QT: Against My Will-Chapter 573 - 8.90 - True Magic - Monster Heist
Shina stood up to brush off her sulking attitude and approached the group, "Alright, Nathaniel, since you’re so keen on me being so bad at magic, why don’t you dazzle us first?"
Nathaniel began to chant in an ancient tongue, his voice resonating with an ethereal power that sent chills down everyone’s spines.
As his hands traced intricate symbols in the air, the ground beneath them vibrated, and the air grew dense with magical energy.
A miniature vortex of elemental magic formed, swirling faster and faster until it formed a celestial dome above their heads, storing the magical essence from the air and earth into a dense crystal.
The crowd was awestruck, their eyes wide and mouths agape.
Bing Shi felt a knot tighten in her stomach. ’Oh boi, how am I supposed to follow that?’
Breaking the awed silence, Nathaniel turned to Shina. "Your turn."
Swallowing nervously, Shina raised her arms dramatically as if she was about to summon the heavens.
But instead of uttering a chant, she simply stood there in silence.
After a long pause, she spoke, "You see, the greatest magic sometimes isn’t about flashy spells or intricate incantations. Sometimes it’s about summoning the right person at the right time."
The group looked puzzled for a moment, and then it dawned on them.
Juliet chuckled, obviously impressed. "Well played."
Liam, who thought Shina was trying to hide her true powers again, added, "Brilliant. The ’spell’ brought us exactly what we needed at the right moment."
Laura nodded, "See, that’s true magic for you—knowing what we need and making it appear out of thin air. Or, in this case, from the opposite side of the country," she erupted in laughter with the rest of the group.
"..." As Nathaniel listened to the praise showered upon Shina, he caught her gaze for a moment. She lifted her mask to show him her bottom face and offered him a sly, knowing grin, as if she could read his thoughts.
He came in here thinking he was the fox among hens, only to find out she was the snake in the grass—unseen but always impactful.
Bing Shi indeed played Lu Kai dirty—tricking him into thinking that she wasn’t comfortable around Nathaniel in order to get some special treatment, all the while plotting to tarnish his reputation.
From the moment Shina ’accidentally’ spilled the drink on Nathaniel, she was already several steps ahead. Nathaniel had taken Silvia’s life; the audacity to think she’d forgive him so easily was almost laughable.
╔═══ Author’s note ════╗
What did Nathaniel mean by the fox and the snake?
Both are intelligent and cunning in their own ways, but the key difference lies in their approach.
A fox’s tactics are somewhat more upfront, allowing you to see the game being played, while a snake operates in the shadows, making its moves harder to see.
╚═════════════════╝
Bing Shi glanced at her phone as it buzzed with an encrypted message. She discreetly opened it and was taken aback by what she saw.
It was from an anonymous person, who attached some disturbing photos of Victor’s slashed back; the scars were cruel and raw, speaking volumes about the severity of the punishment he’d received.
(Anonymous): I assure you, we are taking steps to address his behavior.
If Bing Shi didn’t know better, she would have thought that Victor was in huge trouble, but that man was too cunning to let himself get tortured without receiving anything in return. It was probably just to ensnare Elera deeper into his web of deceit.
Bing Shi contemplated whether she should forward the pictures to Elera or not. Getting entangled in their complicated dynamic was the last thing she needed.
(Shina Night): Thank you for your prompt action in disciplining Victor. However, it’s clear he’s taken it as another badge of honor. If Victor continues to be a headache, a pacifier in his mouth could be a more effective solution. Sometimes age regression is the key to wisdom, or so they say.
"..." Victor, who had access to her phone through Nora, could only growl in response, {"Why did she send them to Shina too?"}
Victor had willingly endured a hundred slashes from his mother to secure Elera’s safety from his mother’s schemes. Shina Night was definitely not part of the deal!
