One of the children—a boy with sharp eyes and a mischievous smile—sat up first. He looked down at his small hands, clenched them experimentally, and grinned.
"We've been turned into kids..." he said, amused by his younger voice.
He glanced around and saw familiar faces on equally young bodies. Slowly, they sat up, dazed but aware.
"…Rize," he muttered, recognizing the crimson-eyed girl beside him.
She turned toward him, blinking. "Max?"
Another girl with silvery-white hair stood slowly, brushing ash off her sleeves. "Malaika...?"
Max nodded. "Gwen. Lumia. You're all here."
The final girl with black twin tails and a glare that could kill, growled. "Max, what the hell kind of reincarnation is this?!"
He just laughed. "Welcome to Douluo Dalu, Night Monarch edition."
But before Max could even enjoy his dramatic entrance, a double flying kick slammed into his face.
Crack.
His nose broke on impact. This new body—still a child's—didn't have any force absorption passive skills. Max winced and fell back, holding his bleeding nose.
"Ahhh~ that felt good," said the girl with twin pink tails—his little sister, Lumia—stretching her legs. "I've been holding that in since the moment you got immune to my double kicks."
Max just groaned, covering his face as Rize and the others ran to help him.
He couldn't even be mad. He'd spoiled her rotten, after all.
It almost felt nostalgic, feeling that double flying kick after so long.
"You're back to your usual self," Max muttered through the pain. "Remember back when you'd double kick me whenever I refused to share my snacks?"
He sat up, wiping the blood off his face. "Anyway... judging by the ruins, I think we've taken over the bodies of the poor children who died here along with the rest of this village."
Max closed his eyes, focusing. "Speaking of which…"
He summoned his System interface with a thought, the familiar blue panels flickering into existence before him.
[ Random Sync with Title Douluo... In Progress ]
[ Random World Connection Detected... Syncing with "Genshin Impact" World Essence ]
[ Code Shot: You have a chance to summon... Arlecchino (The Knave) ]
Max blinked.
"Oh? A Harbinger already? This world's about to get spicy."
"Well, we need protection," Max nodded as he pressed the summon button, activating the card.
Lumia leaned over, eyeing the card that suddenly appeared in his hand. It shimmered with a faint crimson glow, and on its surface was the image of Arlecchino from her game banner—back turned, white dress flowing, her scythe resting against her shoulder in a stance of calm, lethal elegance.
"Are you seriously summoning another girl?" Lumia asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
Max tilted his head with a sheepish grin, refusing to answer.
"If your little harem doesn't mind, then I don't care either," she huffed dramatically.
From the side, Gwen, Rize, and Malaika spoke up in unison, "We don't mind."
Max grinned as he nodded and raised the card in the air.
With a flick of his wrist, the card burned with red fire, and a magic circle formed beneath them—etched with ancient runes and glowing with deep crimson light. The air pulsed.
A gust of heat swept through the area as the ground cracked.
From the center of the summoning circle, a figure slowly rose—heels clicking against stone, cloak fluttering behind her.
Arlecchino had arrived.
[Arlecchino]
Level: 96 Hyper Douluo
Spirit Bones: None
Spirit Rings – Crimson Blood Scythe: None
Spirit Rings – Burning Heaven Rose:
2 Yellow Rings
2 Purple Rings
4 Black Rings
1 Red Ring ]
Max nodded while looking at her stats, his eyes sharp with curiosity. Arlecchino, meanwhile, stepped forward and looked at Max intently.
"Did you save me?" she asked, voice calm yet tinged with interest. She leaned slightly closer, locking eyes with him. "You're not bad. I wouldn't mind serving under someone like you."
Max raised an eyebrow, wondering what kind of deal the system had offered her in return for saving her life.
"I was dying… and then a voice said it could save me. It showed your image, and said in return I will belong to you. I was dying so I accepted it" Arlecchino said quietly, her voice distant as if recalling a near-death dream.
Max nodded. "It's okay, you don't need to bow or kneel before me."
"You're polite," she said with a rare smile, then fell silent again, standing elegantly like a noble shadow.
Max turned to the others. "Alright, since we're still weak in this world, from now on,you will protect us."
Arlecchino gave a short nod. "Very well."
Max then looked her over once more, noting her presence—cold, beautiful, regal, and dangerous like a queen from an eternal winter.
Clap.
He clapped his hands to gather attention and said, "Okay! Now that we're entering a eastern fantasy world, we need proper names that suit it."
He held out a stick and pointed toward everyone playfully.
"Here are the fantasy names I've prepared for you all!"
The others gathered around to see what nonsense Max was about to come up with this time.
Max beagn to cribble on ground as others leaned in to see.
Max → Mo Tian (莫天) – "Silent Heaven"
Rize → Chi Mei (赤魅) – "Scarlet Enchantress"
Malaika → Hei Xue (黑雪) – "Black Snow"
Gwen → Bai Ling (白灵) – "White Spirit"
Lumia → Liu Yan (柳焰) – "Willow Flame"
Peter → Chen Feng (陈风) – "Morning Wind"
"How about it?" Max asked, arms crossed confidently.
The others glanced at each other, murmuring their new names under their breath.
"It's just a name anyway. I don't mind," said Liu Yan, shrugging casually.
Max—now going by Mo Tian—nodded with approval.
"Great, then let me explain the power system of this world," Max—now known as Mo Tian—began, his tone calm but authoritative.
As he spoke, the group listened intently. Even Arlecchino leaned forward slightly, arms crossed, her sharp gaze fixed on Max. She could already feel the shift in her own powers after arriving in this world—something was different about this world compared to her own.
"What a strange world this is," Peter—now going by Chen Feng—murmured, still processing the explanation. The others nodded in agreement.
"I'm more interested in what kind of Martial Spirit I'll awaken," Gwen—now Bai Ling—said with a curious glint in her eyes.
Max gave a knowing nod. "We'll find out soon."
Just then, Arlecchino shifted her stance, leaning against a tree with a cool, detached expression. "Someone's coming," she said flatly. "It's strong... but not on your level."
***
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It's 22 chaps ahead