Chapter 29: Harmony of Light and Darkness, Section 7

The prison sphere shattered…
For some reason, at the moment the sphere broke, a legend suddenly flashed through the black-haired man’s mind—the Pandora’s Box.
Surely, when that beautiful woman opened that equally perfect box, no one could have imagined that what would fly out of it wouldn’t be exquisite gifts, but terrifying disasters and plagues. Just like this prison sphere. With a crisp cracking sound, the black-haired man’s heart suddenly convulsed uncontrollably. His hand flew to the control panel of his mech.
Nothing happened. Absolutely nothing.
Everything remained as quiet as before. The small combat room was still exactly as it was. The shattered pieces of the crystal sphere were scattered everywhere by the Killing Emperor. The green elf inside… had disappeared.
“Hehehehe… hehehehe…” A shrill laugh suddenly rang out in the combat room, floating erratically from one side to another. Yet everyone could tell it was the voice of that green elf.
“I can’t believe… you’re so stupid. You actually set me free…”
“Three million years… three whole million years… These damned Rock People… they trapped me for such a long time, thinking they could avoid disaster this way. But they never imagined… after those long three million years… I would emerge again… freed by a bunch of stupid and arrogant creatures…”
“What a shame… The great Toutu people reduced to such a state. What a shame… But, kind yet foolish adults. What do you expect? For your stupidity, I’ll show mercy and give you a choice. Do you prefer to wander here forever? Or die right away? Don’t worry, in front of the great Toutu people, you won’t suffer any pain.”
With a rustle, the Blood Wolf Pirates’ mechs moved in unison, instantly forming a circular formation. Their guns were all pointed outward. There was no noise, yet they displayed exceptional military discipline. At that moment, the black-haired man let out a long sigh, his voice tinged with bitterness.
“You… aren’t that so-called green elf, are you?”
“Of course not. I am a great Toutu person—honest, magnanimous, brave, and full of love. The term ‘green elf’ is just a nickname given to us by other races.” The shrill voice rose in pitch, showing displeasure. But all it earned was a cold sneer from the black-haired man.

“Honesty? Is it deceiving us to set you free? Generosity? Treating your benefactors with revenge? Courage? Trembling in the face of flames. Love? Sorry, I haven’t noticed it yet.”
“Hahahahah! This only proves your stupidity. So-called powerful beings. Don’t you know the legends of the Tutu tribe? Oh, three million years. Perhaps you’ve long forgotten the greatness of the Tutu tribe. Well, let me tell you.” A shrill voice burst into laughter, becoming more erratic as it shifted from side to side.
“Honesty is the essence of our Tutu tribe. When have I ever deceived you? I do possess the ability to disguise myself, and I was indeed imprisoned by the Rock Tribe. I also promised to help you find the Stone of Light and Darkness. I’ve never denied any of this. So, I, Lord Ashen Earth, am honest—very honest.”
“Oh? What about those endless wanderings and immediate deaths?” Black Hair raised his eyebrows and laughed casually, silently activating his communicator. On the video, a Blood Wolf pirate was rapidly scanning, sweating profusely as he made a gesture indicating it would take time.
“That’s your stupidity! Hahahahah! Don’t you know the preferences of the Tutu tribe? I promised to help you find the Stone of Light and Darkness, but I didn’t say I wouldn’t deal with you first. Arrogant fools—the Tutu tribe never misses an opportunity to tease others. You’ll have plenty of time to realize this once you enter Eternal Wandering.” The shrill voice laughed even more heartily, as if everything was under its control.
But it wasn’t wrong—faced with its unique mirage ability, Black Hair and the others truly had no chance. It could create endless illusions at will, trapping Black Hair’s group in perpetual wandering. This was what made the Tutu tribe so terrifying.
Although they lacked combat skills and had frail bodies, three million years ago, they terrified many races. Ultimately, it was their cruel tendencies and terrifying talents. Every member of the Tutu tribe took pleasure in teasing other races and wouldn’t miss an opportunity. Coupled with their flawless disguise abilities, countless famous warriors had perished at their hands in the past.
Yet these little creatures shared one cruel habit: boasting.