{They’ve been exchanging written letters from what I discovered.} Nora responded, {Did you truly think the top clans would spare her just because she’s the cherished female lead of this world? She wasn’t one before, but she has most certainly become one now. I can’t keep tabs on every individual she’s interacted with; there are just too many. I just know that her web of connections is deeper than we thought.}
{"And you tell me this only now?"}
Nora elaborated, {When you inquired about her actions, I provided what I saw. The challenge lies in the fact that she doesn’t just communicate with her team; she shares information with various individuals, and it tends to get relayed back to her team through this extensive network. The result is a cascade of information that quickly circulates, making it an incredibly daunting task to trace each of her movements.}
Victor smiled slightly, {"You sound frustrated."}
Nora paused, taking a breath to collect her thoughts. {It’s vexing, truly vexing. It’s as if she is purposefully playing with me, making it difficult to discern her true intentions.}
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
Nathaniel tried to look for Bing Shi’s little snake, knowing it must have been somewhere close, ’She didn’t summon Kuro just to order it to unblock her number from my phone, did she?’
Kuro perked its head from Shina’s shoulder slightly, then went back to sleep again.
’Kuro had been gathering information to gain a deeper understanding of this world from what I know,’ Ru Quan responded, ’If she has taken Kuro out..’
’...it means she has started to take things seriously,’ Lu Kai finished Ru Quan’s words.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
Bing Shi stepped off the bus with her team. Throughout their journey to the next destination, she remained on the line with the wraiths across all barracks.
"We’ve tried various forms of communication, but so far, they’ve been unresponsive or hostile," a voice came through her communicator.
Their conversation was focused as they delved into a detailed discussion about their tactics and strategies.
Despite the barrier still standing, they understood that readiness was key to their survival.
The magic user had been absorbing surrounding energies. The rest of the soldiers dedicated their efforts to enhance the protective measures around the critical infrastructure that sustained life within the barrier.
Magic detection wards were woven into their security infrastructure.
· · ─────── · ⊱❈⊰· ─────── · ·
Bing Shi made a bold decision to venture beyond the safety of the barrier once more. However, as soon as she crossed the first layer, it was as if an invisible switch had been flipped, triggering relentless attacks that left her with no choice but to hastily retreat back with her team.
She tried to understand their enemy, but she struggled to deal with an entity that wasn’t human or animal, leaving its actions and motivations completely unpredictable.
’Could they be...’
She cast a brief, contemplative glance at Kuro, who was peacefully slumbering on her shoulders.
’Systems?’
’~I don’t think so,’ Dai An couldn’t help but remark about her own findings, ’~It’s strange that no one here seems to have delved into studying the universe.’
In this world, the prevailing belief was that the sun, the moon, and the stars were simply manifestations of the same powerful magic that created and sustained their protective barrier. For an advanced society, it was an odd assumption.
’Why would they even think about the universe, when there’s a bigger unknown knocking at their doorsteps?’ Bing Shi’s eyes were fixed on the towering trees that covered the skies, ’Everyone dedicated their all to defending the barrier, so much that even I got influenced.’
Bing Shi placed her right palm against the side of her temple, focusing her mind on seeing the invisible. What met her gaze was an army of faceless ethereal beings with twin horns — The Ethers.
’~They built such a dedicated fanclub for us.’
’More like a club of obsessed haters,’ Bing Shi corrected Dai An’s thoughts, ’Could mine and my team’s superpowers be the real reason? Because I can’t think of anything else that could have triggered their actions.’
Bing Shi’s chosen location had the highest number of casualties during the emergency alert. She couldn’t ignore the fact that the majority of these Ethers had gone to great lengths to locate and ambush her and her team.
╔═══ Author’s note ════╗
It seems like Victor used Shina to manipulate his family and Elera. 🤔
Victor doesn’t see Bing Shi as a love interest; she adds a layer of complexity to his life that he finds intriguing — and Ru Quan is fully aware.
Trust me, the only reason Ru Quan puts up with Victor’s behavior toward Shina is to keep the bromance between them going strong. He knows that showing jealousy and territorial aggression would be like throwing fuel on Victor’s competitive fire.
Victor might be more powerful and wealthy, but Ru Quan’s quiet display of confidence leaves no room for other men to insert themselves as a superior option for Shina.
Especially when Shina’s criteria for men was like a mixtape of random songs — one would never know what tune she would want to jam to next. 🤣
╚═════════════════╝
