Leon stared at the overwhelming stats before him, and his danger sense immediately went off.
"...Did I really do that?"
A moment later, his jaw dropped.
With a "could it be?" expression, he voiced his disbelief.
He was just a squishy college student; just staying alive took all his effort.
How could he possibly fight against the Denizens of Abundance, who looked like monsters at first glance?
Leon looked down, weighing the cyan longbow in his hand.
The adrenaline had been pumping because he was so tense before.
Now that the crisis was over,
he finally came to his senses and noticed the bow was immensely heavy...
Leon never knew he possessed superhuman strength.
Logically, there was no way he could have lifted this bow, not even if a hundred thousand of him were stacked together.
Yet here he was, all by himself,
holding it as if it were nothing.
And then there was the energy that had surged from his body and gathered into the arrow.
If he'd known he was a superman, he would have started acting like one ages ago.
All of this was just unbelievable, you know?
For some reason, as if sensing something, Leon shifted his gaze from the brutal battlefield back to the Reignbow Arbiter.
Lan still hadn't said a word.
The Aeon simply pointed a finger at the bow in his hands, then at the scorched battlefield behind him. The meaning was self-evident.
Lan made no further moves.
An Emanator, facing such a predicament, was more than enough to resolve everything without Its direct intervention.
The next moment, before Leon could respond,
Lan transformed into a cyan meteor streaking across the sky, leaving the scene to continue the hunt for the Progenitor of Plagues.
~Carrying all the hardships of yesterday, to trade for a bit of happiness and bliss tomorrow~
After this scene unfolded, some random BGM started playing automatically in his ears.
"What a character, bro!"
Seeing this, Leon immediately raised his right hand, then pressed his palms together and bowed toward the horizon, showing his gratitude.
He didn't even have to think about it; this power was definitely Lan's doing.
"Isn't this just ridiculous?"
Leon had previously lurked in chat groups, watching lore enthusiasts debate power levels.
It seemed there was a channel for supernatural abilities called Pathstriders, and game characters were also divided by corresponding Paths.
From the looks of it,
he had most likely embarked on the Path of "The Hunt."
Otherwise, it would be hard to explain all the strange things happening to his body.
"Senior, the way you let one fly was seriously cool!"
Leon cupped his hands around his mouth like a megaphone and shouted his heartfelt sentiment toward the disappearing meteor on the horizon.
After watching Lan leave.
"Alright."
He retracted his gaze, shifting it to the living planet above his head, which loomed like a dark cloud.
"Now it's my turn to let one fly, heh heh heh!"
Having made up his mind, Leon silently walked over to a fallen Cloud Knight banner-spear.
He tore off the flag representing the Fanghu, ripping away the excess length.
Then he tied it around his forehead, positioning the half-moon symbol of the faction between his eyebrows, and knotted it tightly at the back of his head.
This way, his allegiance would be clear without a word, saving a lot of effort.
It was obvious. Whether it was Lan's final gesture,
or the act of giving him Its power,
everything pointed to the hope that he would take Its place and fulfill Its duties.
Leon had no problem with that.
This whole bro code thing was basically the abstract manifestation of 'good deeds get rewarded.'
It was only right to have each other's backs.
Not minding if a bottle cap falls in your food, a single call of "bro" is greater than heaven,
Drinking on an empty stomach after being refused a smoke, a guilty brother brings you a whole carton,
Grabbing the smokes and calling out as you leave, only to realize your bro already secretly paid the bill!
In conclusion: What a guy!
Besides...
...those damn Denizens of Abundance saw him as a pushover and tried to kill him outright!
Screw that!
They practically had a knife to his throat.
Leon definitely couldn't let that slide!
Before, he didn't have the power to retaliate, but things were different now!
Leon let out a strange laugh and immediately raised his bow toward the "Ketu-Mirage" in the sky, drawing the string and forming an arrow just like before!
Although he had no idea what this thing was,
the vile aura emanating from it, even stronger than that of the Denizens of Abundance, was proof enough that it was bad news!
To hell with it, just shoot first and ask questions later!
Whoosh!
