Chapter 56: Danger

There was no Art Building, no Piano Room, no Dance Room.

Then what is this place?

After hanging up the phone, Bai Xiaozhi kicked open the Piano Room door.

What had once been a drab and dim corridor now grew even gloomier, as if even the last traces of light were fleeing this place.

The Piano Room and Dance Room were separated by only a single wall—at least, that was how it was when she arrived.

But now, Bai Xiaozhi could no longer see the Dance Room’s door.

The corridor stretched on endlessly, no light in sight, no end, and not a single door to be found.

Fortunately, a dazzling flash of Thunderlight shattered the wall, and the girl burst through!

“Xiaozhi, are you alright?”

Because her hunting spirit instincts made learning more effective, Wu Xiaomi had been able to hear what was happening next door while practicing the Siren Dance just now.

—It absolutely wasn’t eavesdropping on Xiaozhi’s piano practice or anything like that!

Of course, Bai Xiaozhi’s phone call hadn’t escaped her ears either.

When she heard there was no Art Building, Wu Xiaomi immediately sensed danger, but the Dance Room’s door had vanished without a trace.

She had no choice but to slash her way through.

Luckily, she reunited with Xiaozhi.

Once Xiaozhi was back in her line of sight, she felt much more at ease.

“Roar—”

On the other side of the corridor, inky-black oil paint seeped from the wall, pooling on the ground to form a lynx.

A gigantic Black Panther.

Bai Xiaozhi: “Get behind m—”

“Get behind me!” Wu Xiaomi cut her off sharply, her tone brooking no argument.

With danger looming, she couldn’t afford to care about anything else.

Only one thought remained.

To stand between Xiaozhi and the threat.

She raised her Thunder Blade at an angle, its long edge dragging along the floor, lightning crackling as she stood firmly in front of Bai Xiaozhi.

Seeing the girl’s sudden resolve, Bai Xiaozhi was stunned.

Utterly bewildered, more than ever before.

That tone…

For a moment, she seemed to see another Wu Xiaomi.

That dirty, skinny boy, who had once stood before her with the same attitude and stance, shielding her from bullies.

Even though the difference in strength was hopeless, he still puffed out his thin chest, gripping a Stone Dagger in his hand.

“As long as I’m here, you’ll be fine.”

With his back to her, Bai Xiaozhi couldn’t see the boy’s expression.

Afterwards, a legend spread through the neighborhood: a demon lived in that alley.

Look into his eyes, and you’d know—he was already plotting how to dissect your limbs, how to cook your corpse, and with that blunt Stone Knife in his hand, make you scream your most desperate cries before death.

—Three people make a tiger; the tale was naturally exaggerated as it spread, the truth far less dramatic.

But ever since that fight, no one ever bothered Bai Xiaozhi again.

Because that boy, when he got ruthless, truly didn’t care about his own life.

“Raa—”

With a low growl in its throat, the Oil Paint Lynx bounded along the walls, zigzagging toward the two girls.

Wherever its paws landed, each footprint burst into eerie green flames.

Wu Xiaomi fixed her gaze on the lynx’s movements.

Her Thunder Blade angled into the floor, gathering strength from the resistance of the earth.

At the very instant the lynx pounced, a blinding flash of electricity erupted from the ground!

The resistance vanished, the blade’s speed reached its peak—like true lightning.

“Zilong—”

The lynx split in two, set ablaze by the thunder, turning into a ball of sinister green fire.

The fireball, following its original momentum, barreled toward Wu Xiaomi.

Wu Xiaomi instinctively wanted to dodge—she knew she could evade it.

But Xiaozhi was behind her…

Wu Xiaomi gritted her teeth, squeezed her eyes shut, and let the chilling Ghostly Flame crash into her chest.

……

“Don’t move!”

In a halo of light, the Sacred Angel’s Wings reappeared in the world, enveloping the two girls.

The smooth yet resilient feathers easily blocked the flames, not leaving a single mark.

“……”

It was the Sacred Angel Emblem (Incomplete).

“Why didn’t you dodge?!” Bai Xiaozhi hugged Wu Xiaomi tightly from behind, “Why did you shield me? And why…”

All sweet words and pretenses of good and evil are stripped bare in the face of life and death.

Only the choices made at such moments reflect one’s true heart—there’s no faking it.

The sudden danger, Wu Xiaomi’s actions, completely threw Bai Xiaozhi off balance.

She was at a loss.

Just like Wu Xiaomi had been during the day.

Dazed, a head full of questions.

Did she not realize she almost died?

And, usually she’s such a silly, carefree, and gentle girl, but just now, that tone…

That instinctive urge to shield her, that refusal to allow any protest.

Bai Xiaozhi couldn’t figure it out!

Why??

……

When the wings unfolded, they were no longer in the gloomy Art Building.

Instead, they stood in a small grove, with the Academy just behind them.

It seemed they were out of danger for now.

“What are you two doing here?” It was the classmate who had contacted Bai Xiaozhi earlier.

She looked at Bai Xiaozhi and Wu Xiaomi in surprise. “And just now, you two appeared out of thin air… No way! Did you two already master the Spatial Sequence?!”

Of course not.

“We were just in the Art Building, ran into a monster, and after defeating it, we ended up here.”

Bai Xiaozhi tried her best to calm herself.

But her heartbeat simply wouldn’t slow down.

Even facing Mirror Night, her heart had never raced like this.

Just now, Wu Xiaomi… what happened?