Superhumans of the Dome City

The events that followed were completely unforeseen by both of them.

The woman with the long sword behind the masked man lifted her slender leg—

and kicked the man in the back.

"Damn it!"

With a loud clang, the tall masked man instantly fell face-first to the ground, hitting the dirt hard.

Gongsun Ce clapped loudly, applauding the beautiful kick, "Nice legwork!"

The woman with the long sword looked down at the man on the ground and said coldly, "Please don't disgrace the Empire in front of foreigners and students."

"You dare kick your superior in the back? Is that how your grandfather taught you?!"

With her hand on her hip, the woman with the long sword showed no sign of remorse but rather a righteous indignation, "Grandpa says I'm a good kid, so if something bothers me, it must be the other party's fault. I originally planned to kick your butt but decided to spare you some dignity by targeting your back instead, quite considerate, right?"

"Pfft."

Alice couldn't help but laugh out loud.

The masked man got up cursing, "No wonder you're the old man's granddaughter… What are you still staring at? Scram!"

Gongsun Ce spread his hands, "Why should I listen to your orders? This is the City of the Sky governed by three countries, even if you are an official of the Empire, you have no control over me."

"Ha! You have the nerve to talk bureaucracy with me? Let me put it in terms you can understand then."

The masked man didn't care about the dust on his clothes and sat cross-legged on the ground. Although his face was hidden behind the mask, everyone present formed an image of an arrogantly composed face in their minds.

"I am an expert, far superior to any woman by your side, an authority above anyone you've ever met. If you have even a shred of responsibility for this city, you should take that third-rate Hunter and scram."

Alice responded coolly, "I really did learn something new today—is this how Imperial Impermanence Law Enforcers treat foreign guests?"

The woman with the long sword intentionally took a few steps aside, distancing herself from the man.

"Please don't misunderstand, members of the Ministry of Rites of the Yiji Hall, from An Yushi to the lowest footman, are all knowledgeable and virtuous gentlemen. The actions of this off-duty personnel are purely his individual issue and have nothing to do with the conduct of the Yiji Hall."

Such skillful deflection, clearly a result of being steeped in the official Imperial culture. Yet she had indeed resorted to physical actions, making it uncertain who was further from being a gentleman.

Even so, Gongsun Ce had to admit that kick earlier did make him feel much better. He implied sharply, "You claim to be an expert? I don't think someone who reveals only their role but not even their name can be trusted much."

"Role, name... You're just a student, focusing only on meaningless titles. To judge if someone is trustworthy, the most critical step is to understand their goals and stance. Don't you even know that? How did such an idiot like you get into college?"

"…"

Gongsun Ce closed his eyes, reminding himself to keep his emotions in check. He hadn't forgotten his purpose here; a dragon devotee capable of battling with water was hidden somewhere in the area. If a fight broke out and the dragon fanatic benefited from it, it would be a complete joke.

Alice patted his shoulder, her voice also laced with some anger, "Unfortunately, he has much more common sense than your so-called expert. We are running around to prevent the summoning of a dragon, and what are you here for?"

The masked man swayed his head, speaking in his uniquely irritating, arrogant tone:

"None of your business."

"You!"

"You say you want to stop the summoning of a dragon, how do I know you're not just trying to gain favor with the Country? Maybe you plan to sell the secret to some rich idiot for a profit. Similarly, if I say I'm here to save the world, would you believe me? Cut the crap, all this talk about determining goals and cooperating is bullshit. Who compensates me for my efforts and feelings if I get deceived?"

Gongsun Ce was close to losing his patience, "There should be a limit to double standards!"

"Angry? Young and impetuous, kid, you better leave here and vent your surplus energy by playing house with everyone at school. And besides..." the masked man got up from the ground, "since when does the Yiji Hall need long-winded explanations for its actions? I've already said more than enough to you; you should be thanking the expert."

"That's going to be difficult." Gongsun Ce stared at the masked man, unyielding in his tone, "Based on your logic, we also cannot trust you at all. What reasonable solution do you propose, expert?"

Alice subtly made a hand gesture behind her back.

At this angle, the duo facing her couldn't see her slight movement, but Gongsun Ce, standing behind her, saw it clearly. Her fingers came together, reminding one of a bud yet to bloom.

"This is simple..."

The masked man raised his hand, as if he wanted to touch his chin. It seemed he remembered halfway that he was wearing a mask, so his hand, raised halfway, fell back down and he clapped his palms together, producing a crisp sound.

"You all should just die."

With a sudden movement, the masked man thrust out his right arm and grabbed Alice by the throat, pushing the Hunter to the ground with one hand!

