I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

She softly recited a prayer for the deceased's rebirth, her fingertips trembling slightly.

“…Unforgivable.” Lupa gritted her teeth, a cold rage burning in her eyes. “Once I find the murderer, I will make him pay!”

With a solemn expression, Duanmu Yan walked toward the lone terminal in the center of the wasteland—it was clearly an obvious trap, but they had no choice but to lure out the mastermind behind it all.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the terminal—

A sharp gust of wind came from behind!

Without hesitation, Duanmu Yan spun around and swung his sword. The ear-piercing sound of metal clashing broke the silence, and he forcefully blocked the fatal blow.

"You can't hold back anymore?" Duanmu Yan sneered.

Om-!

A crimson spear pierced the air, its scorching rays tearing through the atmosphere. The afterimage abruptly retreated, narrowly avoiding the fierce attack.

"So it's you?" Lupa's eyes blazed with fighting spirit as she pointed her spear at her opponent. "I'll use your blood to pay tribute to the souls of my compatriots who perished!"

Yuno stared at the gradually clearing figure, his pupils shrinking slightly: "Kelpi? No... there's an even more nauseating aura surrounding you, is it the embodiment of the God-King's power?"

At the same time, with a flick of her fingertips, a long spear, sculpted like a jewel, quietly appeared.

She raised her arm indifferently, locked the gun to her target, and spoke in a cold voice.

"In that case, kill it, and everything will be over, right?"

The moment she finished speaking, she pulled the trigger without hesitation.

boom--!

Gunshots shattered the silence, signaling the start of the battle.

Lupa strikes first!

The crimson spear, imbued with burning fighting spirit, pierced Kelpi's vitals like a storm.

However, Kelpi was agile, and in the instant it dodged to the side, its long tail lashed out, shooting straight at Lupa's back with a whooshing sound—

Keng!

Duanmu Yan spun around and drew his sword, precisely blocking the heavy blow, sparks flying everywhere.

"Thanks, partner!" Lupa laughed loudly, raising his gun again.

Duanmu Yan turned his sword and formed a pincer attack with Lupa.

Lupa's spear shot out like a red snake from its hole, piercing straight into Kelpi's chest, forcing it to raise its claws to block.

In that instant, Duanmu Yan lunged forward, his sword strike as swift as the wind.

Kelpi roared and swung its long tail, but Lupa blocked it with his gun barrel as he returned to defend.

"Leave the left side to me!" Lupa shouted, flashing his gun to block the left side.

Duanmu Yan understood immediately, and his sword strikes suddenly became fierce, focusing on the right side.

The two advanced and retreated, their spears and swords flashing in a tangled web.

As Kelpi's claws swung toward Lupa's shoulder and neck, Duanmu Yan's sword was already there, precisely deflecting its attack, while Lupa's spear tip always appeared at the right moment in the position where Duanmu Yan needed to cover.

This seamless teamwork left Kelpi struggling to keep up. It roared angrily, but could not break through the two's flawless combined attack.

boom! boom! boom!

Three shots rang out in succession, and the crystal bullet tore through the air, accurately piercing Kelpi's unsuspecting back.

The intense pain caused it to let out a shrill howl, and it suddenly started the entanglement between Mu Yan and Lupa, turning into a blood-red afterimage that rushed straight towards Koleta!

Faced with this attack filled with overwhelming killing intent, the silver-haired girl remained unmoved, and even the corners of her lips curled up into a faint smile.

Om-!

A blazing white arrow of light pierced the sky, sharper than lightning and more decisive than judgment.

The arrow pierced Kelpi's chest, sending it flying backward and pinning it to a giant rock behind it!

Yuno stared coldly at Kelpi, who was nailed to the rock wall, and drew the bowstring taut once more: "Whatever you are plotting... slaughtering the people of the Seven Hills and killing innocent lives—for that alone, I will never forgive you!"

The arrowhead gleamed with a cold light, poised to strike.

At that very moment, Kelpi suddenly raised his head and let out a tearing roar!

The previously dormant black tide suddenly boiled and surged wildly like an awakened behemoth.

The dense, murky darkness rapidly coalesced, transforming into a colossal wave that crashed down with a deafening roar—

"Retreat quickly—!"

Duanmu Yan's pupils contracted sharply, but before the warning could be fully uttered, the surging black tide had already swallowed up all light and sound.

PS: One more chapter to come.

Volume 1: Chapter 109 You think you can kill me!? [Chapter 3]

Open your eyes.

What came into view was a completely unfamiliar area.

An endless darkness enveloped everything, with not a glimmer of light in sight.

The ground beneath my feet seemed illusory, making it difficult to distinguish whether it was solid ground or nothingness itself.

"where is this place?"

Duanmu Yan looked around, trying to find any familiar traces in this chaos.

However, there is nothing but nothingness that devours everything.

