Douluo Unrivaled: The Beginning Materializes the Black Abyss and White Flowers

Chapter 306 The Death of Dai Huabin

Above the deep pit, the smoke, like gauze, slowly dissipated, revealing a sky torn apart by sword energy.

An unusual light faintly emanated from the cracks, as if another world lay beyond the sky.

The distant sounds of fighting and the roar of clashing soul skills could be faintly heard like the tide, but they only made the bottom of the pit seem even more deathly silent, like a tomb.

Huo Yuhao knelt on one knee, half of his body already a skeleton.

He could clearly feel his soul power rapidly draining away like the receding tide, and every inch of his bones was groaning in despair.

Yet a smile tugged at the corner of his bloodied mouth, broken yet bright—at least, they were still alive.

Beibei leaned against the icy, bone-chilling pit wall, with the unconscious Tang Ya in her arms and the barely breathing Yae Sakura beside her.

Looking at everything before him, he was overwhelmed with mixed feelings, bitterness and heaviness almost drowning him.

Their gazes finally settled on the departed spirit, filled with silent respect and mourning.

"Master, I'm sorry, this is the end for me."

Siegfried's voice remained steady, but it couldn't hide the deep-seated weariness within him.

His imposing figure had become transparent, his silver armor was dull and lifeless, and the demonic sword Balmonk lay diagonally in the ground, its light as faint as a candle flickering in the wind.

He looked at Dai Huabin, a faint hint of apology flashing in his eyes, as if he were regretting something.

Then, his entire being transformed into countless tiny black particles, like ashes stirred up by an invisible wind, scattering and finally dissipating completely into the cold air—this legendary dragon-slaying hero, in the end, burned out his last light and heat on this foreign battlefield, ushering in a silent final act.

Xu Sanshi stood frozen in place, his expression indescribably complex.

He knew perfectly well that if Siegfried hadn't unleashed a power beyond his limits at the last moment to come to their aid at the cost of his life, he and Dai Huabin would have long since turned to dust.

Witnessing the departure of this noble follower, an indescribable sense of loss and sorrow welled up from the bottom of my heart.

It is a pity for the hero's end, regardless of faction or stance, but for that resolute determination to do what is impossible and to die without regret.

Dai Huabin stared blankly down at the scarlet command seal on the back of his hand.

It was fading and disappearing at a visible speed, like bloodstains being washed away with water. In just a moment, it was completely gone, leaving the skin smooth as if there had never been any mark at all.

Only when the last thread of connection was severed did he suddenly awaken from his daze—Siegfried was truly gone, along with the connection brought about by the contract, completely departing from this cruel Holy Grail War.

A tremendous sense of emptiness instantly gripped him.

In that instant when his mind faltered—

A sudden change occurred!

A chilling, blood-red ice spike shot out from the scorched earth without warning, heading straight for Dai Huabin.

It carried a chilling aura that could freeze the soul, and its speed was beyond the reach of sight, piercing straight into Dai Huabin's heart!
"Tsk-!"

The dull thud of a sharp blade tearing through flesh was particularly jarring.

Dai Huabin felt a chill in his chest, followed by a sharp pain. His vision was suddenly blocked by a slender yet resolute black shadow.

The warm, rusty liquid splashed onto his face and neck, freezing his blood instantly.

"Huo Yuhao! How dare you!"

Xu Sanshi's roar erupted almost simultaneously, filled with unbelievable shock and anger.

He never expected that Huo Yuhao would launch such a deadly sneak attack without hesitation at this moment when both sides were exhausted! And the method was so ruthless.

In the distance, Huo Yuhao maintained his raised hand posture, and wisps of extremely cold energy lingered around the fingertips of his half-skeletal arm, as if they were alive.

His icy gaze pierced through the swirling dust, landing on the bottom of the pit. The ferocious smile on his lips widened, his eyes churning with hatred suppressed for over a decade and the exhilaration of finally being released.

All the forbearance and all the pain seemed to find an outlet in this one blow.

"Hua...Bin...run...faster..."

Zhu Lu's voice was intermittent, barely audible, like a sigh about to dissipate.

Her slender body stood firmly in front of Dai Huabin, the hideous blood-red ice spike piercing through her back, the sharp icicle protruding from her chest, stained with a shocking red.

Scalding blood quickly soaked through her black clothes, dripping down the edge of the ice spikes and spreading into withered blood flowers on the cold frozen ground.

She struggled to lift her eyes, her gaze towards Dai Huabin filled with endless reluctance and tenderness. However, the light in her eyes dimmed rapidly like a flickering candle in the wind, eventually extinguishing completely and returning to silence.

“Zhu Lu…no…Zhu Lu!” Dai Huabin subconsciously reached out and caught her limp, rapidly cooling body.

The immense panic and despair pierced his mind like ice picks, leaving him completely blank.

Hot tears welled up unexpectedly, mingling with the blood on his face, and streamed down, making him look disheveled and miserable.

"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry...Lulu..."

