135. I Want to See... What You Look Like
Kalpas was currently unconscious. She had accidentally entered the "Divine Grace Barrier" created by the "Herrscher of Binding," making the side effects on her body even more pronounced.
While the other MANTIS Warriors could at least survive for a minute within the barrier, she had passed out instead.
If it weren't for the soldier Hua discovering her and pulling her out in time, she would likely have died within the barrier.
"Thank you for saving Kalpas," Ling said gratefully to Hua.
"It's what I should do," Hua shook her head, her gaze fixed on Ling, filled with admiration.
All the MANTIS Warriors knew about this plan, which required a mere thirteen-year-old boy to sacrifice his life for victory in this battle.
The price was small, right?
It could even be said to be smaller than the losses suffered in any previous battle.
But he was only thirteen years old!
Although Ling was very powerful, his age was among the youngest of the warriors in the Fire Moth.
This was something many MANTIS Warriors found unacceptable. Why should a thirteen-year-old child have to endure all this?
This isn't victory, this is humiliation...
They would rather die on this land than watch this boy charge ahead of everyone else.
But as soldiers, they had no choice but to obey orders from above...
"Xiao Ling…" Aponia opened her eyes from the depths of her soul, but before her... stood Elysia.
"Ely, could you please move aside? I need to go find Xiao Ling."
Aponia stood up.
"I'm sorry, Aponia, this is... Ling's choice." Elysia's face was no longer smiling, replaced by an expression of utter seriousness and solemnity.
Two clear tears streamed down Aponia's face.
So... In the end, nothing can be changed?
…
Under the gaze of countless people, Ling slowly walked into the 'Divine Grace Barrier' and sprinted into the distance.
Kevin reached high in the sky, his 'Judgment of Shamash' having transformed into its 'Shuhadaku of Uriel' form, a terrifying amount of Honkai energy accumulating within it.
Ling continued deeper, easily killing the Honkai beasts that appeared along the way, none of them a match for him.
But he knew he couldn't waste too much time on this.
He silently timed his movements, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings, searching for any trace of the 'Herrscher of Binding'.
Suddenly, he felt a numbness in his left leg and nearly fell to the ground.
"So fast..."
Only five minutes had passed, and his left leg was already paralyzed.
"Hopefully, the next target isn't my right leg, or I'll be in big trouble."
Ling's speed slowed slightly, but it didn't significantly affect him.
Fortunately, his usual luck had been on his side.
The second target was his left arm.
This slightly reduced his combat power, making it more difficult to face the Honkai beasts.
The third time, the left side of his body was completely paralyzed; even his left eye was starting to blur, his vision severely impaired.
Time was running out.
"Where...where..."
After Ling defeated another Honkai Beast, he felt numbness in his right leg and collapsed to the ground.
He could no longer stand.
He had searched the entire barrier, but found no trace of the 'Herrscher of Binding'.
Not on the ground, not in the sky...
So it must be...underground!
With all his remaining strength, Ling slammed his remaining right arm into the ground.
Buildings within a radius of tens of kilometers around him began to collapse.
And then, after the ground collapsed, a small protective shield appeared not far from Ling; the 'Herrscher of Binding' was right in front of him!
"Found you!!!"
Ling plummeted like a demon from hell, letting out a few hissing and triumphant roars.
He extended his only still-functioning right arm, retrieved the 'Staff of the Underworld' from his chest, bit down on it, and then crashed heavily to the ground, using the uneven surface to rapidly approach the 'Herrscher of Binding'.
A flicker of panic crossed the 'Herrscher of Binding's' eyes, but her weakened form made escape impossible.
Ling used his right arm to support himself, crawling and inching towards the 'Herrscher of Binding'.
"Please, I have to hold on." Ling felt his right arm gradually losing strength; he was just a hair's breadth away from the distance needed for the Staff of the Underworld to function normally.
But then his right arm went numb, completely losing sensation, and his consciousness began to blur.
Seeing Ling remain motionless on the ground for a long time, the 'Herrscher of Binding' finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"You think you've won... Herrscher?" Ling's voice suddenly rang out, tinged with sarcasm.
Though his speech was somewhat slurred, it reignited a sense of despair within the Herrscher of Binding.
A small, triggered bomb exploded on Ling's side, blasting him right in front of the Herrscher of Binding.
This was Ling's last resort, a contingency plan using his own Stigmata power.
It was to prevent himself from being unable to move and thus unable to approach the Herrscher of Binding.
"Die!" Ling bit down hard on the switch of the Staff of the Underworld.
In an instant, the 'sun' shining in the sky plummeted, accompanied by countless black ice crystals that simultaneously attacked the 'Herrscher of Binding'.
'No... I don't want to...' The 'Herrscher of Binding' suddenly sprang into action, erecting another small protective shield.
But it was utterly useless against Kevin's full-force attack.
Kalpas suddenly awoke and immediately rushed towards the battlefield against the 'Herrscher of Binding'.
She felt something within her was about to disappear...
Ling!
It must be Ling!
For some reason, Kalpas was absolutely certain at this moment that it was Ling who... was going to disappear.
Black ice covered the entire battlefield, and at its center, the scorching heat from the aftermath of 'Shuhadaku of Uriel' could be felt even from tens of kilometers away.
Kalpas bypassed everyone and rushed towards the very center of the battlefield.
"I...survived...?" Ling was puzzled to be alive.
It seemed that the protective shield erected by the Herrscher of Binding's final counterattack had allowed him to survive.
However... he felt the world before him was pitch-black, and his heartbeat was growing slower and slower.
Thinking is so tiring... I want to sleep...
"Ling, you can't die!"
In a daze, Ling seemed to hear Kalpas's roar.
"I won't allow you to die!"
Sorry, Kalpas... I think I have to go first.
"I want to see...what you look like," Ling suddenly said.
Kalpas froze. She removed her mask, revealing a delicate face streaked with tears.
"You must be very handsome...Kalpas," said Ling with a forced smile.
He couldn't see anything at all, but he still felt that Kalpas behind the mask must be incredibly cool.
"Is it raining..." Ling felt the raindrops falling on his face.
How could Kalpas cry? She was so strong, brave, powerful...
"Ah!!!"
Kalpas's roar was filled with endless sorrow.
Once again... she had lost her family.
She couldn't protect anything at all...
...