Under Chu Tian’s gaze—one that carried a hint of “encouragement” but was actually filled with a sense of threat—and under the intense temptation of that impossibly cute Little Green plushie, Su Nian gritted her teeth.
She decided to give it her all!
If she could defeat the Horned Demon, perhaps the continuous decline of her Spirit Road and the constant rise of her affection levels might take a turn for the better.
“Fine! Let’s do it!”
She held her breath.
Her slender fingers steadily pulled the bowstring, aimed, and released.
“Whoosh—Thwack!”
The feathered arrow left the string and nailed the bullseye with precision.
A perfect shot!
From the surrounding crowd, scattered sounds of admiration and discussion began to rise.
Chu Tian was not to be outdone.
His posture was leisurely, and every arrow seemed effortless as he easily hit the center of the target.
The scores between the two remained deadlocked for a time.
Because of this, more and more onlookers gathered in front of the stall, letting out bursts of gasps from time to time.
While the passersby marveled at their archery skills, they were also drawn to the duo’s appearance and demeanor.
The atmosphere gradually heated up.
At this moment, the desire for victory overrode everything.
Su Nian even temporarily forgot about the extremely shameful bunny girl outfit hidden beneath her warm coat.
She adjusted her breathing, her azure eyes narrowing slightly as she locked onto the target.
Just as she drew the bowstring into a full moon, preparing to release the shot that would decide the match—
Perhaps the range of her movement while drawing the bow was too large.
The wide, thick, plush hood on her head slid down slowly without any warning.
A cloud of golden hair poured down, shimmering with a smooth luster under the brilliant lights of the festival.
That breathtakingly beautiful, exquisite face, without any concealment, was suddenly and completely exposed to everyone’s sight.
The surrounding air seemed to freeze for a split second.
Then within the crowd, a sharp voice pierced through the festive noise, carrying unbelievable pleasant surprise and fanaticism.
“Oh my god! Look, everyone! Isn’t… isn’t that Miss Su Nian?!”
This shout was like a massive boulder thrown into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves.
It was also like a bolt of thunder, booming in Su Nian’s ears.
Su Nian was jolted with shock at the sound.
The bow and arrow in her hand almost slipped out, falling to the ground with a “clatter.”
She turned her head stiffly.
What met her eyes were countless gazes instantly focused on her.
Those looks were a mix of amazement, scrutiny, worship, and fanaticism… like countless piercing searchlights, pinning her in place with nowhere to hide.
Her identity…..… was exposed!
“It really is Miss Su Nian! In the flesh!”
“My god, she’s a hundred times more beautiful in person than in the magic images!”
“Miss Su Nian! I’m your fan! I love you!”
“Miss Su Nian from the Magic Pet Arena is so cool!”
The crowd completely boiled over.
Countless people began to surge frantically toward the small archery stall.
Everyone wanted a closer look at the peerless grace of this genius Magic Girl Idol.
The stall owner, a middle-aged man with a handlebar mustache, was already dumbfounded with shock, unable to even hold the prizes steady in his hands.
Su Nian’s mind went blank, buzzing incessantly.
If…….. under these watchful eyes, she was discovered by these fanatic citizens….. the genius Magic Tutor who was noble and powerful in their eyes, like a goddess, the idol Miss Su Nian who was the center of attention….
If they found out she was wearing such an….. such an unspeakable outfit under this thick coat that looked pure and warm.
She didn’t even dare to imagine such a scene.
At the very moment she was submerged in immense fear, her body cold and nearly suffocating.
A low, familiar voice with a hint of playfulness rang out leisurely in her ear like a phantom.
The voice wasn’t loud, but it precisely penetrated all the noise, falling clearly into her ears.
“If you don’t want to be surrounded by them, grab onto me and follow me.”
It was the Horned Demon.
Almost by instinct, Su Nian snapped her head around to look at the man beside her.
Among the countless excited, fanatical, and distorted faces around them, only his expression was as calm as ever.
A surge of resentment rose in Su Nian’s heart; ‘it was all the Horned Demon’s fault…’
But more than that, it was an absurd sense of relief, like a drowning person catching a life-saving straw.
Yes.
If it was this man, he could definitely take her away from here.
Clearly, he was the one who had put her in such a pathetic situation.
Yet at this moment, the only one she could rely on was actually him.
She had no choice.
Before the crowd could completely close in, Chu Tian’s well-defined hand moved like lightning, firmly grabbing Su Nian’s slender wrist.
“Go!” A low shout, carrying an unquestionable tone of command, exploded in her ear.
Su Nian only felt a massive force pull her, causing her whole body to stumble as she was dragged involuntarily toward an alley where the crowd was relatively sparse.
And beneath the coat, the bunny girl outfit that clung to every inch of her delicate skin made her feel an indescribable shame with every step she took……
It brought waves of both humiliation and strange sensations.
“Ah…… slow… slow down……”
Chu Tian displayed a shocking speed that far surpassed ordinary people and an eerie familiarity with the complex terrain of Academy City.
Leading Su Nian, he sprinted through the maze-like, intricate, dark, and deep alleys, his silhouette like a ghost blending into the night.
Behind them, the shouts of the fanatic fans and the sounds of chasing footsteps gradually grew further and further away.
The sound of hurried breathing, accompanied by her heart thumping like a drum in her chest, was exceptionally clear in the silent alley.
As she listened to the clamor growing distant and blurred behind her, and felt the burning temperature and forceful grip of the large hand on her wrist, a mysterious thrill—a mix of fear and dependence—quietly rose in the depths of her heart.
