"Of course, to be more specific, this should be the Divine Key of the twelfth sequence," Ming Yu's tone remained unchanged as he enunciated each word. "Its name is the Key of Corruption."
"Who on earth are you!?" Fu Hua shouted, her eyes turning slightly red, like two magnificent gems, or as if molten lava flowed within them.
She had wondered about Ming Yu's intentions for inviting her today, perhaps to blackmail her with her undercover identity, but she never imagined it would involve something like a Divine Key, and the very special 12th Divine Key at that.
Although her memories were fragmented, having forgotten most of the events of the last five thousand years, she still remembered that she was once a warrior of the Previous Era's Fire Moth, and she remembered those momentous events.
In her memories, there was no specific information about the 12th Divine Key, but she still remembered the tyrannical aura of the 12th Herrscher, remembered the terror of the day the Herrscher of Corruption ran rampant.
Even though the appearance of the longsword in Ming Yu's hand was completely unfamiliar to her, the tyrannical aura of the Herrscher of Corruption was unmistakable.
This meant that, fifty thousand years after the fall of the Previous Era, the Herrscher of Corruption, who had once brought immense suffering to humanity, had finally been turned into a Divine Key.
As Fu Hua's mood became unsettled, the hair at her temples faintly began to turn red, and an immense and terrifying pressure emanated from her.
Feeling the immense pressure coming from Fu Hua, Ming Yu immediately gripped the Jizo Mitama in his hand. Black flames erupted, forming a five-meter-tall crimson-armored phantom behind him.
"Roar~"
The phantom roared, its aura surging forth, barely managing to withstand the power radiating from Fu Hua, making it slightly more bearable for Ming Yu who was facing her directly.
Noticing that her reaction was a bit excessive, Fu Hua immediately retracted her pressure. Her eyes returned to their ocean-like azure, but beneath the calm surface, a storm was brewing.
"Phew~" Ming Yu let out a long breath, also retracting the crimson-armored phantom behind him. It was a good thing the Celestial was calm enough; otherwise, if a fight had broken out, he really wouldn't have stood a chance against even one of Fu Hua's hands.
Even though he possessed Jizo Mitama, Fu Hua still had the Grips of Taixu and Fenghuang Down. He was well aware of the gap in their combat strength.
"I once stayed in a mysterious place for a few years, where I was fortunate enough to glimpse some sealed secrets and learn some things that are difficult for ordinary people to know."
"Moreover, Class Monitor, you should know something about the 12th Herrscher. In that case, you should also know that compared to the Herrscher of Corruption's virus, this world's network security is not that difficult to breach. Although I am not proficient with this ability, if I put some effort into it, it's not entirely impossible to find specific information."
"If I were to answer the Class Monitor's question directly," Ming Yu smiled slightly, but quickly composed himself, switching to a more serious tone, "I belong neither to Schicksal, nor to Anti-Entropy, nor to any other faction."
"I am loyal only to myself!"
Saying this, Ming Yu threw Jizo Mitama towards the floor in front of him. The special alloy floor offered no resistance to the longsword; half of the blade sank straight into the ground as if it were a hot knife through butter. The upper part of the sword trembled slightly, and an indomitable "intent" radiated from Ming Yu. Although it was still faint, it was incredibly firm.
His oath-like words echoed in the training room, causing Ming Yu's own heart to stir with emotion.
Now that he had reached an agreement with Theresa, he was officially a member of the Far East Branch on paper, but Ming Yu's words at this moment were undoubtedly a unilateral tearing up of that agreement.
Regardless of whether he identified with the Far East Branch in his heart or was willing to give his all for it, his actions were enough to constitute treason.
Fortunately, Fu Hua did not belong to Schicksal either, so Ming Yu didn't have to worry about her reporting him to Theresa. Although Fu Hua had agreed to work for Otto, strictly speaking, they were allies, not in a clear subordinate-superior relationship.
In a sense, Ming Yu's agreement with Theresa had a similar flavor. But due to the huge disparity between Ming Yu as an individual and the Far East Branch, the constraints on him were significantly stronger, so his treatment wasn't much different from that of an ordinary Valkyrie. At most, he had some room for negotiation with Theresa on certain matters.
Fu Hua was able to have such a standing naturally because her strength warranted such treatment. Although she was only one person, her powerful individual combat strength was enough to shake Schicksal. When she burned Fenghuang Down, she was the strongest person on the planet, bar none.
Apart from Otto's direct orders, all matters could be decided by Fu Hua herself, without any extra constraints. In some situations, she could even completely ignore Otto's commands.
This was also why Ming Yu dared to say these things in front of Fu Hua. He didn't want to talk to Fu Hua, the A-rank Valkyrie of the Far East Branch, but to the Guardian of Shenzhou, Celestial Phoenix.
Although as an ordinary trainee of St. Freya, his status was vastly different from the Celestial's, at this particular point in time, it was not an impossible conversation.
Watching the young man before her speak with such resounding words, Fu Hua frowned. She didn't think Ming Yu was lying, but she couldn't understand the meaning of doing so.
If he just wanted to keep the Divine Key, she wouldn't say anything. She didn't have any so-called control issues. For her, it made no difference who held a Divine Key, as long as the wielder fulfilled their responsibilities.
Besides, if he hadn't actively revealed the Divine Key's aura, she wouldn't have even thought of it as a Divine Key just by looking at it.
If he was worried about Rita this time, she had no intention of exposing Ming Yu either, a point she was sure Ming Yu himself was aware of. Although he might know something about Mount Taixu, it seemed he also knew his limits and had no intention of leaking it to others.
Of course, if this kid really dared to do so, she wouldn't mind using Fenghuang Down to brainwash him.
"After saying all that, what are you trying to express?" Fu Hua's brows knitted slightly, and she asked in a deep, puzzled voice.
Ming Yu didn't answer immediately. Instead, he placed his hand on Jizo Mitama and said slowly, "In the ancient legends of Shenzhou, there was once a Celestial being known as 'Chiyuan'.
She had white hair and red eyes, was cloaked in fierce fire, and walked on white clouds. Whenever Shenzhou faced disaster, she would eliminate the calamity."
"Although in the rumors, the Celestial has already ascended. But if possible, I hope to be able to follow such a person." Ming Yu withdrew Jizo Mitama and looked down at the mark left by the longsword, making it impossible to see the expression on his face.
"Can I take that as a threat?" Fu Hua's tone was as cool as ever, with no hint of joy or anger.