Chapter 350: A Visit from the Fourth Sister

Just the constant pressure from being near Mallory was already stressing Kai out.

But now, after hearing what she said, he started sweating bullets.

Kai was aware that the House of Night was separated into five floors, so he naturally thought that his sisters would most likely be on the upper floors. No way that they would roll around in the mud of the First Floor.

All of them must have felt like they were far above the First Floor.

He was wrong to think like that.

Somehow, his confrontation with the Ending of Impersonation and the horde reached far.

It was carried by the night and seeped into his sisters’ ears.

Based on the map that Mallory showed, the territories of his sisters also stretched down.

Even though their main domains were located in the upper floors, they were still connected to the First Floor. It was highlighted by their reaching muted colours. And now, what started as a minor confrontation with a hostile Nightborn became the first news to his sisters that the Goddess had welcomed another one.

I should’ve expected this. I should’ve expected this since Noxian’s domain reached higher.

From the start, Kai knew that Noxian’s domain also existed in the upper floors.

He also knew that Kaelmorath’s domain exists in the First and Second Floors—while Perion’s domain only exists in the First Floor. Every being seemed to have different connections to the House of Night.

And yet he somehow overlooked the Daughters of the Night.

But then again, he was currently occupied by the Ending of Impersonation.

He failed to look at the bigger picture.

I need to really think my moves through lest things escalate.

Kai shook his head and focused on the moment again.

Ahead—he saw Mallory’s back going further away as she was walking out of the temple with wide strides. She was slightly stomping. Her footsteps echoed loudly across the hall, messing with the darkness that dominated the interior.

He snapped out of his trance and quickly chased after her.

Somehow, the darkness inside the temple was making him uneasy, as if it was going to attack.

"Are you sure you have a new sibling?"

"Sibling? You mean sister? A man would never bear the Final Night’s power."

Kai smiled awkwardly.

He was a man, and somehow, he wielded the Goddess’ power. Alas, the Goddess did say that she didn’t choose him, but she could very well be lying. Being the youngest sibling is already hard enough, but I also have to deal with this.

A sigh escaped his lips.

It seemed once his identity was exposed, the fact that he was a man would be a problem.

In fact, he might become the sole reason the sisters set aside their differences—and agree on a temporary alliance to suppress him. Just the thought of that moment was already making him nervous, but now is not the time for that.

"Are you sure there’s a new sister?"

"Yes, I’m sure. She made a mistake by gathering Nightborns so early."

"Is that so...?"

Kai’s shoulders slumped at what she said.

He never wanted to gather that many Nightborns—the situation forced him to do it.

Had the Ending of Impersonation not gathered a horde to go against him—then there would be no need for him to also do the same. Now, he has more than three hundred Nightborns on his side, and that seemed to practically be boasting a lighthouse in the House of Night.

Every single Daughter of the Night could sense him.

As soon as the two stepped out of the temple, a cold wind brushed against their bodies.

Mallory and Kai looked up, and there she was—a figure levitating above them.

She looked down with an aper?u of such profound condescension—that it felt less like a gaze and more like a verdict. She regarded them the way a Goddess might regard a measly mortal supplicant, or a lioness might regard a harmless bug that had wandered into her path.

Kai glanced at Mallory.

"That’s her?" He asked.

"Mn." She nodded, but her eyes never left the figure above. "That’s her."

Once he got the confirmation, Kai looked up again and took a proper look at his other sister.

Unlike Mallory, who radiated a quiet, reserved air beneath her cold exterior, this one emanated a glacial aura that was palpable to the eye. It clung to her like a mantle, a visible chill that was real enough to make the air around her shimmer with unnerving coldness.

Skotessa was breathtaking.

Not in the way of soft beauty or gentle grace—hers was the beauty of a warrior’s blade.

Someone who had never known defeat and had no intention of understanding the meaning of the word.

Her face was pale and exquisite, refined features arranged perfectly.

But there was a martial air to her, a youthful warrior’s confidence.

Her hair was pure white and glossy with muted hues, and it defied gravity.

It floated skyward as if she were submerged in water, swaying left and right with the languid, sinuous current of some invisible tide. It floated above her like a pillar of light, or a tiara that marked her authority.

Underneath, her athletic form was clad in armour that was focused on function and elegance.

A chestplate and leg armour of black, outlined in a dirty white that seemed to glow faintly in the gloom. Snake-head pauldrons adorned her shoulders. A silk skirt of black, rimmed with a lighter shade, draped her waist, waving gently like her floating hair.

