"Aketu, block this Flaming Sun Flying Armor! Yin Yi, go stop them!"
The Flaming Sun Flying Armor ahead was already fighting like a cornered beast. Even if it escaped, its Beast Master was severely injured and no longer a threat. What worried Han Ning more was the other Insect Master who was fleeing.
"Yes, my master."
Although he was missing an arm and had a visible wound on his abdomen, as Han Ning’s "Insect Servant," Aketu agreed to the command with almost no hesitation.
However... it was as if the Flaming Sun Flying Armor could guess their thoughts. From within its massive body came the frenzied roar of the Red Centipede Race’s Insect Master:
"None of you will get away!"
The voice was shrill and piercing, nearly distorted, as if only a final shred of sanity remained.
The Flaming Sun Flying Armor brandished its surging purple flames, transforming them into a sky full of thick, long Flame Ropes that resembled vines. Densely packed, they shot out simultaneously toward Yin Yi, the insect swarm commanded by Aketu, and the other Cyan Moth Insect Master’s Extraordinary Level Soul Beast.
It showed no regard for its own life, burning away its Life Force with all its might, like a candle flaring violently before it dies.
The blazing purple light was dazzlingly brilliant. It was as if a purple sun had appeared in the sky, radiating endless light and heat upon the earth, dispelling the white mist and illuminating the ground below as bright as day.
"You’re not the only one who can pull out all the stops."
Faced with the enemy’s suicidal obstruction, Han Ning’s expression grew colder. He stared coldly at the dazzling fireball and quickly closed his eyes.
From the lore of the Yinsaike Race, it was known that Insect Masters without a Spiritual Power Talent could also augment their own Contracted Soul Beasts.
However, this type of augmentation was different from Spiritual Surge, which was a relatively safe method of enhancement.
An Insect Master’s augmentation was based entirely on consuming their own Life Force.
They had to use their life to ignite their Spiritual Power, an act of spiritual combustion. Each ignition would invariably shorten their lifespan, whereas the Spiritual Surge Talent had no such side effects.
Therefore, every time an Insect Master burned their Spiritual Power, they would be left severely weakened and half-dead. Some, like the Insect Master before him and the Taman Insect Master, even had their bodies completely disappear—this meant they had thoroughly burned their own lives and all of their spirit, sacrificing everything to augment their Contracted Soul Beast.
Obviously, this act required immense courage. The Insect Master hadn’t burned everything even when his strongest War General Level Soul Beast died. But this time, he seemed to have understood the situation and finally decided to take this step.
Han Ning closed his eyes, gathering what little Spiritual Power he had left.
’Spiritual Surge, activate!’
He recited the command in his mind, and his brain issued the instruction. His innate Talent activated, and his Spiritual Power began to burn violently.
WHOOSH~
Wood and Ice Type Spiritual Energy, matching Yin Yi’s Attributes, rapidly gathered from all directions, converging on Yin Yi’s body and quickly replenishing its depleted Spiritual Energy.
"Ling~"
The light in Yin Yi’s eyes flared violently. The Sword Stabs in its hands abruptly grew several meters longer, and its entire body erupted with a brilliant cyan light. It unleashed a wild barrage toward the purple fireball that was the Flaming Sun Flying Armor, like the lashing vines of a wood dragon.
Hundreds of black-purple vines, accompanied by the powerful sound of sonic booms, struck the surface of the fireball one after another like cannonballs.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
And at the center of the vines, Yin Yi ceaselessly slashed with its twin swords. One stream of Cyan Wood Radiance after another shot out, striking the fireball and creating deafening explosions.
This Flaming Sun Flying Armor’s Level was not as high as Yin Yi’s to begin with.
Despite the disadvantage in Attributes, Yin Yi still shattered it into a shower of sparks in just one or two seconds.
After defeating the beast blocking its path, Yin Yi didn’t even spare it a glance, transforming into a shooting star and flying swiftly in the direction of the fleeing Insect Master.
"Ugh..."
Just then, Han Ning felt his Spiritual Power completely deplete. His Spiritual World vanished in an instant, and his brain felt as if it were being viciously churned by an electric drill. The intense pain made him let out an involuntary grunt.
Suddenly, a pair of warm hands rested on his shoulders.