The arrow, as if shot by the Reignbow Arbiter himself, surged toward the sky again, carrying an aura of death!
As expected, the arrow pierced through the Ketu-Mirage!
Emanator-level energy wreaked havoc inside the massive living planet!
A blinding purple light erupted!
In an instant, churned by an irresistible force, it exploded!
The tremor, which made heaven and earth tremble, echoed throughout the entire Fanghu!
Bits of deactivated flesh scattered like rain, splattering everywhere in a chaotic patter!
Nuclear Arrow God!
Leon once again demonstrated the beauty of high stats!
"Didn't feel like much. Kinda want to try some close-quarters combat."
Leon just clicked his tongue at this incredible feat.
One-shotting something with a bow didn't give a real sense of killing.
When he played class-based games, he usually picked warrior or assassin.
Compared to mages, he preferred pure martial fighters.
The glint of blades was a man's dream!
Just as Leon was wondering if he should sling the longbow over his back and try to create a sword with his internal energy...
...the longbow in his hands suddenly reacted,
glowing with a purple light.
When the light faded,
the longbow, as if sensing his thoughts, disassembled on its own and reformed into two short swords that landed in his palms.
One blue, one purple—the very colors symbolizing the Aeon of The Hunt himself and the shafts he lets fly.
"Ho ho ho, it even has a dual form. How fancy."
Leon weighed the two daggers.
He couldn't help but think that the Senior's style when letting one fly was getting cooler and cooler. Good thing he'd called out to Him!
"Don't worry, Senior! I won't forget your shafts. I'll keep letting fly the ones you haven't!"
Leon gripped the two divine daggers, an indescribable excitement welling up inside him!
His eyes shone as he gazed at the main battlefield in the distance, every cell in his body screaming, "GO GO GO, let's move out!"
...
...
Fanghu Main Battlefield.
The beast-ships of the Borisin had already boarded the Xianzhou, and a countless joint army of the Denizens of Abundance was rampaging through their home!
"Feixiao, your body..."
A battered Qingqiu Guard looked at the young woman in the lead, whose spine was protruding grotesquely, and spoke with concern.
"I'm... fine..."
The one called Feixiao, a tailless Foxian covered in blood, was panting heavily.
Her expression was contorted, as if she were being constantly strangled.
"You don't look fine at all!"
Among the small team of fifty-six, only an older female Foxian was in relatively good shape, with just a few scratches on her face.
The other fifty-five were all wounded to varying degrees.
"That technique you used to break us out of the encirclement... that was the Borisin's 'Moonrage,' wasn't it?"
Lingshang stepped forward.
She was about to forcefully turn the girl, who had her back to them, around to see what "fine" really looked like!
Smack!
But before her hand could land on the girl's shoulder, Feixiao reflexively slapped it away!
"Don't touch me!"
Feixiao yelled, and her turned face tore away the mask of composure she had been wearing.
Her eyes, devoid of light, were scarlet, and dried blood stained her pale face.
Her jaw, her arms, everything.
Feixiao's entire body was covered in strange protrusions and swollen muscles, as if a thousand extra bones had suddenly appeared beneath her skin.
If not for the white, fluffy fox ears on her head, she wouldn't even look like a Foxian anymore, bearing a closer resemblance to the Borisin.
[She's an enemy! Kill her! Kill her!]
Under the personified side effects of Moonrage, the collapse of her sanity was like the whispers of an old god.
Constantly tempting her to cross the final line that separated person from monster, to become a creature that knew only slaughter!
Feixiao gritted her teeth and, before she was completely consumed, smashed a fist into her own thigh!
The pain of several shattering bones allowed her to reclaim a sliver of clarity in her eyes.
"I heard from General Yueyu."
Lingshang looked at the tormented girl, her voice filled with heartache.
"The Foxians and the Borisin share a common ancestry. They simply chose different evolutionary paths. As a result, many Foxians experience atavism."
"'Moonrage' is a life-risking technique unique to the Borisin, but many gifted Foxians can also acquire this skill."
Lingshang tried to keep her voice steady, but a slight sob still escaped when she spoke.
"Feixiao, don't use it anymore. It will kill you."