He futilely held his lifeless fiancée in his arms, murmuring broken apologies over and over again, his voice hoarse and weak, almost inaudible.

The ice spike that had pierced Zhu Lu still had momentum and eventually pierced his heart without mercy.

Intense pain struck, and life force rapidly ebbed away.

Darkness surged into view like a tide.

In the instant before his consciousness sank completely into the boundless darkness, he used his last bit of strength to hold Zhu Lu even tighter in his arms.

Their bodies were pressed tightly together, their blood mingling, as if in this desperate posture, in the realm of death, they were trying to make up for all the estrangement, misunderstandings, and missed opportunities they had in life.

Xu Sanshi stood there, his whole body trembling violently.

He had never respected Dai Huabin, and could even say he loathed him—this arrogant and twisted junior had ruthlessly hired assassins to kill Huo Yuhao and had repeatedly caused trouble for them, his seniors, and his behavior was despicable.

But at this moment, watching helplessly as the young man and woman embraced and died in such a tragic way, and seeing the brief chance of life that Siegfried had gained through his own sacrifice vanish in an instant, an indescribable, intense anger suddenly overwhelmed his reason.

Even if he disliked or despised them, they were still his juniors, people he knew. The deaths of Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu thoroughly enraged Xu Sanshi.

That noble servant chose to die bravely to protect them, but what he gained by giving his all and burning his light was the cruel reality that his master was brutally murdered in the blink of an eye.

How ironic! And how tragic!
More importantly, no matter how many mistakes Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu made in their lives, they were still inner disciples of Shrek Academy and students who had received instruction from the elders of the Sea God Pavilion.

How could he explain this to the academy? How could he explain this to Elder Xuan, Dean Yan, and the teachers who might still be hoping for their safe return?
The heavy sense of guilt and the overwhelming anger intertwined, almost bursting Xu Sanshi's chest.

He suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the figure in the distance, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, his knuckles turning as white as bone from the extreme force.

The pit was filled with the stench of blood, and deathly silence descended once more, but it was heavier and more suffocating than before.

Beibei sat motionless at the bottom of the cold pit, holding the unconscious Tang Ya tightly in her arms.

His gaze, unfocused, fell on a spot not far away—Dai Huabin and Zhu Lu's bodies, embracing each other, were already cold, and the blood beneath them had congealed into dark scabs, creating a cruel and silent scene.

Huo Yuhao... killed an inner disciple of Shrek Academy.

This realization weighed heavily on his heart like a lead weight, almost suffocating him.

Regardless of the reason or the amount of personal grudges, Huo Yuhao's killing of a Shrek Academy inner court disciple was considered an unforgivable crime by the Shrek Academy.

The academy could not possibly remain indifferent. The majesty of the Sea God Pavilion cannot be challenged; otherwise, how could it awe the world and appease the hearts of countless students?
From then on, there was only one path between Shrek Academy and Huo Yuhao: a bloody battle to the death, with no room for maneuver.

And what about Beibei himself? This "traitor" who failed to prevent the tragedy at the crucial moment and even had an ambiguous stance because of protecting Tang Ya, Shrek... can he still go back?

That Poseidon Lake, which witnessed his countless moments of growth and glory, that solemn Battle Arena, those teachers who gave him earnest instruction... perhaps all of that is no longer relevant to him.

The immense pain and confusion almost tore him apart, yet his arms around Tang Ya did not loosen in the slightest; instead, they tightened even more.

This was the choice he made, a choice with a heavy price, one from which there was no turning back.

"Huo Yuhao!"

Just as this deathly silence and despair permeated the air, a phoenix cry, like a thunderclap from the heavens, tore through the sky, carrying with it boundless rage as it approached from afar.

A blazing fire meteor hurtled rapidly towards the horizon. Ma Xiaotao was engulfed in golden-red phoenix fire, her magnificent fiery wings unfurling and leaving long trails of blazing flames, like an angry phoenix descending upon the world.

Extreme heat instantly engulfed the entire pit, the air was scorched and distorted, and the charred soil on the ground even began to melt, emitting a piercing "sizzling" sound, as if one were in the heart of a furnace.

Her goal was crystal clear—to take down Huo Yuhao! That burning rage was enough to vaporize steel.

"That won't do. We can't let you hurt our Holy Son."

A clear, yet slightly sinister and languid female voice rang out leisurely.

The next moment, the space seemed to ripple slightly, and the figure of Scarlet Douluo Feiyan appeared out of thin air in front of Huo Yuhao, blocking Ma Xiaotao's unstoppable attack perfectly.

The magnificent parasol in her hand opened gracefully with a "whoosh," its surface shimmering with an eerie and profound dark red halo, as if it had swallowed countless drops of blood.

His soul power surged and a thick, condensed soul power shield, glowing with an ominous blood-red light, instantly unfolded, firmly protecting Huo Yuhao, whose soul power was nearly exhausted and whose half of his body was skeletal.

(End of this chapter)