"Second Miss! Lupa! Yuno! Where are you!?"

He shouted, but his voice seemed to be swallowed by the darkness, and there was no echo.

Could it be here...? Yin Ming I (IV) Qi Si Wu^ Liu...

Is it hell?

"This place is much more interesting than hell."

An unfamiliar male voice suddenly echoed in the space. The voice carried a certain elusive rhythm, a tone that Duanmu Yan had never heard of before.

"who are you?"

“Who I am is not important. What is important is—who are you?” The voice was filled with pure joy, as if watching a meticulously choreographed drama.

Duanmu Yan frowned.

He detested riddle tellers who deliberately obfuscate things.

Talking to these kinds of people is like playing a puzzle game without hints; you'll never get a clear response or any positive feedback.

"A wandering traveler? An amnesiac visitor? Or... simply Duanmu Yan?"

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” he demanded in a deep voice. “But how do you know my name?”

"Yes, why? I'm searching for the answer too." The voice still avoided answering, but carried a hint of amusement. "But more than that, why did you step into this dangerous place? You know perfectly well what the Black Tide means. Look at these lives lost—their fate had nothing to do with you. If you hadn't accepted the governor's request, you might be somewhere enjoying a more peaceful time right now."

The surrounding chaos began to twist and spin as the voice spoke, eventually coalescing into a vivid image—the brutal slaughter of gladiators, every detail so clear it was breathtaking.

"And now, because of your 'selfish desires,' your companions... are enduring torment far beyond your imagination."

The surrounding chaos twisted and shifted once more, and the shattered light and shadow gradually coalesced into a cruel scene.

Koleta lay on the ground, her two pistols scattered beside her, her body motionless.

Lupa was pierced through the chest by the vicious tail spike, but she still stubbornly supported her body with her spear and stood up.

And Yuno...

They transformed into specks of firefly light, dissipating into the void.

Duanmu Yan's pupils suddenly contracted, his heart felt as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, and even his breath stopped for a moment.

"These images... could it be...?"

"Look. You shouldn't have come, and this shouldn't be their end."

"Their deaths were all caused by you. If you hadn't agreed, if you hadn't come here, how could they have fallen into such despair?"

The voice, like the whisper of a demon, echoed in the darkness.

"You can't save anyone, you can't change anything... All you bring is destruction."

"If not, why would you have been so resolute in cutting ties with the past?"

“Hate yourself. Hate your incompetence, hate your arrogance, it is this conceit that pushed them to their deaths.”

"—Whether in the past or in the future."

"The only one who has ever made it to the end alone is you."

Duanmu Yan: "..."

"You don't like this ending, do you? Yes, who would like it? Watching your comrades die one by one in front of you because of your incompetence."

"Then what about your atonement? You killed your friends and robbed them of their future."

"But here you are, perfectly fine. Don't you think... isn't that incredibly unfair?"

Duanmu Yan slowly lowered his head, his gaze falling blankly on the long sword in his hand.

"Right, that is it."

“Lift it up, and then—”

"Shut up!"

A sharp shout cut off the seductive whispers.

"I don't understand what you're saying. What past, what future... I don't understand."

Duanmu Yan lowered his head and gripped the hilt of his sword tightly.

"All I know is that what I need to protect and cherish is the present moment!"

"Perhaps their deaths are related to me."

"I also hate my own incompetence. But before I face my own end—!"

Duanmu Yan suddenly looked up, his eyes gleaming with golden light like molten lava, and his words were filled with a chilling intent.

He stared into the chaos, into the end of the darkness.

"I will annihilate all the Ming Shiki!"

In the void, a fleeting afterimage suddenly attacked!

Kelpi's claws, accompanied by a stench, aimed straight for his heart—

But at the last moment, it was firmly blocked by the sudden burst of golden light.

Duanmu Yan blocked with one arm, the golden light flowing in his palm like an invisible barrier, no matter how the sharp claws hissed and approached, they could not advance even an inch further.

His claw tip was only a hair's breadth away from his heart!

Time stood still.

—Until the storm comes again!

"Do you think you can—"

"Kill me!?"

He suddenly clenched his right fist, which, wrapped in a blazing golden light, slammed towards Kelpi's face like a heavy cannon!

Kelpi's body flew backward like a kite with a broken string.

But Duanmu Yan's offensive had only just begun—he moved with lightning speed, caught up with the opponent, pressed down on the opponent's head in mid-air, and slammed it down into the void!

The fists fell like meteors, one punch! And another!

With each powerful strike, golden light burst forth, tearing the darkness to shreds.

The final punch, carrying the force of a collapsing mountain, shattered the entire chaotic space!

Kelpi collapsed between the void rifts, its remaining power attempting to rouse the black tide to counterattack—but Duanmu Yan would not give it any more chances.

"Abu, devour it!"