This feeling, caused by the thrilling escape and the forced close physical contact with her “Master,” made her subconsciously feel her heart rate accelerate.
Finally, after many twists and turns, the two of them rushed into a particularly remote and narrow dead end that had almost no light.
Only then did Chu Tian release her wrist.
They were safe……
Su Nian’s legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground.
She hurriedly reached out a trembling, jade-like hand to support herself against the cold, rough wall nearby, barely stabilizing herself.
She gasped for air in large gulps.
Sweat soaked the strands of hair on her forehead.
Although she was wearing a coat, it still failed to hide the girl’s exquisite, curvaceous silhouette.
Chu Tian turned around, staring at her current disheveled yet even more charming and moving appearance.
Especially those scarlet, full cherry lips that were slightly parted due to heavy breathing, and those azure eyes that were shimmering with water and mist from the lingering shock—it all caused the darkness in his gaze to grow deeper.
“Ugh… it’s all your fault. Talking about having an archery match… now look what happened…..” Su Nian stomped her foot, speaking with full resentment.
Su Nian had just attributed all the blame to this hateful man.
However, before she could finish her sentence.
Chu Tian’s tall silhouette suddenly pressed forward.
“Mph!”
Su Nian only felt her vision go dark as her back was slammed heavily against the cold, hard wall of the alley.
He propped one hand against the wall next to her cheek, while the other hand pinched her small, delicate chin, forcing her to look up.
In the next instant, a kiss carrying a hint of punishment and a strong desire to declare sovereignty fiercely captured her lips.
This kiss came so suddenly and forcefully that Su Nian’s head buzzed, and her mind went blank instantly.
Clearly she was being forcibly kissed by her arch-enemy, the Horned Demon, but for some reason, her heart was beating incredibly fast…..
Over these past few days, her feelings of resistance when being kissed by the Horned Demon had become fewer and fewer.
She even started to…..
Could she ……?
Mm …… impossible!
The gloom of the alley formed a sharp contrast with the previous liveliness and prosperity of the festival, adding a bit more of a forbidden and ambiguous atmosphere.
Just as Su Nian was kissed into a daze, her brain feeling dizzy from lack of oxygen.
She clearly felt that the man’s hands had, at some point, reached for the buttons of her thick coat.
Cold air snuck in through the gaps of the open lapel, causing her whole body to shiver.
“Mph ….”
‘No! Absolutely not!’
Su Nian’s blurred eyes instantly cleared.
Inside the residence of Shadowmoon Manor, she could give up all resistance and let this Horned Demon Bastard do whatever he wanted with her but this was outside!
This was the outdoors of Academy City!
Someone could pass by at any moment!
If she was discovered……
She didn’t dare think about it.
With the level of malice this perverted Horned Demon possessed, if she didn’t resist now, he would definitely… right here in this dark alley…
“Are you crazy!”
Su Nian didn’t know where she found the strength, but she suddenly shoved him away.
Her high heels stumbled a few steps on the slippery bluestone.
She leaned against the wall in a mess, her hands tightly clutching her lapels, re-concealing the shameful outfit under the coat as tightly as possible.
Her chest heaved violently, her eyes turned red, and she glared at the man in front of her, her voice both angry and hurried: “Here is outside!”
Chu Tian was pushed away, but he wasn’t annoyed, he looked at his hand still suspended in mid-air, as if that hand had just had a mind of its own.
Indeed, he had been somewhat unable to control himself.
Seeing the girl in front of him out of breath from the chase, her cheeks flushed, her azure eyes shimmering with water—an alluring look of lingering shock—the desire for conquest within him surged uncontrollably.
Forget it.
He had brought her out tonight because he wanted to experience the feeling of a normal couple’s date.
The itinerary for a normal couple’s date did not include doing this kind of thing in an alleyway.
Thinking of this, Chu Tian withdrew his hand.
With a playful smile on his lips, he watched her with total composure.
“Why such a big reaction?” His tone was flat, revealing no emotion, “I just wanted to see if the clothes inside got messy during the chase.”
“You ……! ” Su Nian was choked with anger.
This Horned Demon Bastard was clearly lying through his teeth.
Her current appearance was exactly like a little rabbit with bristled fur forced into a corner—fragile, yet with a bit of defensive cuteness.
“Let’s go. The fireworks display is about to start,” Chu Tian said.
Tonight’s date was not yet over.
***
Meanwhile, on the coastline facing Academy City across the sea.
Dozens of massive, hideous black shadows, under the perfect cover of the deep night, had quietly finished assembling like ghosts emerging from the abyss.
This place was the Monster Empire.
Moonlight occasionally pierced through the clouds, illuminating the metallic armor and hideous bone wings that flickered with a bloodthirsty cold light—it was a well-equipped and well-trained Demon Elite Flight Unit!
Among them, a particularly burly Demon commander, who radiated a dense aura of death, issued a cold and cruel command through a magic communication crystal flashing with an ominous red light.
“All units take note! Target — the center of Academy City, the Floating Fortress! Make sure to completely destroy it in the air when the Winter Festival ceremony begins tomorrow!”
Behind him, several Demon elite warriors with particularly terrifying and unique auras had eyes flickering with an extreme thirst for blood, slaughter, and destruction.
They were the sharpest “daggers” in this surprise attack.
This battle would be the starting war of the Demon Race declaring war on the human kingdoms!