"Forbidden Magic - Zero."

A shockwave of red and black energy burst out from me, and suddenly, everything was enveloped in a bright white light. After a good few seconds, the light began to dim away, and the first thing I saw was the familiar walls of the movie theatre's female bathroom. I sighed in relief. I turned around and looked at the girls, confused with what happened.

"You guys all okay?" I asked, panting slightly from the huge amount of mana I just lost. This spell was certainly powerful, able to erase all mana-powered phenomena in a set radius, but at the same time, it was extremely costly as well. Luckily, I still had around 20% of my mana left.

"Uh...yeah? What just happened?" Feng Mian looked around, still in a daze.

"I was fighting back against the Shadow energy, and then..." Yu An Yan trailed off.

"Xuan Kai did something, of course," Xiang Peng said with a chuckle. "Always reliable, eh?"

I ignored her and turned around to face the woman, who was still in the same position as before we were dragged into her domain - leaning against the wall, arms crossed over her chest.

"...We're done here," I said with a glare.

"Ara ara~but are we?" the woman said, placing her fingers over her mouth. "I don't know how you broke out of my domain, but of course, there's no way you'll just tell me. And so...I'll have to pry the information out of you."

I clenched my fists. "I said, we're done. We won't try to get in your business partner's lab anymore. So leave us alone."

The woman smiled. "Ah...if only you said this before, when I asked kindly. Sorry, but now you have me interested in you. And I am a woman who never lets my prey escape."

Saying this, before any of us could even react, she appeared behind not me - but Mei Gui. She knocked her out with a good strike on the neck, and Mei Gui fell limp into the woman's arms.

Since I doubt any of my spells would be useful against a Holy Emperor, my first reaction was to pull out Ace and aim at the woman, but she just smiled seductively.

"Ara ara~are you sure you want to shoot? I can't promise I won't use your friend here as a meat shield, y'know..."

At this point, Obsidia must've gotten tired with all this - enough to be ready to transform into her dragon form. I could see her human skin partly turning into scales, and her ears perking up into a dragon's.

"Obsidia, no!" Lan Xiao Su yelled, calming her down. "If you do that, not only will you not get that woman, but also kill everyone here!"

"Tch..." Obsidia muttered, but settled down, and turned to look at me. "Human...if it weren't for my deal with you, I would have transformed already and crushed this puny woman. The audacity...to cage me within her domain...."

"Oh my...is that a dragon I sense?" the woman tilted her head and giggled. "Hey, Xuan Kai, was it? You have quite the gathering of rare specimens."

"Obsidia...calm yourself," I said, ignoring the woman. "Even in your dragon form, it's not guaranteed that you can win against this woman. She's a Holy Emperor - the highest achievable rank, excluding the Divine God tier of legends."

Obsidia snorted and turned away, and I looked back at the woman. "...What do you want with my companion?"

Of course, I was referring to Mei Gui, who hung limply within her arms, unconscious. The woman smiled.

"Don't think I'm blind. Within my domain, I see all - this girl was the one who taught you how to break out of my domain, no?" the woman remarked, slightly amused. "How interesting...a girl this young, knowing a method to escape a Holy Emperor's domain that isn't directly killing the Holy Emperor themselves...yes, I think she will be a fine specimen for my business partner's research. After all...he's told me the only thing he needs now is a test subject for his experiments."

I narrowed my gaze, and kept Ace fixated on the woman's head. "You intend to use her as a test subject?"

"Well, strictly speaking...that scientist will be the one using her as a lab rat. As for me...I'll be using her as a bargaining chip. I'm not going to just offer this girl to him for free, after all."

"Xuan Kai..." the girls looked at me in worry, waiting for my decision.

Do we accept the harsh reality and abandon Mei Gui here, or do we take our chances and fight this woman - a Holy Emperor - again, even after being utterly powerless the first time?

...Of course, my choice was the latter.

Mei Gui was far too valuable of an asset to lose. She not only provides me with knowledge on this power that I possess, but is also a fighting demon in her own right. I can't count the number of times I would've died without Mei Gui by my side, helping me.

I am someone who pays back my debts well - whether that debt is bad, or good. In this case, it was good. And so, I would never just abandon Mei Gui.

"Give her back," I said with a dangerous tone.

The woman raised an eyebrow beneath her black winged mask. "Oh? You want to fight me again?"

"If need be...yes. That girl you're holding...I'm not letting you take her," I replied defiantly, determination in my voice.

"Xuan Kai..." the girls murmured once again - but this time, it was not one of concern. It was one of admiration, as if they were hoping I would make this choice.

I am a person who doesn't like fighting unnecessary battles. But sometimes...when something important to you is put on the line...you have to fight.

The woman contemplated my words for a second, but then her lips curved upwards into a smile. "Nah."

I blinked. "Nah...?"

I did not expect this response, and neither did the other girls.

"I don't see a point in fighting you here," the woman explained. "If I did, it's obvious you would fight to the death to get your companion back. And...well, let's just say you've...successfully intrigued me. I don't want you to die."

"...Then give that girl back."

The woman shrugged. "Oh my...didn't I tell you? I'm a woman who never lets her prey escape. This girl is already in my hands - what makes you think I'll just hand her back to you?"

I narrowed my gaze, and shot. But the woman just turned into a cloud of black mist, and my bullet passed through thin air.

I cursed. "You can cast spells without chanting too, huh?"

Although I couldn't see the woman, I heard her giggle. "Yes, I can indeed. All Holy Emperors can - it's just a matter of whether they choose to do so or not. As for your companion here...worry not. She won't be harmed - she's far too valuable for that. Although...the next time you see her, she may be...quite different."

And with that, I sensed with my Third Eye that the woman was gone - taking Mei Gui with her.

I slammed my fist into the ground. "Damn it..."

Qing Yue walked over to me and hugged me from behind. "Big Brother Xuan Kai, it's not your fault...she's too powerful...there was nothing we could do."

I know that...but in the end, I was the one who decided to fight her in the first place. That was a misjudgement on my end, and...it eventually lead to Mei Gui being taken away like this.

No...I'm definitely not letting Mei Gui go. I'll get her back, no matter what it takes.

I stood back up slowly, and looked at the girls. "Let's go...first things first, we have to report what happened here back to Old Man Leng's wife."

"What about Mei Gui?" Feng Mian asked in concern.

"We'll definitely get her back. I promise," I replied, determination in my voice. "I went through the trouble of naming that girl...who the hell does that woman think she is, to just take her away from me?"

Mysterious woman...I don't know what your name is, nor do I care. But one thing is certain. The things you did here today to me...will all be paid back hundredfold, in due time.

And so, the eight of us headed back to Old Man Leng's wife's gadget shop. We had set off this morning with nine people, but are now coming back with only eight. But unlike what the woman probably hoped for, we weren't sad at all. Instead, our despair at losing Mei Gui was converted into a burning anger - a lust for revenge. The girls and I shared this feeling, and will stop at nothing to turn it into reality.

But that didn't mean we were just going to rush in blindly like idiots, of course. First, we would have to collect information. Then, gather our forces. And lastly...strike when the time is right.

Mei Gui...we're coming. Just please...hold on until then.