This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 243 Combat
Before the words were even finished, the black tornado in the canyon, like an enraged beast, let out a piercing scream that tore through the sky.

A fierce wind, carrying countless wind blades and rubble, suddenly expanded outwards! The once clear canyon boundaries instantly blurred, and dense darkness surged out like a tide, engulfing the area where everyone was—the Dark Zone had descended!
Russell cursed, not daring to be careless. His body changed drastically as he ran, his muscles swelled, his fur grew wildly, and he instantly transformed into a giant silver wolf even larger than Jin Huang!
He let out a low growl and charged into the spreading black wind with Jin Huang, their target the twisted and deformed wreckage of the RV.

Amidst the wreckage, Zhao Deming and his family, through a last resort and a strange stroke of luck, actually managed to survive.

Holding a star map, Zhao Deming muttered incantations. As the starlight dissipated, starlight also shone in his eyes, and he seemed to gain strength as he struggled to climb out of the deformed car door.

Zhuang Zhen was trying to activate another life-saving item and was following Zhao Deming. However, when he saw the giant wolf and tiger rushing towards him, Zhao Deming narrowed his eyes and suddenly pushed Zhuang Zhen next to him towards Russell!
"Stop them!" he roared, rushing toward the edge of the dark zone, trying to escape by taking advantage of the chaos caused by the BOSS.

But he underestimated one person.

Zhao Qian.

The moment Zhuang Zhen was pushed away, Zhao Qian caught her. She pushed her mother to safety, her face showing no fear but instead a strange, seductive smile. A soft pink light appeared in her hand, which she then pressed down on Zhao Deming's back!
"Dad, aren't you taking us with you?" Her voice carried a hint of amusement.

Charm-type skill - [Bewitching Soul].

Its effect is not a direct attack, but rather a forced distortion of the target's momentary will, causing their behavior to go out of control!

Zhao Deming froze, his initial resistance turning into an open embrace. He involuntarily opened his hands, and the star map slipped from his grasp. The alluring power caused him to stumble, his direction veering, and he plummeted straight towards the most violent area of ​​the black tornado!
"No—!" He only had time to let out a short scream before his figure was swallowed up by countless wind blades and instantly turned into a cloud of blood mist.

Without even glancing at her father's fate, Zhao Qian grabbed the stunned Zhuang Zhen and tried to run out of the dark area.

But even if she acted quickly, it was already too late.

Russell, in the form of a giant silver wolf, burst out from the black wind, his sharp claws slamming down with a fierce howl. Zhuang Zhen didn't even have time to scream before he was reduced to a pile of minced meat.

Zhao Qian's eyes were bloodshot, and she screamed in rage!

[Mental shock]!

The giant wolf froze, its movements interrupted. Zhao Qian rushed out, her eyes gleaming pink, attempting to unleash another life-saving skill—

"Crack!"

Its gaping maw snapped shut, and Jinhuang's sharp teeth easily severed her neck.

As time went on, the visitors from Earth became more and more accustomed to this supernatural battle, and at the same time, people naturally began to pursue cost reduction and efficiency improvement in the battle.

No matter how much health you have, it's useless if your head is cut off or your heart explodes.

Among truly capable people, life and death are only a matter of a moment.

The giant wolf landed and reverted to its human form. Russell bent down and swiftly severed its two heads. Vines grew from the ground and hastily wrapped around them.

Behind them, Zhao Deming's head, with its eyes wide open and still filled with horror and resentment, was lifted up by an invisible force and flew towards Nie Weiyang in the center of the dark zone.

Just seconds later, the head was thrown back and landed in Russell's arms.

At the same time, a shield flew out, enveloped in a soft light, protecting Russell from an attack. Nie Weiyang rushed out from behind the light, grabbed Russell and Jin Huang, and threw them forcefully out of the dark zone!

"Go back!" Nie Weiyang's voice pierced through the storm and clearly reached his ears. "Listen to Pingdu's arrangements!"

Russell managed to adjust his posture in mid-air and landed, staggering a few steps before regaining his balance.

He looked back and saw that the area was shrouded in pure darkness and a roaring hurricane, making it impossible to see anything inside. He could only vaguely make out a huge black serpentine silhouette slithering in the gale, and opposite it, a stubborn white light was flickering—it was Nie Weiyang!

