Decisive Battle Against the Gui She

Once a contamination wave erupted, no shelter could survive.

Even S-rank Sentinels could only protect themselves and retreat.

If he were alone, he could charge into the battlefield to help Zone Z overcome this catastrophe.

But this time, he had brought a Guide with him.

And she was the perfect Guide, the most compatible one for him!

The only one in a lifetime!

Shen Hanqiu lowered his voice, speaking gently to the person in his arms: "It's too dangerous here, let me take you back..."

"Take me there."

Dai Qiao pointed directly at the SS-rank Gui She fighting Hua Yuan.

That Gui She was approximately 50 meters long, its head raised as high as a six-story building.

The lumps on its back continuously oozed poison, and its mouth was filled with sharp, bloody fangs.

But Dai Qiao only stared at Hua Yuan, who was struggling to stand. Her gaze was icy. "The Sentinel ahead needs a spiritual cleansing. He is about to lose his life."

...

Reflected in the snake's eyes was the image of the Sentinel being knocked down again. Its pupils constricted, flashing with a cold light.

Hua Yuan stood up once more, his chest aching sharply. He spat out two more mouthfuls of blood, raised his head with a cold, fearless gaze, and lifted his twin blades. "I will never let you enter Zone Z!"

Countless crystal butterflies lunged forward, clinging to the Gui She’s body. Before long, they were blackened by contamination and vanished one by one.

More crystal butterflies appeared, each one prying at the hard scales of the Gui She before also vanishing.

Finally, they found the inverted scale located over the fatal weakness—the Gui She’s heart.

Hua Yuan coated his twin blades with spiritual power and, without hesitation, used all his remaining strength to attack that scale!

"Hiss!!!"

But an SS-rank Gui She was no ordinary foe. It spat venom and shifted its body, easily knocking away the heavily injured Hua Yuan!

The twin blades were once again knocked from his hands, and two more ribs snapped!

Is it... still not enough?

Right at that moment!

A girl lunged forward to catch the twin blades falling from his hands. The blades flashed with a holy white light as they struck forcefully at that hard protective scale!

In Hua Yuan’s eyes, amidst the smoke and fire of the battlefield, a slender figure holding his twin blades tore open the protective scale of the SS-rank Gui She!

Enraged, the Gui She lashed its tail, striking Dai Qiao’s abdomen and sending her flying!

Hua Yuan staggered forward to catch her, the force of the impact sending them both rolling across the ground. He carefully cradled her head to keep her from being injured.

The Gui She prepared to attack again but was blocked by the Qilin. Shen Hanqiu drew his bow, his eyes filled with murderous intent. "Your opponent is me."

Shen Hanqiu faced the SS-rank Gui She without yielding an inch.

He even seemed to have the upper hand.

Dai Qiao clutched her aching stomach and reached out to pull Hua Yuan up. "Can you still fight?"

Blood had soaked Hua Yuan’s black combat suit; the blood of the contaminated creatures and his own mingled together, dripping down his trouser legs.

Hua Yuan wiped the blood from his forehead, his voice hoarse as if clogged with blood. "I can."

The hand of the Sentinel and the hand of the Guide gripped each other tightly. The light-brain on Hua Yuan’s wrist lit up, displaying his current mania index: 89%.

With just 1% more, he would completely lose his mind and descend into madness.

From the hand he was holding, Hua Yuan felt a cool, refreshing spiritual fragrance. After being cleansed, his very soul felt lighter.

He was stunned. "...You are a Guide?"

Dai Qiao lightly formed a seal with one hand and patted his shoulder with the other. "I'll give you a simple spiritual soothing first."

Dai Qiao’s light tap transmitted a strange, pleasant sensation that caused the mania index on his light-brain to drop sharply, from 89% down to 79%.

In just a few short seconds, it had dropped by a full 10%!

Hua Yuan’s gaze darkened, and he instinctively tightened his grip on Dai Qiao’s hand. "You..."

Suddenly, his eyes turned sharp. He pulled Dai Qiao behind him and swung his blade, slaying two contaminated creatures that were lunging at them!

His hand remained tightly clasped around hers.

As contaminated creatures gradually surrounded them, Dai Qiao was the first to let go.

She only loosened her fingers, yet Hua Yuan, like a startled bird, immediately jerked his hand away.

The area behind his ears quietly turned red.

Dai Qiao drew her soft sword and stood back-to-back with Hua Yuan. "You issued so many gold-rank missions; surely you have a way to deal with this contamination wave?"