Han Ning’s consciousness was hazy, and he could no longer tell if this was a hallucination or really happening.
Immediately after, a cool stream emerged from those palms, flowing quickly over his shoulders, up his neck, and into his brain.
This strange energy was actually pure Spiritual Power. Although its quality was low, its strength lay in its purity, unadulterated by any emotion.
Like a trickling stream, the Spiritual Power slowly flowed into his brain, slightly alleviating his headache and allowing his Spiritual Surge to continue.
In the distance, boosted by Spiritual Surge, Yin Yi’s speed increased by a whole level, and it easily caught up to the other Red Centipede Race Insect Master.
"Damn it!"
Seeing this, the other man knew he couldn’t escape. He began to follow his brother’s example, and a faint flame ignited around his body.
But Han Ning, having learned his lesson, wouldn’t just let him burn his Spiritual Power. He directly commanded Yin Yi to unleash its maximum Spiritual Energy without any hesitation.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Thick, long Flower Thorns that resembled missiles filled the sky, indiscriminately bombarding everything below.
Yin Yi’s eyes flashed. It charged into the smoke from the explosions, shooting out vines to ensnare all the Soul Beasts at the scene.
After doing this, it didn’t return immediately. Instead, it shot into the sky and searched the area of several square kilometers again, confirming that no living creature had escaped before returning to the academy.
「...」
Han Ning opened his eyes, a curious look in them as he looked at the owner of the hands on his shoulders.
He saw his roommate, Lin Tianhe, looking like a vengeful ghost from a horror movie. Black blood trickled from his seven facial orifices, his face was ashen, and he was giving Han Ning a bitter smile.
Behind him, Teacher Zhou, Teacher Fang, Teacher Zheng, Luo Chen, Zhao Jingjing... more than twenty teachers and students from the academy stood with their hands on the shoulders of the person in front of them, connected together in a large fan shape.
Everyone’s face was covered in filthy blood, but every single person’s eyes were filled with determination and resolve.
"Tianhe... everyone..."
Even though he himself was on the verge of fainting at any moment, Han Ning forced himself to stay conscious and caught his roommate’s collapsing body.
THUD~
But in the end, they all fell to the ground together.
There was no one left nearby to step forward and help them up.
"My Spiritual Power Talent is Absorption Spirit... I can gather the Spiritual Power of multiple Beast Masters, convert it into pure Spiritual Energy, and either use it myself or transfer it to others," Lin Tianhe explained, his lips trembling. Then his eyes rolled back, and he fainted completely.
"Brother Ning, is the battle over...?"
Nia used her only remaining arms to drag herself forward inch by inch, pulling her maimed upper body as she slowly crawled over.
After speaking, she struggled to raise her head and look at the Cyan Moth Insect Master in the sky, who was still killing the last few Red Centipede insects. Her light green eyes, as pure as a lake, revealed a look of anticipation.
Han Ning looked at the faint wrinkles appearing on the little girl’s face. His expression was a cross between a sob and a smile as he said softly, "It should be over."
Fainting is a protective mechanism of the brain, but the little girl didn’t seem to have it. She had violently burned away her Life Force, yet she remained conscious. Han Ning didn’t know if this was a good or a bad thing. In his heart, he felt nothing but a profound sense of debt towards Nia.
A streak of cyan brilliance shot across the sky.
The cyan light moved swiftly, annihilating all the remaining insects that tried to flee.
At this point, all of the Red Centipede Tribe’s insect swarms, Insect Servants, and Insect Masters were either killed in battle or captured.
"This can’t be called a victory at all."
Han Ning struggled to move his body, leaning against a ruined wall and panting softly.
No one at the scene answered him. The expression on every conscious person’s face was incredibly heavy.
Back when they first crossed over to this world, they were all strangers. Most people died from the white mist containing paralyzing toxins, and the visual horror of it wasn’t as visceral.
But now, they had all gone through one battle after another together, struggling to survive in this dangerous Otherworld and forging deep bonds.
Seeing the familiar faces around them who would never wake up again, everyone’s heart was filled with deep sorrow.
"Why? Why? Fate always loves to play jokes. Just when everything was starting to look up, it suddenly strikes us down again."
Faint sobs echoed among the silent, ruined walls.