In her hand was a weapon of annihilation—a long black spear.

It had an intimidating length, stretched down with its center point at her back—and the back end extending past her left shoulder. The spearhead was shimmering white, intricately carved by a master, and shaped like a triangular fork—three prongs that gleamed with light.

And from the back end of the spear, a long white tail slithered upward.

It mimicked the emotion of her hair, as if the weapon itself was alive and obedient.

Kai was drawn in by her appearance.

Not due to the pull of attraction, but more like the gravitational pull of a star that tugged his mind. It felt like his entire body was being pulled towards her. And the longer he looked—the deeper he was put into a trance, until the night touched him from the inside and snapped him out of that trance.

He immediately averted his gaze.

What the heck is that? Just looking at her is making me dizzy.

Once he recovered, only then did he realize that he was actually hallucinating.

Be it Skotessa’s power or simply the effect of the gap in strength between them—Kai knew that he couldn’t stare at her directly for too long. Not if he valued his life. If he wanted to look, he would need to rest in between.

A few seconds later, Kai looked up again, but his breath was caught in his throat.

Skotessa was looking directly at him.

And her eyes were narrowing, as if she noticed something was wrong about him.

Fortunately, Mallory was there.

"I’ve already told you countless times, sister—but I’m going to repeat it one last time." Her voice dropped an octave lower, becoming cold and sharp. "My domain is not open to you or anyone who doesn’t associate themselves with me."

Skotessa didn’t answer outright.

She remained silent for an uncomfortable moment, and then tilted her head a little.

"Are you going to attack me?" She asked with a flat, impassive tone. "Go ahead. I am in your territory, so I’m at your mercy."

"..."

"No? Not going to?"

A small but evident condescending smirk curled up Skotessa’s thin lips.

Kai stared at Mallory and saw her ball her hands into fists until her knuckles turned white.

Just a few more seconds, and she would no doubt attack Skotessa.

His hand quickly reached out, grabbing Mallory’s forearm and then leaned in to whisper.

"Don’t attack her."

"What are you saying?"

"She’s taunting you, which means she wanted you to attack her. Don’t fall for it."

Mallory wanted to attack Skotessa badly right now. So bad that her entire body was trembling from anticipation. Overwhelming her with the night—and having it devour her mind to make her scream sounded really tantalizing.

But there was something in Kai’s voice that made her stop.

Right now, she was emotional—and those emotions were clouding her mind.

Not to mention, Kai was a third party. He could see the bigger picture of the situation—so he might see something that she couldn’t. Despite the raging anger bubbling inside, Mallory kept her composure with a few deep breaths.

On the side, Kai saw this and finally let her arm go.

Mallory could not attack Skotessa right now.

Kai only had limited knowledge about the situation, but it was more than enough.

Currently—Gloria was accusing the two of them of being behind the hole of light that decimated her precious Nightborn. But she was leaning toward blaming Skotessa more. In order to avoid the potential fight, Skotessa needed to change Gloria’s perspective far more than finding the real culprit.

And it seemed Skotessa planned to aggravate Mallory, luring her to attack.

Any aggression from one of them would only fuel suspicion.

In fact, it would only make Gloria feel even more certain that she was right.

Kai realized something was wrong the moment Skotessa came into the domain suddenly.

She deliberately exposed herself to an attack, which was her plan.

Since Kai was already aware that Nightborns were stronger within their own domains, and that could also be extrapolated towards the Daughters of the Night, he could tell that there was no reason for Skotessa to enter recklessly when entering meant being under Mallory’s mercy.

Other than this being a trap, of course.

It made him certain that Skotessa was trying to paint Mallory as the bad one.

From Gloria’s perspective, Skotessa came to Mallory’s domain to discuss the accusation against their backs. If Mallory attack Skotessa, then that would paint many bad narratives on her, one being whether Skotessa found proof that she was the one responsible—and she decided to take that proof by force.

And that would put Mallory on the spot.

If Skotessa played it right, then she could easily band together with Gloria under the pretense that she wanted to clear her name from this accusation. And if Gloria accepted—who actually did it no longer mattered until Mallory was taken out of the picture.

Kai’s eyes fixed back at the hovering Goddess above.

And now, his impression of Skotessa changed dramatically.

I thought she was someone who relied on raw strength—to think that she was cunning, too.

He shook his head, feeling bad for anyone who crossed her.

But then, sweat formed on his forehead as Skotessa looked at him icily.

Right... I crossed her just now, did I?