Chapter 632: Rumi Takes Outside

Rumi watched the Choral route keeper from an overhanging boulder, measuring the distance to its floating screen before she moved alone.

Below her vantage point, a Choral route keeper stood at the center of a wide canyon terrace, manipulating a floating screen.

The defensive screen pulsed with shifting spatial runes, projecting geometric barriers between three distinct physical landing markers.

Rumi twitched her lynx ears, her sharp feline senses tracking the subtle shimmer of distorted space across the roadbed.

"He shifts his barrier every fifteen seconds," she whispered into her ear talisman, her tail flicking with playful focus.

"First anchor on the gravel bend, the second checkpoint on the broken arch, and the final marker on the drainage sluice."

"Do you want me to flank his blind spot?" Nari’s voice asked from the lower culvert entrance.

"Stay right where you are, sister," Rumi answered with a confident smirk, flexing her polished claws against the stone.

"If both of us pounce at once, he panics and locks down the whole canyon with emergency wards."

"I am going to let him believe he figured out my approach trajectory."

[ Trait activation: Many Roads engaged ]

[ Prepared route anchor: Route one primed (gravel bend) ]

[ Prepared route anchor: Route two primed (broken arch) ]

[ Concealed physical anchor: Route three bound (drainage ledge) ]

She deliberately cast her spiritual shadow across the gravel bend, sending a shower of pebbles tumbling down the slope.

The route keeper reacted instantly, spinning around with a triumphantly cruel sneer across his gaunt face.

"Foolish feline!" the keeper yelled, driving his staff into the ground and rotating his spatial screen toward the bend.

"Your clumsy steps were cataloged the moment you set foot on this mountain!"

"Did you really think the Choral Incarnation leaves its rehearsal exits unprotected against common thieves?"

The spatial screen snapped into place, erecting an impenetrable shimmering wall that completely blocked the gravel bend.

At the same instant, Rumi flashed her aura along Route Two, making the air above the broken arch ripple with phantom mana.

"A dual-feint?" the keeper laughed arrogantly, redirecting the secondary layer of his screen to cover the archway.

"I studied the spatial theories of the grand academy for forty years... you cannot surprise me with juvenile tricks!"

"Is that so, old man?" her voice echoed from directly behind his right shoulder.

The keeper’s breath caught in his throat as his eyes widened in sheer, unadulterated panic.

"What—where did you—"

Rumi dropped from the drainage ledge, having traveled entirely on foot along her third unadvertised physical anchor.

Before the keeper could rotate his spatial screen to face his flank, she lunged inside his reach with blinding feline agility.

Her claws swept forward in a dazzling crescent, slicing cleanly through the wooden shaft of his casting staff with explosive force.

The severed halves of the staff clattered onto the roadbed, scattering broken crystals and dispelling the hovering screen.

With a lightning sweep of her leg, she knocked his feet out from under him, sending the keeper crashing onto his back.

She planted her foot squarely across his chest, the needle-sharp tips of her claws resting a fraction of an inch from his jugular.

"Rule number one of spatial combat," she purred with a mischievous grin, leaning over his trembling face.

"Never stare at the decoy paths when a predator is already breathing down your neck!"

"I yield... mercy!" the keeper whimpered, raising his trembling palms in total, unconditional surrender.

"Do not claw my throat out... I yield the road!"

[ Objective achieved: Exterior rehearsal road secured ]

[ Route hunter subdued: Keeper captured alive ]

[ Experience evaluation: Spatial routing & containment mastery ]

[ Pending kill reconciliation: Tesk shared kill (+1,000,000 EXP) applied ]

[ Direct combat experience: +3,000,000 EXP Awarded ]

[ Total experience gained: +4,000,000 EXP ]

[ Rumi evolution progress: 4,000,000 / 37,500,000 EXP (four Wings) ]

A brilliant vortex of golden celestial mana swirled down from the sky, enveloping the feline warrior in an invigorating pillar of light.

She threw her head back, purring loudly as four million experience points settled deep into her fourth-wing spirit core.

"Four million," she cheered, stretching her arms toward the sun with pure, unbridled delight.

"And I did not even break a sweat or scuff my manicure!"

Nari scrambled up the canyon trail, trotting onto the terrace with her twin daggers sheathed at her belt.

"Did you really have to gloat like a pampered housecat?" the younger twin teased, crossing her arms with a grin.

"I earned my bragging rights, sister," Rumi shot back, sticking out her tongue in playful defiance.

"Look at this spatial projector... it contains the complete exit layout for the interior rehearsal chamber!"

She picked up the brass projection lens dropped by the keeper, handing the device over to her sister.

Nari squinted at the glowing schematic, her brow furrowing as she deciphered the internal corridors.

"The rehearsal chamber only has one remaining escape route," she realized, pointing toward an interior spiral stair.

"The keeper on the inside is holding that stair with a selective lockdown barrier."

"Looks like the next fight belongs to you, sister," Rumi said, nudging her shoulder with an encouraging smirk.

"Show that interior keeper what happens when a cat decides there is no exit!"

Down on the lower terrace, Hajin stepped into the clearing, flanked by Ferra and Taren as they secured the captured prisoner.

"Flawless work on the exterior approach, Rumi," he praised, offering a smile to the victorious scout.

"You proved that three prepared routes will always trump a stationary barrier."

"The keeper confirmed that the Incarnation’s main detachment is already forming ranks inside," Taren reported, checking the prisoner’s bindings.

"They have forty elite legionnaires guarding the lower intake conduits."

"Let them form all the ranks they want," Hajin replied with a confident smirk.

"With the exterior road closed and the hydraulic anchor destroyed, they are trapped in their own drill chamber."

"Tomorrow, we close the net and finish this campaign."

The twins bounded over to him, their soft lynx ears twitching happily as they curled playfully around his arms.

Their warm, furry tails swished in synchronized rhythm, purring in sweet harmony against his wrists as they shared a box of honey pastries.

"We make an unbeatable team, summoner," Rumi purred, resting her cheek against his shoulder with affectionate pride.

"Just make sure Nari gets her turn to smash some heads tomorrow!"

High above the canyon, the celestial stream broadcast erupted into wild celebrations and a blinding shower of superchats.

[ Seoul_Tactician: "FOUR MILLION EXP FOR RUMI! The Tesk pending kill finally cashed in alongside her route mastery!" ]

[ StarlightScholar: "She completely outplayed that arrogant spatial keeper with the third physical anchor, so big brain!" ]

[ IronVanguard: "The twins curling around Hajin’s arms while purring is the most adorable thing in the entire world!" ]

[ HearthKeeper: "Nari is taking the interior stair. Those twins can still hear each other, right?" ]

[ ShadowMage44: "Field supper at last! Somebody save a bowl for whoever is still on watch!" ]

Hajin laughed, gently scratching behind their ears as the sun dipped behind the western ridges of the mountains.

"The western path is blocked, but there is a maintenance stair below the keeper’s platform," Rumi told Hajin through the talisman.

She drew the stair’s position in the dust before wiping away the route she used earlier to enter, making sure any returning enemy scout would have to search for her exit.

"Send Nari the stair mark," she added. "I can hold the open road, but she should know where the hidden door comes out."

Hajin repeated the location back to her, and the twins agreed on a fallback point beyond the canyon bend.

The exterior roads were locked down tight, the enemy’s options were shrinking, and the final encirclement was nearly complete.