Esper X Family – Chapter 457 – The Animated《Tong Yao》

The audience all laughed with relief, discarding every last shred of doubt.

With ‘Tong Yao’ summoned, what more was there to say?

Let them fill in whatever score they wanted.

Jiang Huashen of Sequence Zero was no ordinary figure either. His mastery of this “spirit summoning” art was nothing short of unparalleled.

No one had ever seen someone summon the final boss itself just to pull a deus ex machina.

Still, everyone could sense that this was not the true ‘Tong Yao’, merely a counterfeit so convincing it could be mistaken for the real thing.

The upper echelons of the Countermeasures Bureau had realized this as well, which was why they let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Thank goodness it’s a fake. We’d be finished if it was real.”

“What is wrong with Jiang Huashen? Why go so far? I nearly pissed myself just now!”

“I’m telling you, he’s the most unstable individual in Sequence Zero. He’ll do anything for the sake of ‘art’!”

Once the Countermeasures Bureau higher-ups recovered their composure, they were absolutely livid.

The moment they saw the form of ‘Tong Yao’ coalesce, they had mentally prepared themselves to lie down and wait for death.

They almost believed that today was the day the world ended.

Lou Wei, too, visibly exhaled.

Clearly, the pressure on him had nearly spiked past its breaking point again.

This wasn’t Ye Yao and Ye Tong’s combination move. There was likely no possibility of reclaiming a sense of self to suppress the world-destroying instinct.

A creation devoid of consciousness was highly prone to going berserk.

The vast mental power that had converged from the heavens and earth moments ago contained enough force to scour the surface of the planet.

However, just as everyone breathed easier, Lou Wei noticed something peculiar.

The sacred figure made a gesture that caused every onlooker’s eyes to widen!

《Tong Yao》slowly raised a hand, seemingly observing her own body.

This seemingly self-aware action made the hearts of every Countermeasures Bureau executive seize up and freeze to a stop.

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“Ah—!”

At the same time.

Inside the dormitory.

A certain white-haired little loli was curiously exploring an incredibly profound sense of connection.

“It seems I can control that body?”

How interesting!

Ye Yao had assumed that what Old Jiang had created was an unconscious shell.

Something that would perhaps act according to the will of its creator.

She never imagined that she could seize control and make《Tong Yao》move according to her own whims.

Sigh!

If she had known it was this safe, she would’ve let him draw whatever he wanted.

Ye Yao had been terrified that she would have to spend a massive amount of attribute points to contain the situation.

She even suspected that the system was setting a trap to claw back her attribute points.

“After all, you acknowledged that form. It’s precisely because you are deeply connected to it that this subtle connection exists. Otherwise, this planet would’ve never recognized it in the first place.”

Tu Sheng’s voice sounded softly by her ear.

Ye Yao nodded thoughtfully.

“I see.”

She closed her eyes, entering a state of deep immersion.

In that instant, Ye Yao felt as if she were physically present, as though she had stepped into the painting world herself.

Not bad. I can even play with this alt account?

When this was over, she would have to throw Huasheng Jiang an extra chicken leg.

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Now that things had come to this, let the king descend from the heavens!

“Heh~”

《Tong Yao》seemed to undergo a sort of metamorphosis, becoming even more lifelike while her aura grew more formidable!

She now truly resembled the real thing.

Everyone felt as if an iron fist had clenched around their hearts.

Lou Wei was drenched in cold sweat.

Should he intervene?

Now? At this moment? Here?

If《Tong Yao》was the world-destroying powerhouse Jiang Huashen believed her to be, she certainly wouldn’t be friendly after gaining self-awareness.

Should Jiang Huashen’s creation spiral out of control…

Then there would be no need for the alien overlord to descend.《Tong Yao》alone could sweep across the entire world!

Although this《Tong Yao》didn’t exude the same sense of hopeless disparity as before, she was still not someone just anyone could handle.

The massive convergence of mental power earlier was proof enough of that.

What difference was there between this and activating the “Celestial Form”?

Not to mention, this was a Celestial Form that Bluestar itself had willingly helped to activate.

Even a powerful alien invader would be reduced to a speed bump before her.

Theoretically, Lou Wei should step in to resolve this, even if it meant exposing his own strength.

After all, this was not Ye Yao or Ye Tong, but a creation of Jiang Huashen’s. Even if it gained consciousness, it had nothing to do with those two.

But… what if?

Lou Wei had learned far too many harsh lessons.

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Every rational calculation had ultimately led to catastrophic mistakes.

After a brief but intense deliberation, Lou Wei decided to do nothing for now!

Learning from the lessons of history was precisely the growth that had transformed him from a mere weakling into a human being.

“Lou Wei, prepare to activate Solar Corona Form!”

“Let’s wait and see first.”

Jiang Huashen understood the meaning behind that soul-penetrating cold laugh as well.

Truth be told, that sneer was indeed chilling.

Logically, a painting shouldn’t come to life, let alone possess self-awareness.

It was like the projection of the Memory Spirit. It was merely a counterfeit assembled from vast amounts of information within memories.

Even if they possessed immense power and racial talents, they lacked corresponding self-awareness and cognition.

But now, Jiang Huashen saw his painting showing signs of coming alive?!

For an artist, this was the highest honor imaginable!

As for the consequences, he gave them no thought whatsoever.

“My masterpiece! My dream has been realized! Now, the stage is yours!”

Jiang Huashen understood his place. He didn’t presume it was his right to command《Tong Yao》.

No matter how fanatical he was, he hadn’t lost his mind.

It was already audacious enough to recreate such an existence without the permission of a certain little ancestor.

If he were to act like a trainer commanding a Pokémon in front of everyone, that little loli would surely be fuming with embarrassment.

For the sake of his future artistic endeavors, he had to restrain his pursuit of art!

Since the painting had come alive, he would simply follow its lead.

Besides, with the young ancestor ready to back things up, it should be fine.

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Ye Yao nodded in satisfaction.

Since Old Jiang was being so sensible, she decided to forgive his actions this time.

She turned her head, gazing toward the location of the All-Knowing Demon Eye’s split form. Everyone peering through the light screens felt the weight of a terrifying entity’s stare.

Then, she looked away, her gaze falling upon the Memory Spirit on the ground.

The power contained within this body was nowhere near that of the real “Tong Yao”.

Even so, it was more than enough to deal with this Memory Spirit.

As for the Memory Spirit…

It seemed rather helpless, as if it had lost all its tricks and strength.

It tried to project from memory a creature capable of opposing such a being.

But as soon as the silhouette of the projection began to form, the sacred figure caused the mental power to dissipate without even moving a hand.

Even the “King” it had strained every fiber to project was kicked aside like a stray dog on the roadside.

Although that might’ve been because the projected “King” couldn’t exert its full power.

The Memory Spirit ceased all action.

It could sense that all its efforts were in vain.

The other party could annihilate it effortlessly and was merely toying with it.

“It seems you are all favored by a great existence. As long as that existence is present, no one can threaten you.”

Author Note

Wow, the store owner gave me a bonus small pineapple last night when I bought one, saying it was a perk for repeat customers. That’s so generous! I’ve decided to buy from him from now on!

Text: Roll it ¹ It’s a Wenwan Nut (meditation nut) and Buddha beads. They’re basically fidget toys but for old people.