They believe their race is the most honest and adorable in this universe. So even when playing tricks, they never resort to deception; instead, they set one linguistic trap after another and mock those who fall into them to prove their superiority.
The Rockfolk were the last group they played tricks on. What they didn’t expect was that this seemingly honest race was far from as honest as it appeared. Their abilities were equally terrifying—they could create a strange trapping sphere by sacrificing their own lives, capturing all the Tootoots involved in the plan, and stubbornly refuse to be freed no matter how much the Tootoots tried to tempt them.
The trapping sphere was made of the essence of the Rockfolk. Though as fragile as glass, it couldn’t be broken by the physically weak Tootoots. Trapped inside, they could only serve as tools for the Rockfolk, creating environments to protect them from harm.
But the Tootoots weren’t easy to bully. Naturally fond of playing tricks, they certainly wouldn’t give up on revenge. So during a sudden war, these little creatures hid all the Rockfolk and removed their disguises, exposing the entire Rockfolk race to their enemies. They thought this would teach the Rockfolk a lesson and free them. Unexpectedly, this war led to the complete destruction of the Rockfolk race. The few survivors naturally blamed all the Tootoots and, instead of freeing them, carried out a series of retaliations.
If the abilities of the Tootoots hadn’t been so crucial to the surviving Rockfolk, that retaliation might have erased all traces of the Tootoots entirely.
This is the past of the Tootoots—something Blackhair, of course, couldn’t know. But not knowing didn’t mean he was unprepared.
In fact, the moment the trapping sphere shattered and his heart lurched violently, Blackhair’s vigilance had already reached its peak. The disappearance of the Green Elves made him ready to face any severe consequences.
And indeed, the consequences turned out to be extraordinarily severe.

“Hehehehe, foolish adults! Have you made your choice? Remember, wasting the time of the great Lord Ashen Soil is unforgivable. Do not test this lord’s patience. Choose—eternal wandering or immediate death. As a hint, if you choose death, it will be this lord’s first act of killing. What an honor.” The shrill voice suddenly grew agitated. At the same time, the space in the combat room fluctuated, and a green mist appeared instantly. With the emergence of the mist, Kuroha suddenly felt that even the air in the passage seemed thicker.

Was this the precursor to the Mirage’s activation? If he didn’t act immediately…

“Found it, Captain! Slightly above and to the right. There’s an anomaly in the corner of the wall.” Just as the air grew thicker, the scout’s excited voice rang in Kuroha’s ears.

Without the slightest hesitation, almost the moment the scout finished speaking, Kuroha’s fingers flashed across the control panel several times. Meanwhile, the mighty Killing Emperor turned around, grabbed the backpack on his back with his right hand, and threw it toward the indicated coordinates.

An anomaly in space meant physical attacks would be ineffective. Kuroha realized that only this backpack could help now. As the finest elite mech, only the Killing Emperor’s backpack possessed a top-tier subspace engine. Now, it became everyone’s only hope.

Under everyone’s gaze, the massive backpack traced a beautiful arc through the air before its opening suddenly flared open. Ammunition and equipment spilled out, crashing violently against the target corner. With a loud “bang,” flames erupted! At the same time, a shrill scream was heard.

“Ah!”
“Damn you creatures! How did you find me? This is impossible!”
“Oh, heavens! What place is this? Damn it, damn it… What are those round things? Ah, get away! Stay away from me! Take your cold claws off the great Lord Ashen Soil!!”

Hahaha… Hearing the shrill voice turn panicked, all the pirates burst into laughter. Blood-eyed happily picked up the backpack and handed it to the Killing Emperor.

“Boss, you should get a new backpack. This one probably can’t hold anything anymore. It’s a shame—the maintenance robots inside encountered some disobedient cargo. I wonder if they can still put the cargo into the designated slots as before?”

“I hope they can pull it off. Otherwise, I’m afraid some great members of the Tu Tu tribe will regret it. Don’t you think? Honest, generous, brave, and loving Lord Gray Soil?”
The second half of the sentence was spoken by the black-haired one to the backpack. And from within the backpack came a shrill wailing sound…
“No! Let me out! I don’t want to stay in a place darker than a confinement sphere!! Damn it, take away your cold claws—don’t touch Lord Gray Soil!”