"Rover, watch out!"
Yangyang shouted, swinging the long blade in her hand. Continuous wind blades surged out, striking toward the suddenly appearing Tacet Discord.
Her black hair, mixed with white feathers from mutation, fluttered in the wind, while her blue-and-black swallowtail dress snapped sharply with her agile movements.
But it was obvious that Yangyang and this suddenly appeared enemy were not on the same level.
One could see countless sharp, glinting wind blades rushing forward like a violent storm, yet they were effortlessly shattered by what seemed like an ordinary fist.
In an instant, the wind blades broke into countless fragments and scattered in all directions.
At this moment, the huge humanoid monster standing before Yangyang and the Rover was like an immovable mountain.
Its entire body was tightly wrapped in a snow-white exoskeleton armor, radiating a chilling, terrifying glow, as if it could resist all attacks in the world.
Not only that, behind it hung a long black cape that fluttered loudly in the wind, adding an extra layer of mystery and authority. From afar, the monster looked like a demon god walking out of a dark abyss, sending chills down one's spine.
Like a poorly made imitation of a human knight.
"Have you… seen my 'crown'?"
The monster's skeletal mouth opened and closed, producing a voice similar to a human's.
But the more it imitated humans, the less human it seemed.
"Rover, this Tacet Discord has formed a barrier that separated us from Chixia and Baizhi."
Yangyang stared intently at the monster not far away, which looked as if it were casually strolling. She gripped her blade tightly, not daring to relax for even a moment.
After its initial ambush had been blocked by the Rover, the monster's desire to attack had instead decreased.
"It's like… it's observing us?"
The black-haired girl stood beside Yangyang, her amber-like eyes also fixed warily on the monster.
The two and the monster fell into a strange standoff, but the calm did not last long.
Under their watchful gaze, the Crownless stomped its left foot, and in the next second, suddenly appeared in front of Yangyang.
At this distance, with her motion chain incomplete, Yangyang had no time to raise the fast blade in her main hand. The only thing she could do was lift the sheath she held in reverse grip…
But even with the sheath blocking, her slender body was still sent flying by the Crownless's heavy blow, crashing hard against the edge of the barrier.
"Yangyang!"
There was no time to check on her condition. At this moment, the Rover had only one choice before her.
Fight, and hold back the Crownless.
With that thought, refracted light shone at the tip of her sword.
Sword and fist collided, producing golden sparks.
A violent gust spread outward from the two of them. Outside the battlefield, Yangyang and the others could only see flickering points of light appearing from the center of the storm.
With the Tacet Field blocking everything, no sound could pass through. As for how the two were fighting, they could only imagine it like scenes from martial arts novels.
Yangyang, who had been knocked away, endured the intense pain and struggled to stand. The feeling of watching the battle not far away while being completely powerless made a trace of loneliness flash through her eyes.
'If only Senior were here…'
Although the Crownless was a Tacet Discord, it carried traces of human frequency. It longed for victory, feared defeat, and dreaded death.
As the battle with the Rover dragged on, these emotions constantly reminded and interfered with it, driving it into hysteria.
After dodging a punch from the Crownless, the ground beneath the Rover's feet cracked inch by inch, and she leapt high into the air to evade.
But this played right into the Crownless's hands.
Taking advantage of the moment when the Rover was midair with no leverage, its cape suddenly buzzed and transformed into a pair of pitch-black wings.
A lance appeared in the air, carrying the sound of tearing wind, aimed directly at her slender body.
"This is bad!"
The Rover's heart jolted. She wanted to block it, but being midair left her with no way to exert force. She could only press her lips tightly together and brace for the impact…
"Rider kick!"
At that moment, a crisp shattering sound suddenly rang out, followed by a boy's shout.
A meteor streaked across the sky, precisely striking the lance aimed at the Rover. The lance, struck heavily, veered off course and barely grazed past her body.
After intercepting the lance, the meteor didn't slow down at all. Instead, it surged forward with even greater force toward the still-stunned Crownless.
Though stunned, as a Calamity-class Tacet Discord, its reaction speed was still fast enough. Seeing the meteor close at hand, it immediately raised its fist and collided with it head-on.
At the same time, as the meteor descended, the barrier isolating them shattered completely.
With the barrier gone, Chixia and Baizhi rushed over to Yangyang to check her injuries. After confirming she was fine, they turned their attention back to the battlefield.
"What was that just now?"
"A meteor?"
"No…" Yangyang gently shook her head at their confusion. Her beautiful eyes were fixed on the figure on the battlefield, and her face was filled with uncontrollable joy. "It's Senior… Senior is here…"
"Senior? You mean Zane?!"
Chixia couldn't help but feel surprised. She knew Yangyang called Zane "Senior," but she didn't know much else.
In her eyes, Zane was just a slightly thin but handsome guy. Although his records once mentioned joining the Midnight Rangers, everything afterward seemed to have been deliberately erased.
All she knew was that Zane no longer belonged to the Midnight Rangers and was now a direct officer under Magistrate Jinhsi.
"Senior's situation… is a bit special…"
Thinking of what happened back then, Yangyang's eyes dimmed slightly. Those who experienced that incident were either imprisoned or died in battle.
By now, only a few people, including the Magistrate, knew the full truth.
Even Yangyang herself had only learned about it through idle chatter among Nightbreak soldiers.
Of course, the Rover didn't hear their conversation. With Zane's help, she landed safely on the ground.
As a battle-hardened warrior, her rich experience allowed her to seize this fleeting opportunity.
Taking advantage of the moment the Crownless was distracted, she raised her sword high. In the next second, a streak of light shot toward the distant Crownless.
At the same time, Zane, who was entangled with the Crownless, seemed to sense something. Borrowing the force of its punch, he flipped backward and withdrew from the battlefield.
The Crownless, facing him, suddenly felt its hand go light. Before it could pull its fist back, a sharp pain struck its chest.
Under its disbelieving gaze, a sword had already pierced straight into its chest.
It knew clearly what would come next, a storm of attacks. The situation was obvious, continuing to fight on the ground would only lead to defeat.
Thinking this, the Crownless spread its pitch-black wings. As long as it could take to the sky, it could regain the advantage and launch another attack.
That's right, as long as it could reach that place…
"You... honestly, don't know what's good for you!"
Just as the Crownless spread its wings, a black object was thrown from Zane's hand as he was about to land, shooting like a cannonball and striking its wings.
Its casting was interrupted, and the Crownless was forced back to the ground.
In Zane's hands, the Pangu terminal wasn't just a phone, it could also be used as a hidden weapon.
"Human…"
If its voice module were more complete, the Crownless would probably have cursed loudly.
But unfortunately, just as it spoke with immense frustration, a pale, slender hand, yet strong enough to twist open its skull, was already pressed against its chest.
Carrying irresistible force, the Crownless's hastily formed defense shattered instantly. As it met those beautiful golden eyes, all it saw was a faintly cruel smile in the girl's gaze…
After executing the first small boss she encountered since waking up, the Rover let out a light breath.
What a satisfying one-sided beatdown.
"Right, that person just now…"
The girl turned around, looking for the figure who had saved her and perfectly coordinated with her. But what came into view were only the slightly complicated expressions of Yangyang and the other two, and…
"Ahhh, my foot, my foot…"
A white-haired guy rolling on the ground, clutching his ankle.