The situation changed in an instant; Alice activated her superpower and vanished along with the masked man. Gongsun Ce, who had been alerted earlier, immediately took to the skies, but he lost sight of the long-knife-wielding woman. The woman, dressed in a tight suit, appeared abruptly behind Gongsun Ce, her elbow smashing down with the speed of lightning!

"!"

The terrible scene of his flesh being indented played vividly in his imagination, pain spreading from his nerves to every part of his body, the intense impact almost making Gongsun Ce cry out in pain. The powerful force hit right into Gongsun Ce's back, slamming the Superpower User to the hard concrete ground like a meteor.

At the last moment, Gongsun Ce controlled his body with telekinesis, barely skimming the ground as he flew towards the distance. Enduring the intense pain, he turned his head mid-air and finally caught a glimpse of his assailant. The woman in the black tight suit almost blended into the night; she leaped with one leg, catching up with the telekinetic flight, her foot striking Gongsun Ce's head with piercing force!

The enemy was too fast! His protective telekinetic net sensed her attack, but Gongsun Ce's reaction speed couldn't keep up with her movements. This wasn't Superpower or Impermanence Skill; this was a Miracle achieved solely through physical strength and technique, belonging to the "Martial Arts" Domain!

"—Enough is enough!"

Controlling her actions was out of the question; Gongsun Ce chose to defend with his ability. Telekinesis instantly formed three barriers, all shattered by the woman's kick. A tad too slow, the white matter emerged just in time, barely protecting Gongsun Ce's head. The long-knife woman immediately changed tactics, stepping on the barrier for leverage, dodging the three white matter spears launched by Gongsun Ce.

In the blink of an eye, the three exchanges were over; the long-knife woman performed a roll on the ground and stood firm, while Gongsun Ce soared into the air, breathing heavily. He wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead, shouting anxiously, "Can this end already?! Please prioritize correctly!"

The long-knife woman tilted her head, but actually started speaking with him.

"Priorities? That's a strange thing to say when I'm in the middle of carrying out my main mission."

Gongsun Ce couldn't stand it anymore, "Do you even understand the situation?! Any fight can wait until we finish our actual business. Come with me to find the giant dragon worshiper!"

"You're the one mistaken, amateur."

The long-knife woman said in an annoyingly arrogant tone.

"That giant dragon worshiper is probably just a Divine Communication Mage. Such a minor antagonist can be instantly killed by your power alone, what threat is there to speak of?"

Interesting logic. By myself, I can instantly kill them?

Gongsun Ce flexed his neck, barely concealing his smirk as he retorted, "Oh? Since you have such faith in Mr. Gongsun's strength, why then do you stand in my way?"

The words his enemy spoke next left him dumbfounded.

"—It's to protect you, Gongsun Ce."

Before he knew it, the long-knife woman finally utilized her weapon. The ink-black long blade left her hand, snaking through the air, transforming into a spinning blade wheel chopping towards Gongsun Ce's right arm!

Gongsun Ce immediately dodged, using white matter to launch numerous long spears towards the ground in a full-scale assault. The pure white spears fell like rain, but the woman's trace was gone from the ground. Heeding his lesson, Gongsun Ce moved rapidly in the air, constantly changing his position to dodge the looming attack.

Gongsun Ce didn't think merely ascending to the sky would leave her helpless, and indeed, as he expected: after her sudden advance, the long-knife woman leapt up, reaching the same height as him through her propulsion force. She couldn't fly, but she could stand in mid-air, as the atmosphere solidified into dark platforms under her feet!

"Don't think of escaping, Gongsun Ce."

An Empire's Martial Artist snatched the long knife back, predicting and slicing through Gongsun Ce's telekinetic missiles as if predestined. The dancing blade gleamed without slowing her speed; the woman in black clothes and black hair charged through the night, as though the night itself transformed into a human form. The sky under her power was no different from the ground! Her explosive power was even faster than Gongsun Ce's flying velocity, breaking even the sound barrier. The distance was closed in an instant, her blade mercilessly slashing towards Gongsun Ce's right arm!

Clang! A prepared barrier of white matter blocked the ink-black blade, but the storm of their exchange pounded Gongsun Ce downward. He gritted his teeth and asked, "Chopping off my arm counts as protection?!"

"That's right. This dangerous situation is not something an amateur like you should be involved in..."

The woman transformed the air platform into a jelly-like substance, bouncing downwards, her blade aimed straight for his neck.

"Even if I need to cut off your limbs, I will make you give up."