Lingshang sniffled and stepped forward again.
"Foxians are not Borisin. In terms of physical constitution or healing ability, Moonrage is their gift, but our curse."
Once again, Lingshang placed her hands gently on Feixiao's shoulders, her misty eyes gazing at her.
"For a Foxian who uses Moonrage, there is only one ending."
Lingshang pulled her into an embrace, the guilty tears finally falling.
"After losing your sanity, you become a violent monster of pure slaughter until your life force is extinguished and you die from exhaustion in battle."
"Feixiao, you've already done more than enough."
Crystalline teardrops rolled down from the corners of her eyes as Lingshang whispered softly in her ear.
"I... must... get you all... to safety..."
This was the resolve Feixiao had made when she chose to leave the general behind and flee the "Sky-Peering Mirror" alone. This obsession was what had kept the exhausted girl going until now.
"No, Feixiao. Don't worry about us. Just run."
Lingshang moved her out of her embrace, shook her head, and forced a smile.
"You're at your limit. If you keep trying to clear a path for us, none of us will make it out alive."
Lingshang took a deep breath and said gently, "We are your seniors. It's not right for us to make our junior risk her life."
The Reignbow Arbiter was about to strike, and this farce would soon be over.
Everyone near the Sky-Peering Mirror was doomed, which was why General Yueyu had dismissed them.
If she had been alone while using Moonrage,
the girl would have been back at the military camp long ago.
The reason she wasn't there yet was her insistence on bringing them along, forcing her to not only fight her way forward but also protect them.
She had just been through a major battle at the Sky-Peering Mirror, and now she was taking on the arduous task of escorting them. How could her body possibly hold up?
Thump, thump, thump.
As they spoke, the howls of fierce wolves echoed from the distance. The Borisin, having noticed the lambs waiting for slaughter, were gradually closing in.
"Aren't you the fastest runner?"
Seeing this, Lingshang slowly backed away from the girl.
"Now, run, Feixiao!"
The team, fifty-seven strong including Feixiao, now saw fifty-six of its members silently creating distance, resolved to stay behind and no longer hold the girl back.
"Don't look back! As long as you can outrun the meteor, the general's legacy will live on, and our existence will not be in vain!"
Unlike them, who had trained systematically at the military camp before joining the Qingqiu Guard, Feixiao was a warrior personally trained by General Yueyu.
Anyone with eyes could see she was the next successor for the Yaoqing.
Under the might of the Reignbow Arbiter, there was no chance of survival for General Yueyu. They couldn't let the future root of the Yaoqing be severed here as well!
"No..."
Feixiao's body trembled as she numbly shook her head.
"I absolutely... will... get you all... out... alive..."
She didn't want this ending! She didn't!
Feixiao bit down hard on her lip, moistening the parched skin with fresh blood.
It was one thing that she couldn't save her benefactor! But why couldn't she even save the soldiers the general had entrusted to her?!
She couldn't do anything!
Why! Why?!
Didn't I promise I wouldn't let another "meteor" fall?!
Why!!
Why couldn't I be stronger...
Just a little stronger... if I were just a little stronger... maybe I could have saved everyone...
A deep sense of powerlessness filled her heart. Feixiao dragged her exhausted body forward, preparing for a fight to the death, when—
A sudden male voice rang out!
"Don't be scared, kids! Your god has arrived!"
Flashes of blue and purple light appeared in a combo sequence. Leon initiated with a "Crane Wing Triple Strike," his lone figure charging into the mob of Borisin!
BANG!
Following the sound of the Ketu-Mirage being blown apart by an arrow!
The man with the Fanghu flag tied to his head appeared like the Reignbow Arbiter incarnate.
He wielded two daggers, one blue and one purple, so fast they left afterimages!
In just a few moves, he sliced the wolf-like men blocking the path into chunks of various sizes!
Feixiao once again saw the light arrow of the Sky-Faring God of the Bow.
But this time, the arrow of light had taken human form.
It no longer brought annihilation...
No longer the final resort that killed a thousand enemies at the cost of eight hundred of one's own!
But rebirth through salvation!
______
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