The cold wind howled, the night blanketed the sky. But nothing was colder than Jasper Xiao's gaze, and nothing darker than his expression.
Standing before Jasper Xiao were two people: Bond and Paladin. Sparks of electricity flashed from Bond's mechanical left arm, which looked like it was about to give out. If Paladin hadn't arrived in time, Bond would have already been struck down by Jasper Xiao. As Paladin's Holy Light powers grew stronger, he relied less and less on brute physical strength.
But what darkened Jasper Xiao's mood wasn't the two-on-one fight—it was Paladin's powers. It wasn't that Paladin's strength shocked Jasper Xiao, but the nature of his powers—Holy Light! It was really Holy Light! Genuine, no-fake, Holy Light!
This middle-aged man, the mastermind behind the attack on all humanity and the one who caused unspeakable tragedy in Hong Kong, was actually a Paladin!
This revelation hit Jasper Xiao hard. He looked utterly incredulous, then his aura suddenly exploded, mixed with rage and hatred. Jasper Xiao raised his hammer and pointed it at Paladin, his eyes blazing with white-hot fury: "Tell me, why?"
Faced with another Paladin, Paladin himself seemed a little shaken, but quickly regained his composure. Gripping his cruciform sword, Paladin lunged forward, vicious and fierce.
Jasper Xiao gritted his teeth and charged, hammer and sword clashing, sparks flying in the darkness. As he swung his warhammer with all his might, Jasper Xiao roared, "For your own selfish desires, you put humanity's safety on the line, using ambush and assassination without restraint! Where did the honor and fairness of a Paladin go? Answer me!"
Paladin said nothing, his lips curling into a cold, merciless smile as he unleashed exquisite swordplay. At the same time, Bond rushed in to assist. Jasper Xiao was in a tight spot, fighting two at once, but still roared as he battled: "To get technology, you launched Kaiju attacks on cities, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless, rivers running red with innocent blood! Where did the compassion and justice of a Paladin go? Answer me!"
Bang! Bond suddenly struck Jasper Xiao hard in the back, making him stumble and roll away just in time to dodge a decapitating sword strike. "Get lost!" Jasper Xiao hurled his round shield, sending Bond flying. He then swung his warhammer to block Paladin's mountain-splitting sword. Crack! Sword and hammer collided, and Jasper Xiao couldn't hold the force, dropping to one knee.
Though in danger, Jasper Xiao still glared at Paladin and shouted, "Loyalty, courage, humility, righteousness—where have all those virtues gone? Answer me!"
Paladin's face was cold and stern. With a swift turn, he knocked Jasper Xiao's warhammer aside with his sword, the blade's three feet of steel pressing right up against Jasper's throat. But the sword stopped just short of piercing him. Staring into Jasper's eyes, Paladin finally spoke, voice resolute and icy: "I act with a clear conscience."
"What?" Jasper Xiao sneered, "You call that a clear conscience?"
Paladin's expression twisted, turning ferocious. He thrust his sword forward, cutting Jasper Xiao's skin. Blood gushed out as Paladin roared, "None of this is for myself—it's for my country and my people! Russians, Chinese, Japanese, Europeans—so many enemies want to bring us down! Your China proved it: when a once-great nation falls, misery follows. The world is changing, and for America, I'm willing to lead a bunch of idiots into the Otherworld, ambush every enemy and ally, just so my homeland can stay strong—forever!"
Jasper Xiao caught his breath, speaking in a deep voice: "I get your drive for high-tech, but this is our planet's problem. What about the innocent victims in this world? Do they have to pay for our disputes?"
Paladin's expression twitched, then he shouted: "Otherworld? You mean this movie world? The world written by a screenwriter, directed by a director, and shown on a screen? A bunch of fake lives—why do they need pity? I only care about my people! My loyalty, courage, fairness, and compassion are all for them! Your cheap kindness is nothing but a pathetic illusion, hypocrisy! That's my answer!"
Paladin's shout was carried far by the raging wind, echoing through the mountains and glaciers.
But Jasper Xiao just laughed. In that laugh, he seemed to understand something, and said calmly, "Then why don't you answer me with your Holy Light? Words can lie, but Holy Light can't. Why not use Holy Light to answer me!"
Paladin's hand trembled at those words. Gritting his teeth, he was about to stab Jasper Xiao in the throat.
But suddenly, Jasper Xiao's eyes blazed with intense light—warm and bright, shooting out more than a foot from his eye sockets. He reached out, and his discarded warhammer flew back into his hand. With a lightning-fast swing, Jasper Xiao sent Paladin flying.
Paladin staggered back, joining the struggling Bond. Light shimmered on Paladin's sword as he summoned his own Holy Light—but it was nowhere near as dazzling as Jasper Xiao's.