Russell gritted his teeth. He knew that staying wouldn't be of any help; natural summoners needed to set up battlefields in high-level battles, and that level of combat was beyond his capabilities.

He bent down to pick up the blood-dripping head, called out to Jin Huang, and turned to retreat in the direction he had come from.

But just a few miles after he rode his Golden Emperor, a squad of well-equipped soldiers dressed in desert camouflage suddenly appeared from behind a rock and blocked his way.

The captain in the lead had a high nose and deep-set eyes, and a face full of smiles.

“Hey friend, wait a minute.” The captain’s tone was polite and friendly, but his eyes were sharp, his hand on the weapon at his waist. “We are the 1007th Patrol Team of the Northwest Border Defense Army. We saw what just happened.” Russell stopped, instinctively looking at the other man warily, then realizing he was one of their own. Jin Huang let out a low, threatening growl, and Russell slapped Jin Huang on the head. The latter whimpered twice and dropped his threatening tone.

The captain didn't care about these details. After verifying his identity with Russell, he took out a sealed metal tube from his pocket and handed it to Russell: "Please do me a favor and deliver this letter to Pingdu. It's a matter of great importance, so please deliver it as soon as possible."

Russell frowned. He didn't take the letter immediately, but instead asked, "Have you been here the whole time?"

“The border has to be watched.” The captain didn’t answer directly, but simply handed the metal tube forward again. “The contents of the letter are encrypted; you don’t need to know. We trust Mr. Nie, we trust his companions, and we ask that you trust us as well.”

Amidst the flying sand and stones, Russell stared at the captain for a few seconds, then glanced at the hellish storm zone in the distance.

He finally nodded, took the metal tube, and stuffed it into his backpack.

“I will bring it.”

After saying that, he didn't linger and quickly disappeared behind the undulating sand dunes on his golden steed.

The captain looked in the direction Russell had gone, then turned to look at the still-roaring dark storm, his brow furrowed.

"Report to command: The 'Black Wind Pass' dark zone has expanded abnormally, and Mr. Nie Weiyang is suspected to be trapped inside, currently engaged in battle with the 'Black Wind Overlord'."

"Also, the intelligence has been sent to Heidu by someone. Recipient's name: Russell. Gender: Male..."

A fierce wind howled, and darkness filled the sky.

The strong wind tore through the world of sand and gravel, turning the sky and earth into a mixture of yellow and black.

……

At the same time, Zhongzhou.

The ice spikes that Han Jiangxue flung pierced through the earthen wall and exploded on the other side. The ice flow transformed into countless sharp ice blades, instantly wiping out the cultists in the room, leaving only blooming ice flowers and solidified blood on the ground.

Outside the room, several cultists were thrown out, and the light in the air was dissipating. Yi Jian gracefully flipped and landed from the air, the guns formed from light in his hands disappearing silently.

He casually tossed his hair, exhaled, but suddenly realized that Han Jiangxue didn't follow immediately or send any information alerts as usual.

Yi Jian's heart tightened, and he immediately followed the trail.

He found Han Jiangxue in front of the huge ice flower in the room.

She stood motionless with her back to him, her long, snow-white hair tied behind her head and hanging quietly. Yi Jian walked to his side and followed her gaze. He saw that in the center of the ice flower, a sharp ice spike pierced through a girl's chest, pinning her firmly to the wall.

The girl looked young, and her face still held a hint of shock and... relief?
Her eyes were fixed ahead, and her pupils seemed to reflect the afterglow of some kind of starry sky.

Han Jiangxue didn't turn around; she stared blankly into those eyes.

"...Yun Shu?"

Holy crap.

Yi Jian suddenly turned his head and stared intently into Han Jiangxue's eyes.

"Someone you know?" he asked slowly.

Han Jiangxue opened her mouth, but her usually cold and scrutinizing face had completely lost its color, leaving only an icy silence. She stared blankly for a moment, then slowly raised her hand and touched the girl's face.

Tears streamed down her face, as if the girl were burning hot, melting a statue made of ice.

“Yes,” she said. “I…my friend.”

(End of this chapter)