Chapter 87: Assault on the Magic Council (16/26)

Five hours later, the Red Queen and the White Queen had also arrived at the place Ou Xiaolu had mentioned. By now, the aura surrounding the two had clearly changed. The Red Queen’s shadow had taken on the shape of a man, and it was obvious that this male silhouette was holding a sword aloft. Behind the White Queen, a halo had appeared, also in the shape of a man, mirroring the effect of the Red Queen’s shadow.

Upon seeing Ou Xiaolu and the others, both queens stood up at once. “What do you think of me?” they asked in unison.

Ou Xiaolu sensed their aura and realized that while their power hadn’t increased, it had grown freer and more self-assured. It was reminiscent of high school students who, having finished their college entrance exams and learned their results, transformed in temperament overnight—even though only a few days or even hours separated them from their previous selves, the change was profound.

“It seems you’re still a step away. If you can make your shadow and halo identical to your true selves, that will mean you’ve fully mastered the power of the King,” Ou Xiaolu observed.

“Sharp eyes,” the Red Queen replied. “I’d planned to wait until I’d completely mastered this power before coming, but my sister insisted on coming to help you, so here we are.” With that, the Red Queen lifted her chin, as if waiting for gratitude.

Ou Xiaolu found her pride a bit irritating, but since he was inhabiting Buss’s body—and might need Buss to continue searching this world in the future—he forced a smile. “Thank you for your help.”

“It’s nothing. Your enemy is my enemy too,” the Red Queen said, hiding a smile behind her fan.

At that moment, the building that had gone largely unnoticed suddenly appeared before Ou Xiaolu’s eyes. A stream of oddly dressed men and women poured out of it, transforming into streaks of black light as they scattered.

“It seems the protagonists have made their move. Should we get started as well?” Ou Xiaolu asked.

“What’s your plan?” the Red Queen asked directly.

“Xiaoyou will lead the way. We’ll charge in directly and head for the mercury pool.”

“But what if the mercury pool isn’t what we’re looking for?” the White Queen inquired.

“No problem. I have methods specifically for attacking liquids. If the mercury pool isn’t our target, we’ll just destroy it,” Ou Xiaolu replied confidently.

He had already produced his Vortex Technique skill and the Sonar Locator item.

Neither the Red Queen nor the White Queen raised any objections. The sorcerer would remain outside to relay information to them. Once they had agreed on their plan of action, Ou Xiaolu sprang into motion. He grabbed Xiaoyou, used his lightness skill, and dashed toward the building. The Red Queen and White Queen followed, using magic. Their hours at the Tireefa estate had not been wasted; they’d mastered the local modes of movement. The Red Queen’s was inky black, like dried blood, while the White Queen’s was pure white, a ball of light.

Once inside the building, the magical movement of the queens was suppressed, while Ou Xiaolu’s lightness skill remained mostly unaffected.

“I told you martial arts would come in handy. Now you see how important it is,” Ou Xiaolu boasted.

He had barely finished speaking when a group of mages leaped out nearby, shouting, “Who are you? No outsiders allowed—”

Ou Xiaolu had no time for them. They were mere level-five grunts to him. He immediately boosted his experience in the Purple Mansion Manual to the maximum of eighty percent, raised his revolver, and unleashed a barrage at the mages.

After clearing the way, the gunfire drew the attention of other mages in the building. However, the combat mages had already gone after the protagonists, leaving mostly administrative staff behind.

Ou Xiaolu didn’t care about their combat abilities; to him, every one of them was worth five experience points. When he ran out of bullets, he drew his sword and struck down anyone who blocked his path.

The mages were no warriors. With most of the fighters gone, the remaining staff fled in panic after a few fell, making the rest of the journey much easier for Ou Xiaolu’s group. With Xiaoyou leading and the queens flanking him, they quickly reached the building’s basement.

This level was clearly a prison for magical inmates. The atmosphere changed completely: the underground space was divided by countless pillars into many small areas. In Ou Xiaolu’s own era, it would have been the perfect underground parking lot.

Now, however, light screens served to confine strange-looking creatures and some frail-looking mages.

Ou Xiaolu hesitated, unsure whether to release these magical creatures and mages. It might be satisfying in the moment, but after he destroyed the world’s consciousness, the world itself would collapse. He’d be forced to restart the timeline, which would be a huge loss.

Perhaps sensing his hesitation, the White Queen offered, “I can help you.”

“Oh?”

“I can cast a spell on these light screens. If anyone rushes in after us, the screens will disappear; but if no one comes to trouble us in the short term, the screens will remain.”

Ou Xiaolu no longer hesitated and nodded in approval.

The White Queen stopped to handle it, while the Red Queen, having apparently discovered something, vanished into a nearby shadow.

Ou Xiaolu paid little mind to the queens’ actions. He dragged Xiaoyou along, picking up speed until even Xiaoyou struggled to keep up.

Fortunately, the basement wasn’t large, and they soon arrived at the place where Xiaoyou had last found the mercury pool.

Standing there, Xiaoyou suddenly cried out, “I can feel it! It’s calling me inside, but I mustn’t go in.”

Ou Xiaolu nodded approvingly. Rather than act rashly, he took out the Sonar Locator and began searching the area.

The locator was an ordinary item, but perfect for finding hidden rooms and people. Before long, Ou Xiaolu found several individuals concealed in secret chambers nearby.

He didn’t care why they were hiding; he simply opened the chambers and killed each one with a single stroke.

By then, the White Queen had finished her work and returned. Upon seeing a mage Ou Xiaolu had just killed, she suddenly remarked, “That was a bishop.”

“What?” Ou Xiaolu asked in confusion.

“A Black Bishop, one of the chess soldiers—he was responsible for guarding important targets.”

“So that means…”

“That man had used a power that belongs to me.”