Those are all photos of Squad 136.
Photos of them picnicking, laughing, and chatting in the park;
Photos of them in the office, welcoming Lin Qiye and Lin Xi Chen back after graduation;
On New Year's Eve, they were together, promising to meet again next year as scheduled, and took a photo of themselves drunk.
A photo of Lin Qiye, Lin Xi Chen Si Xiaonan, and Hongying walking out of the school with their heads held high after the Nanda Snake Demon mission;
On the day Zhao Kongcheng was buried, Hongying carved a tombstone in the tomb, and the others secretly watched from the mountains.
A photo of Si Xiaonan reporting for duty to Team 136 for the first time;
A photo of Si Xiaonan celebrating her first successful mission with a happy smile on her face.
A photo of Lin Xi Chen and Si Xiaonan posing with silly stickers on their faces.
...
Si Xiaonan stared blankly at the photos floating in the air, as if fragments of memories were flooding into her mind.
All the joy, happiness, and contentment she had experienced flashed before her eyes like scenes from a movie...
These...
It is her memory.
It is her memories of this city and these people.
She didn't know when it started, but her eyes were already filled with tears.
A warm body leaned against her back. Leng Xuan, with blood still on his lips, stretched out his only remaining arm and gently hugged her from behind.
A gentle voice appeared in her ear.
"It must be so painful for one person to bear all of this alone, right?"
Si Xiaonan's body trembled, and she could no longer hold back the tears in her eyes. Hot tears slid down her cheeks, and she sobbed uncontrollably like a girl who had suffered all kinds of injustice.
"Take me with you." Leng Xuan gently stroked Si Xiaonan's head. "No matter what happens in the future, I'll be there for you."
Si Xiaonan turned around and looked into Leng Xuan's eyes, which were filled with an unprecedented seriousness and earnestness.
She pursed her lips, her red, tear-filled eyes fixed on Leng Xuan. She took a deep breath, as if she had made up her mind, and a glimmer of light flashed in her eyes.
"Leng Xuan," she said earnestly, "do you believe me?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Leng Xuan said, "I believe you."
Si Xiaonan turned around, looked at the chaotic sky in the distance, and slowly spoke:
"I have a plan... a very big, very dangerous plan."
...
Rooftop.
Chen Muye, who was unconscious, groaned and slowly opened his eyes.
His mental energy had been unlocked, and the terrifying pressure had disappeared. He struggled to his feet, and after a long while, he recalled his experience before he lost consciousness.
He gazed at the chaos in the distance, remaining silent.
Suddenly, he seemed to sense something.
He lowered his head, reached into his chest, and took out an ancient parchment scroll from his clothes.
This time, the parchment scroll left his body without revealing any trace of its aura, as if something had completely sealed it off.
He stretched out his finger and gently rubbed the surface of the parchment, a hint of doubt appearing in his eyes.
The surface of the parchment scroll is covered with an invisible veil...
Chen Muye was all too familiar with this veil; every member of the 136th Squad had been protected by it before…
This is Si Xiaonan's [Unfettered Gauze].
He raised his head in a daze, gazing into the distance...
If the real [Shiva's Grudge] is still with him, then what did Si Xiaonan take away...?
...
Outside the city.
Lin Qiye, who was maintaining the magical seal, changed his expression slightly, and the magical fluctuations around him gradually became chaotic.
Click-clack—!
A fine crack appeared on the massive ice pyramid, then spread rapidly, white frost filled the air, and the cracks on the pyramid were increasing at a visible rate.
"It's reached its limit..." Lin Qiye muttered to himself as he looked at the pyramid that was gradually collapsing in front of him.
The triple top-tier sealing magic released by the "Boundless" realm was already at its limit to hold off Kraken for so long. The difference in realm is always an insurmountable chasm, especially for those at higher realms.
"He's about to collapse." Xia Simeng, who was surrounding and attacking Gam, noticed this and her eyes filled with anxiety. She turned to look at Gam, who was now covered in wounds but even more ferocious than before, and cursed:
"Damn! How is this guy so strong?! Even with Lin Xi Chen's help, we still couldn't kill it!" Xia Simeng helped Lin Xi Chen to her feet, while Lin Xi Chen had to brace her sword against the ground to steady herself. Her old injury flared up from the excessive exertion, forcing her to clutch her chest and cough up blood repeatedly.
"It's almost become a god." Kong Shang frowned deeply. "The guardians of the underworld aren't so easy to deal with."
"But we're running out of time." A resolute glint appeared in Xia Simeng's eyes. "If we can't kill it quickly, the Kraken on the other side will break free. Facing two behemoths at the same time, we have absolutely no chance of winning."
Kong Shang understood the unspoken meaning in Xia Simeng's words. He stared blankly into her eyes, and after a moment, a bitter smile appeared on his lips.
"Has this day finally come...?"
Xia Simeng turned to look at him, "Do you regret it?"
"Of course I don't regret it." Kong Shang sheathed his straight sword, a solemn expression on his face. "This is our mission."
Xia Simeng nodded, took a deep breath, and shouted loudly:
"[Phoenix] Squad!!"
"Arrive!!"
Whoosh whoosh!
The members of the [Phoenix] squad, who were engaged in a fierce battle with Garm, quickly disengaged from the battlefield and descended from the sky, landing next to Xia Simeng.
Eight golden cloaks were lined up in a row, fluttering in the gale.
Xia Simeng slowly closed her eyes. "Are you willing to... fight me to the death?"
They all smiled slightly, and the next moment, a shimmering emblem appeared on each of their fingertips. They stood in the wind, looking at the roaring hounds of the underworld before them, their eyes filled with an unprecedented solemnity.
"We are willing."
"No... Wait... Something is coming..." Lin Xi Chen held Xia Simeng's hand while gazing into the distance as if searching for something, causing the entire [Phoenix] team to freeze and look at him with bewildered expressions.
...
The massive iceberg collapsed with a deafening roar, and the stripped space returned. The black Rashomon surrounding Kraken was shattered by the surging black light.
The Kraken broke free, brandishing its serpentine tentacles, its deep howls echoing through the sky.
Mou—!!
Lin Qiye, clad in a deep blue robe, had a glint in his eyes that finally revealed a resolute look.
He had no other choice now that things had come to this.
He reached into the inside pocket of his clothes, took out a gleaming emblem, and gently rubbed the edge of the emblem with his fingertip, from which a thin needle emerged.
He looked down at the emblem in his hand, and after a moment, a bitter smile appeared on his lips.
In the end, I ended up on the same path as you...
He looked up at the sirens hurtling towards him, took a deep breath, and spoke slowly and deliberately:
"If the darkest night ever comes..."
Roar—!!!
Before the words were finished, a thunderous roar came from afar, and a visible shockwave swept across the land, even startling the vicious dog Garm and the siren Kraken!
Lin Qiye was taken aback.
The members of the [Phoenix] team were also taken aback, stopping what they were doing and turning to look.
On the other side of the horizon, beneath the dim sky, a huge black hound was treading on nothingness, charging from the city!
When Lin Qiye saw the appearance of the vicious dog, he was stunned at first, and then a look of shock appeared in his eyes!