Obsessed with a High-Ranking Esper (BL)-Chapter 153: Happy Birthday little Xi

The camp burned with panic shouts and gunfire. The Umbravores moved like ghosts, invisible and merciless. Standard weapons passed through them. Psychic dampeners fizzled. Kye and Reign were down, pinned beneath one of the beasts, their bodies twitching as their life force was siphoned away. Then the air cracked.

A pulse of emerald light split the gloom, and Yu Xi landed in the center of the chaos like a falling star. His blade flared to life—jagged, humming, and impossibly bright. His eyes glowed with the same searing green, and the ground trembled beneath the weight of his psychic presence. He moved like a storm given form—every step a blur, every strike a blurrier blur. He didn’t hesitate.

With a single thought, he sent a psychic shockwave rippling through the campfire. The nearest Umbravore shrieked, its cloaking faltering as its form shimmered into view—just long enough for Yu Xi to carve through its midsection in a spiraling arc. Purple ichor sprayed across the dirt. The beast collapsed, twitching, then stilled.

Another scream. Kye and Reign writhed beneath a second Umbravore, its tendrils burrowed into their chests. Yu Xi didn’t run—he launched, a blur of motion and fury. His blade cleaved through the air, and the invisible beast reared back, its outline flickering as it tried to phase away.

Too slow. Yu Xi’s blade found its mark, slicing through the creature’s limbs with surgical precision. It shrieked, tried to vanish, but Yu Xi’s mind locked onto its psychic tether. He yanked it back with a snarl.

The Umbravore twisted in midair, claws lashing out, but Yu Xi ducked low, spun, and drove his blade upward through its core. The beast convulsed, its form unraveling in a storm of black mist and psychic static. Kye gasped for air. Reign coughed, eyes wide with disbelief.

Yu Xi didn’t stop. Every step he took sent ripples through the psychic field, disrupting their invisible cloaks, exposing more Umbravores. They shrieked and fled having lost the battle.

Yu Xi stood in the center of the camp, his chest rising and falling, eyes still blazing from the fight. His hair tie had long slipped free, and now his dark hair hung loosely over his shoulders, wild and untamed. With a swift motion, he pulled it back, his voice cutting through the tense silence. "Half of you clean up. The rest, follow me to reinforce the perimeter."

He was certain no more creatures lingered nearby, but discipline demanded vigilance. Yu Xi turned to leave, not noticing the way every eye in camp lingered on him—awed, unsettled, drawn to the raw intensity he carried. When no footsteps followed, he stopped and turned back. "No one is coming?"

Rowland shot up immediately, voice eager. "I will help!" He would not miss this chance. Another guide chimed in, "Me too, I will help!" Soon, all the guides clamored to join him, desperate for proximity to the team leader.

But Vigil’s voice cut through, sharp and mocking. "You will only drag him down. One esper should stay with you. The rest—let’s go."

Yu Xi walked away, and Vigil followed with the others, his grin hidden in the shadows. Vigil wanted nothing more than to be close to Yu Xi. The way Yu Xi had swooped in earlier, saving him like a knight, had made his blood surge with exhilaration.

"Team leader," Vigil said, his tone almost reverent, "thanks for saving me."

Yu Xi turned his head, gaze cold. "Start that side. The furthest from me, the better."

Vigil wasn’t offended. He smiled, nodding. "Sure sure. I can do that." He walked away obediently.

The others exchanged stunned looks. "...When did Vigil ever follow instructions without a fight?" Something was definitely off.

***

Next day...

Jian Ci was especially aggressive today, his movements sharp and his tone cutting. Everyone in his team could tell he wasn’t in a good mood. The truth was simple—he had spent hours trying to send Yu Xi a happy birthday message, but no matter what method he attempted, the system blocked him.

Their communicators were sealed, unable to connect to each other or the outside world. Jian Ci had even tried hacking the system, but when that failed, his frustration boiled over into rage.

He needed an outlet, and so today’s hunt was more brutal than ever. He drove the team into a lava-filled region, the air shimmering with heat, the ground glowing with molten veins. He turned to them, his eyes gleaming dangerously. "Who knows what we are hunting today?"

Haden, an esper, hesitated before saying, "Um... an Emberwhim Wisp?"

Leane shot him a look of pure disdain. With Jian Ci’s track record, why would he waste time on a measly E-rank psychic beast? She sneered, shaking her head.

Alarna, eager to impress, said confidently, "A Vulkrith. An S-rank beast." She thought Jian Ci would praise her insight.

Instead, Jian Ci’s voice was cold, commanding. "I need someone to lure it out. As soon as it shows itself, I will jump it. Simple enough."

The team exchanged weary glances. After the torment Jian Ci had put them through earlier that morning, no one answered immediately.

Jian Ci chuckled, the sound hollow, his smile never reaching his eyes. The tension in the air was suffocating.

This was why Jian Ci wanted to be on a team with Yu Xi. Yu Xi would never hesitate when it came to a challenge. Sure, Yu Xi’s strategies were sharper, more calculated, but he never backed down. Jian Ci admired that a lot.

He turned to his weary team, his voice cutting through the molten air. "What did you ask me before, huh? You said you didn’t want to disappoint your families. And I should lead you to what?"

A few of them mumbled, reluctant. "...Victory."

Jian Ci’s grin widened. "Don’t forget who your competition is. You think the number one cadet will let you take first place easily? Yu Xi won’t be lenient. He will crush you if you falter."

The truth of his words sank in, but hesitation lingered. Jian Ci’s eyes narrowed. He decided to strike the final blow. "Alright then. Let’s go hunt lower‑rank beasts." He turned his back, beginning to walk away.

"Wait!" they all shouted at once.

In the shadows where they couldn’t see, Jian Ci’s smile twisted into something fiendish. He pivoted, his tone sharp. "Alarna, Riley—you lure it out. Elias, be ready to extract them the moment it shows. Simple."

The team exchanged uneasy glances. Jian Ci didn’t care. He launched himself into the air, soaring above the lava field. Below, bubbles burst from molten rivers, the heat shimmering like a living thing.