Lin Xiyue had already lost count of how many times she had swung her shield.
Sweat had long since soaked her undershirt.
It trickled down her cheeks, dripping onto the scorching Runic Plate Armor, making a faint "sizzle" sound before instantly evaporating.
Every breath brought a searing pain.
Her arms were so sore they felt like they would break.
But she couldn't stop.
Once she stopped, that damned voice would be amplified infinitely in her ears.
"It's useless, you're too weak."
"Sis is always protecting you, but what about you? You can only hide behind her."
"Without her, you are nothing!"
"One day, you will watch her fall with your own eyes because of your incompetence!"
That black phantom, like a bone-clinging maggot, drifted erratically around her.
The shadow did not attack.
It only used the most vicious language, repeating Lin Xiyue's deepest nightmares over and over again.
"I told you to shut up!"
Lin Xiyue let out an exhausted roar, furiously activating her skill.
[ Golden Parry ]!
On the surface of the shield, a golden Runic Magic Circle suddenly lit up.
The light blazed brightly!
She predicted the trajectory of the phantom's next approach.
With all her strength, she swept the shield forward violently!
This was a parry she bet everything on!
However, the phantom seemed to have no physical form.
It passed through the shield once again, floating effortlessly.
It passed through that brilliant golden arc of light.
The black phantom whispered one last sentence into her ear, its voice filled with mockery.
"See, I told you, didn't I? You can't protect anything."
"BOOM!"
The string of reason in Lin Xiyue's mind snapped violently.
The crimson in her eyes completely devoured the last trace of clarity.
Her body trembled violently with rage.
She stowed her shield and drew the longsword at her waist, [ Dawn's Light ].
Abandoning all defense, like a wounded beast, she slashed frantically at the phantom!
The sword light was fierce, but it all fell short.
Her movements grew slower and slower, her technique more chaotic.
The sin of "Wrath" turned into poisonous flames, burning her mind.
At the same time, it was also frantically burning away her life force.
"Are you tired?"
"Did you skip a meal?"
"Is this all the strength you have?"
The phantom's voice remained unhurried, piercing through the dust and smoke to reach Lin Xiyue's ears clearly.
It always knew exactly when to strike, using the most precise words to provoke her most sensitive nerves in the gaps between her attacks.
"Or are you just a coward who has always hidden behind your sister?"
"You can't do anything!"
"I'm not!"
Lin Xiyue let out a roar like a furious beast.
She suddenly gripped [ Dawn's Light ] with both hands and held it high above her head.
Brilliant Holy Light converged on the sword blade, forming a massive blade of light several meters long, radiating a terrifying power.
"Divine Judgment!"
This was one of the strongest single-target damage skills for the Paladin class.
She poured all her fury, all her indignation, and all her humiliation into this single strike.
The massive blade of light descended violently with a shriek that tore through the air!
However, just as the blade of light was about to touch the phantom, its form suddenly flickered and it appeared out of thin air behind Lin Xiyue.
The blade of light struck nothing, just as expected.
It slammed into the ground, plowing a bottomless, massive trench and kicking up a storm of dust.
"Too slow."
The cold voice, like a demon's whisper, sounded in Lin Xiyue's ear.
Lin Xiyue's pupils constricted.
She tried to turn around to defend, but it was already too late.
A hand formed of pure shadow energy silently pressed against the center of her back.
There was no impact, no pain.
Only a power of extreme chill instantly invaded her body.
It froze her Holy Light and paralyzed her nerves.
She froze in place, unable to move.
Only the fire in her eyes continued to burn with indignation.
"See," the phantom's voice held a hint of triumphant pleasure, "utterly helpless."
"No! I've caught you!"
Where was the out-of-control Wrath in Lin Xiyue's eyes from just a moment ago?
A burst of brilliant Holy Light erupted from within her body.
This Holy Light was like a dormant volcano, erupting the moment it was touched.
It flowed back along the hand formed of shadow energy, striking the phantom in a counterattack.
"The moment you could touch me, I could also touch you!"
The phantom panicked.
It tried to disperse the Shadow Hand, but found it couldn't!