Jasper Xiao slowly got to his feet, even his warhammer blazing with white-hot flames. "If your conscience is really clear, why is your Holy Light so dim? I know, I'm too much of an idealist—but I just can't stand bastards like you! Holy Light is the power that lets us carry justice. Without it, what do you have left?"
Jasper Xiao stepped forward, and with every step, his aura grew stronger.
"I grant you a moment of glory, to guard the temple in your heart..." Jasper Xiao recited the Holy Words, but this time it wasn't a struggle. Paladin's face changed, and he urgently said to Bond, "Quick, dodge! Whatever you do, don't get hit by his burst attack!"
"Nope." Jasper Xiao laughed. "I'm not going soft anymore." He gently spoke the second line of Holy Words, sending Paladin into a panic: "I grant you a lifetime of integrity, to defend the faith of your soul!"
Whoosh—blazing Holy Light surged forth, white-hot brilliance sweeping in all directions. Jasper Xiao's whole body was aflame, his aura now ten times stronger than before.
"Come on! If you really believe in your justice, you won't die!" Jasper Xiao roared, swinging his warhammer with unstoppable force, the dazzling light swallowing everything.
Ten minutes later, Jill Young and her companion rushed over the ridge, only to see Jasper Xiao wobbling toward them, legs like jelly. He was exhausted, but still had Li Yuncong on his back and was dragging someone by the foot. Looking closer, it was the completely unconscious Paladin.
"How'd it go?" Jill Young hurried over. "All settled?"
"Settled... whew, I'm beat... Thought after leveling up I'd never go soft again, but turns out my burst power's great, my stamina still sucks." Jasper Xiao handed Paladin over to Jill Young. "He's yours now. I made sure to spare his life—he probably knows something useful."
Another twenty minutes later, atop the wrecked mecha, Jill Young sat quietly, gazing at the stars.
With everyone settled and contact made with HQ, Teacher Yang took charge of interrogating Paladin. Having all of Jill Young's memories, he was a master of Steelbull City's interrogation arts. With his emotionless, merciless style, he inspired maximum fear and got the best results. Before rescue arrived, Paladin would spill every secret he'd ever swallowed.
"The stars over Antarctica really are beautiful. Too bad so few people get to see them." With this opening line, Jasper Xiao walked up, looking much better after a short rest. Gazing at Jill Young, he suddenly noticed how different she seemed tonight—quiet, intellectual, beautiful in a way that tugged at his heart.
Jasper Xiao's heart skipped a beat.
"Ahem!" He coughed twice to cover his embarrassment. Jill Young chuckled, her gaze landing on Jasper Xiao as she smirked, "So, now that you've avenged Marlon, is your heart at peace?"
"Revenge... not exactly. I just figured something out." Jasper Xiao grew calm as the topic came up, looking up at the sky. "You seem deep in thought too. Mind sharing?"
"Yeah, I was just thinking how unfair this fight was. It started as something that had nothing to do with me—didn't want to get involved at all—but look how it turned out. We made it to the Otherworld, but Earth's nonsense still haunts us. I don't hate fighting, but this one left a bad taste." Jill Young slapped the mecha, then sighed. "But it did teach me something. That hypnotist guy may be trash, but he said one thing right: in this world, there's no such thing as a bystander."
Jasper Xiao's eyes flashed, and he nodded in agreement. "Unless you live as a hermit, you'll always get tangled in karma. If you exist and you're strong, conflict finds you. Main characters get drama not because they seek it, but because they're always dragged in. If we're here, we're in the thick of it—like it or not, we're in the jianghu."
"Pfft, even as a pilot I get dragged into this mess. Guess there's no such thing as a quiet life." Jill Young suddenly stood up, relaxed. "But I'm not scared. Storms, thunder, fire, meteors—anyone who messes with me gets what's coming!" She stretched her hand to the sky, then clenched her right fist. That fist looked delicate and graceful, but to Jill Young, it held the whole world.
"Someday, I'll find my true fist."
Beneath the mecha, Teacher Yang stood quietly, holding a hard drive—the technical data Paladin had worked so hard to acquire. But he paid no attention to it, instead staring at the ice and snow beneath his feet. His Dragon Elephant Technique wasn't as cold-resistant as Jill Young's, and without a helmet, his face was pale with cold. But suddenly, he blinked.
Teacher Yang never made any unnecessary moves unless Jill Young asked or instructed him. But now, his eyes flashed, and a hint of spirit appeared in their emptiness. He bent down, grabbed a handful of snow, and watched as the wind carried it away. As the snowflakes drifted off, a pure curiosity flickered in his eyes.
Though that spark vanished quickly, and he returned to his usual blank state, something quietly changed in Teacher Yang at that moment.