to imprison powerful canine creatures.
A woman was locked inside the cage, her body stuffed into a torn cloth sack with only her head exposed. Her golden hair was dull, her eyes filled with despair. She lay in the cage, naked inside the sack, her face covered in dust and grime—clearly someone who had fled for a long time before being captured.
Clack, clack.
The sound of metal boots striking the ground echoed. A black-haired woman in tight black clothing, with a long sword hanging at her waist, walked over.
The woman’s aura was extremely sharp. Her eyes were alert yet cold.
Hearing the sound of iron boots, the woman in the cage shrank back, letting out a low whimper tinged with sobbing.
The black-haired woman sat on the iron cage, crossing her legs. At the ankle of her iron boot was a small, sharp circular saw blade.
She tugged at her top.
“That bastard Arosana, ordering such a tight battle suit for me.”
The black-haired woman sounded dissatisfied. The chest of the battle suit was too tight, even though her bust wasn’t large.
“Let me see…”
She pulled out a palm-sized notebook, faint traces of blood visible on it.
“Alice Angelia. Fond of building castles from others’ bones. Integrated the 17th Magic Net. Disrupted the elemental balance of three planets, causing two to collapse and one to be half-abandoned. I’ll hang you—conveniently, the next stop is the Void Platform.”
The black-haired woman leaned forward on the cage, spreading her legs, and looked down at the trembling Alice.
“You… you Law-Destroying Shadows have killed countless people. What right do you have to meddle?”
Alice mustered her courage and said this.
“Oh? Really? Hahaha. If you were just killing people, who would care? Even if you killed billions of creatures, to us Law-Destroying Shadows, that’s just a personal hobby. But… disrupting the elemental balance? That’s not allowed. You little yellow-haired girl, do you know what maintains order in the Void? Elemental balance + Law force + Star force. Forget it, you wouldn’t understand anyway. Just take it as me not liking you and wanting to kill you. Reasons? Law-Destroying Shadows don’t need them.”
The black-haired woman straightened up and kicked the iron cage with her ankle. Alice inside flinched.
“I… I was wrong. I’ve already severed the Magic Net. I can work for you—just don’t kill me.”
“Oh~”
“You agree?”
Alice was overjoyed.
“Decision made. I’ll hang you. It’s on the way anyway.”
Alice was utterly despairing. These Law-Destroying Shadows never listened to explanations. They were notorious madmen in the Void.
“One day, I’ll build my own castle and make you feel the despair I feel now.”
Alice suddenly shouted. The female Law-Destroying Shadow remained unmoved. Female Law-Destroying Shadows were rare—no, extremely rare.
“Hey! I’m talking to you! You can kill me, but you can’t ignore me!”
“Oh. Building a castle? That hobby’s similar to a demon friend of mine. But he’s already built his own castle. In that castle, that demon brother is like a false god. As for you, you’re locked in a cage. If you want to build a castle, first find a way to kill me. By the way, what color do you like?”
The black-haired woman’s last question surprised Alice.
“I like… gold.”
“Then I’ll hang you with a gold rope. Pretty reasonable of me, right?”
“Not at all.”
Bang!
The black-haired woman kicked the iron cage.
“Beg me. Beg me, and I won’t kill you.”
“Please, spare me.”
“Hahaha, I was just joking. How does it feel to be toyed with? Just like how you toy with others—pretty good, right?”
The black-haired woman picked up the iron cage. Alice inside was completely hopeless.
Whoosh~
A whistling sound came. A meteor trailing red flames flew in, tens of thousands of meters in diameter.
“Azure Steel: Slash.”
The black-haired woman stamped the ground. Pale blue energy spread.
Boom!
The meteor in the sky shattered. At the same time, she drew the long sword from her waist and tossed the iron cage aside. Compared to the incoming enemy, Alice was just a minor character.
A fragment of the meteor crashed toward the iron cage holding Alice. The black-haired woman glanced at it but paid no further attention.
The memory ended there. Alice’s clone stood on the stone stairs, smiling gently.
“Brave adventurers, the fourth game is about to begin. Follow me. Compared to the third, the fourth game will bring you even greater surprises. And a little spoiler: the fourth is a survival competition type, with high freedom. Alice will also participate. I’m really looking forward to it.”