-
At the other end of the Illusion, Su Wan's situation inside the Ice Crystal Cage was equally grim.
She had given up struggling.
Not because she didn't want to, but because she couldn't.
Her parents' two pairs of gazes, as solid as physical objects, pressed down on her soul like two invisible mountains.
Every time she tried to channel her Magic Power, it would be instantly shattered by that heavy pressure.
Her Elemental Affinity that she took pride in, her spellcasting techniques she had practiced for years, all seemed so pale and powerless before these two mountains named "The Family" and "Responsibility."
Since childhood, she had lived within the mold of "excellence."
The best home education, the top-tier resources, the strictest demands.
She couldn't have her own hobbies, nor could she have her own thoughts.
Every step of her life was planned out with absolute clarity.
Become the most powerful Elemental Mage, then marry a strong individual of equal social standing to bring even greater glory to the family.
This was her destiny.
She once thought she had broken free. At Tianshu University, by Lin Qingyue's side, she experienced something called "self" for the first time.
She could do the things she liked, say the words she wanted to say, and no longer had to constantly maintain that dignified and elegant mask.
But now, as her parents' figures appeared again and those familiar words echoed once more, she realized with sorrow that the cage had always been there.
It wasn't outside, but within her heart.
"Is this how you repay us?"
Her father's voice held no anger, only a cold, condescending disappointment.
"Everything we have done is for your own good."
Her mother's voice carried a faint, barely perceptible trace of weariness and grief.
Su Wan had heard these words for over a decade.
In the past, she could still stubbornly talk back, venting her dissatisfaction through running away from home and rebellion.
But now, in this Illusion constructed purely from Mental Energy, all her disguises and defiance were stripped away.
She could only face the deepest contradictions and weaknesses of her heart, completely exposed.
Could she truly, completely rid herself of The Family's brand?
Was the path she had chosen... truly the right one?
A flicker of confusion quietly surfaced in her deep blue eyes.
As this confusion appeared, the ice crystals forming the cage seemed to grow thicker and more solid.
"Give up, Wan'er." Her mother's voice seemed to soften, yet it carried an unquestionable authority.
"Come home with us, and forget those thoughts you should never have had."
"The Family is your only true refuge."
The flow of Magic Power came to a complete standstill.
The light in Su Wan's eyes dimmed, bit by bit.
Maybe... they're right?
Maybe I'm just chasing an unrealistic dream?
She lifted her head, gazing blankly at the two figures outside the cage, so familiar yet so strange.
Her lips trembled, as if she were about to utter the word that would signify her surrender.
Just then, a languid voice abruptly echoed deep within her mind.
"Hey, Young Mistress, giving up already? This isn't like you."
It was Lin Qingyue's voice!
Su Wan jolted, her vacant gaze snapping back into focus.
"Don't you hate it most when people try to plan your life for you? What, a few scoldings and you're already chickening out?"
"And besides, aren't you quite envious of my 'flashy' skills?"
"If you give up now, you'll truly lose the chance to learn them later."
An illusion?
No.
The voice was too real.
That infuriatingly smug tone was exactly the same as the real thing.
Images of Lin Qingyue in all sorts of strange disguises, winning battles with all kinds of absurd methods, involuntarily surfaced in Su Wan's mind.
And her usual slacker demeanor, completely at ease as if the world could crumble and she wouldn't care.
A surge of emotion welled up from the depths of her heart.
Yeah...
Why should I give up?
I finally found the path I want to walk. Why should I turn back just because of a few words from them?
Why?!
A faint, rebellious-tinged ice-blue Magic Power flared again at her fingertips.
The parents outside the cage changed expression, their scolding becoming even harsher.
"Su Wan! What are you doing? You're still incorrigible!"
"How dare you!"
But this time, Su Wan did not waver.
That wisp of Magic Power, though weak, was exceptionally firm.
She lifted her head, met her parents' imperious gazes, and the confusion in her eyes was replaced by a cold, decisive sharpness.
"I will walk my own path."
She spoke, enunciating every word.
The moment her voice fell, the ice-blue Magic Power at her fingertips surged violently!
Crack...
A fine crack appeared on the indestructible ice crystal cage.