Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dark skin covered in thick, armored scales. Beneath a mouth writhing with tentacles lay rows of serrated fangs.
Its vertical pupils, larger than a human head, glowed with an eerie blood-red light that sent chills down one's spine.
The creature's massive frame towered over the surrounding mountains. Just standing there, it radiated a suffocating aura of oppression.
With each thunderous step forward, the very earth trembled beneath its weight!
"What... what is that thing?"
"We can't possibly defeat that monster!"
"No! I want to go home! I don't want to die! I still have a wife and children waiting for me!"
The appearance of the colossal creature instantly shattered what remained of their already fragile morale.
Many soldiers dropped their weapons and fled in terror.
Watching this unfold, Yanagi's face turned deathly pale.
Though fury burned in her chest, she couldn't bring herself to stop them.
She understood all too well how these people felt in this moment.
Could they really destroy this horde of enemies?
No.
This entire operation had been a catastrophic mistake from the very beginning.
They had gravely underestimated the enemy's strength.
Everyone had assumed that with Miyabi, the legendary Void Hunter, on their side, victory was assured.
But even Miyabi stood no chance against a monster of this magnitude.
"Yanagi, what should I do?"
The familiar question reached her ears once more, spoken in that same calm, gentle voice.
Yet this time, Yanagi hesitated to give an answer.
Every decision she made now could put Miyabi's life at risk.
As if sensing the turmoil in Yanagi's heart, Miyabi clasped her cold hand and said softly, "I trust you."
"Yanagi! I trust you too!"
"Me too! We're with you!"
"Miyabi, Cangjiao, Yuma..."
Looking into the determined eyes of her three companions, Yanagi's hesitation finally melted away.
She turned to face forward, raising her long blade high and pointing it directly at the towering monstrosity.
"We must do everything in our power to hold them back and buy the others enough time to retreat, even if it costs us our lives!"
Sacrificing oneself to give others a chance at survival, anyone would hesitate when given such an order.
But neither Miyabi, Cangjiao, nor Asaba Yuma showed even a flicker of hesitation on their faces.
Only firm determination and calm smiles remained.
"Then let's go and stop the enemy in front of us!"
"Yeah!"
In that moment, while everyone else frantically retreated, only four people charged forward against the tide, rushing toward the enemy without a second thought.
This scene rekindled courage in the hearts of some fleeing soldiers.
They picked up their discarded weapons from the ground, preparing to join the fight.
But Yanagi shouted them back. "We're here to buy you time! Take the wounded and retreat! Don't leave anyone behind!"
Rather than leave themselves behind, they chose to leave no wounded comrade behind.
Hearing this, the soldiers could only retreat with tears streaming down their faces, carrying their injured brothers and sisters to safety.
"She sacrificed herself to save others. What an admirable woman."
From a high-rise building overlooking the battlefield, Victor quietly observed the scene unfolding before him.
Compared to Victor's composure, Belle seemed increasingly anxious.
"Aren't we going to help them yet?"
They had come here specifically to save people, so how had they ended up as mere spectators?
Victor shook his head gently. "Not yet. If you don't want your identity exposed, it's best to wait until those soldiers have fully withdrawn before we act."
Belle grew even more confused. "Why? Even if we wait for the soldiers to withdraw before acting, our identities will still be exposed. After all, Miyabi has seen us before."
"At least Section 6 won't reveal your identity as Phaethon."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because in the original storyline, they knew your identity as Phaethon but never made it public."
"Oh..."
Hearing this, Belle had no choice but to continue waiting.
Time crawled by, second by agonizing second.
Finally, after fifteen long minutes, not a single soldier remained on the battlefield.
They had all evacuated to the exit point of the spatial rift several kilometers away.
Meanwhile, the four fighters on the battlefield bore far more wounds than before.
"It's our turn."
After speaking, Victor leaped down from the building.
Belle followed close behind.
Just as he was about to land, Victor gripped the Profound Ice Sword in his hand and unleashed a blade of energy, cutting down a monster that was approaching Cangjiao from behind.
This happened to be witnessed by Miyabi, who was locked in combat with the colossal creature.
"It's them!"
Miyabi recognized the two figures instantly.
However, this brief moment of distraction created an opening.
The giant monster seized the opportunity and threw a devastating punch at Miyabi!
The force of the strike arrived before the fist itself.
By the time Miyabi reacted, the fist, larger than a house, was already upon her.
Too late!
"Miyabi!"
Yanagi cried out in horror.
She tried to rush forward to help, but in the end, she was a step too slow.
BOOM, !
A deafening explosion erupted as smoke and dust billowed outward, creating a tremendous shockwave that swept across the battlefield, instantly obscuring everyone's vision.
Yanagi was blown back by the force of the blast, slamming into a stone wall.
"Ugh!"
She coughed up a mouthful of blood. Every bone in her body felt like it had been pulverized.
"Miyabi!"
Ignoring her own injuries, Yanagi struggled to stand despite the pain.
After taking two steps, her legs gave out and she pitched forward.
In that instant, Belle's figure flashed forward, catching Yanagi in her arms.
"Don't worry. Miyabi is fine."
As if to confirm Belle's words, the smoke and dust quickly dispersed.
The monster slowly raised its fist, revealing the massive crater beneath.
But within that crater, there was no sign of Miyabi!
"Yanagi, I'm all right."
Miyabi's voice came from above.
Yanagi looked up quickly, only to see her chief being held in a princess carry by an unfamiliar man.
"And me!"
Cangjiao poked her head out from behind Victor's shoulder.
Seeing this, a smile appeared on Yanagi's pale face.
"Thank goodness... you're all okay..."
"I can't exactly say I'm okay... cough cough!"
Asaba Yuma dragged his wounded body out of the smoke and dust.
"If I make it back from this alive, I'm taking a long vacation... cough cough cough..."
"Don't talk if you're that badly injured!"
Seeing Yuma coughing up blood violently, Belle quickly retrieved a healing pill from her system space.
"Take this pill right now. It'll help you recover."
"Thanks."
After accepting the pill, Yuma hesitated for only a moment before tossing it into his mouth.
The moment the pill dissolved, Yuma could clearly feel all the pain in his body vanishing!
His wounds began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye!
"What an incredible medicine!"
"You can have one too."
Belle produced another pill and handed it to Yanagi.
"Thank you." After witnessing the pill's miraculous effects, Yanagi didn't refuse and immediately swallowed it.
Soon, all her injuries disappeared completely.
"Leave the rest of the battle to me."
Victor gently set Miyabi and Cangjiao down from his arms.
☆☆☆
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
☆☆☆
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/AshenMoon
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you