TN: And we're back! sorry for the week long hiatus, it was not intentional since I had to get my right leg in a cast after tripping 3 floors down a stairwell (like an idiot ://) and be unable to use my PC setup upstairs BUT I should be OK now.
Anyways, Thanks for Arcanic Madness, WeissAkumu and WolfWTF for becoming as Supporters!,
===BREAK===
"What are you guys waiting for? Get on!"
Piper was already in the driver's seat of the truck, eager to get Perlman—who was drawing all the enemy fire—out of Blazewood before the civilians got caught in the crossfire.
Unfortunately, her beloved "Steeltusk" was out for repairs in the city's maintenance depot. Otherwise, with its bulletproof design, it could have taken hits like an infantry tank—ordinary bullets wouldn't dent it.
Perlman, using his body size to advantage, rolled over to the truck and clumsily clambered into the rear seat.
Belle and Yiji—both delicate young girls—were carefully placed in the cargo area by Arden. Their personal armor wasn't strong enough; getting hit by stray bullets could be disastrous.
Once everyone was secured, Arden assessed the situation.
The rebels had already surrounded them. He saw Miyabi and Zhu Yuan charging side by side into the enemy lines. At first, the rebels laughed at the two women running straight at them, trying to shoot them into pieces.
But the laughter didn't last long.
For someone like Zhu Yuan, dodging bullets with agile maneuvers was standard—but Miyabi's style, deflecting bullets while closing in on the muzzle? Rarely seen outside legends.
As they ran, bullets seemed to swerve around Zhu Yuan, grazing shoulders, arms, hair… though her rear wasn't spared. In any case, she evaded every shot with minimal movement, turning the rebels into nothing more than sketch artists outlining her movements.
Miyabi's approach was even more dramatic—bullets shattered before reaching her, her sword movements a blur. Occasionally, when Zhu Yuan couldn't dodge a bullet, Miyabi would block it for her friend with a swift strike.
"What kind of joke is this!"
The boldest of the charging rebels suddenly froze, looking down at his automatic rifle.
It felt like a toy gun—but the weight, the metallic texture, and the gunpowder smell reminded him it was very real.
"RPG! R—"
He tried to call for reinforcements, but it was too late. A sneakered foot moving at supersonic speed struck his head.
Bang!
Even with a helmet, the young rebel dropped instantly.
The rifle fell into Zhu Yuan's hands. She expertly engaged the safety to prevent accidental fire and looked toward Miyabi.
Miyabi was surrounded, yet it was just a group of sprawled rebels.
In the time it took Zhu Yuan to neutralize one, Miyabi had already cleared them all—truly befitting the title of the Void Hunter. Their combat capabilities were leagues above ordinary people.
While Zhu Yuan was a top-tier elite officer, she still lagged behind Eridu's absolute peak fighters.
"Not many… there should still be rebels around," Miyabi observed.
Those still breathing rebels wanted to protest—25 people in their squad should be enough to handle a town—but reality had left them speechless.
"They might be lying in ambush on the way back to the city. It's up to you, Miyabi!"
Zhu Yuan guessed why there were so few rebels, but there was no time to hesitate. The only one fast enough to catch up to the truck was Miyabi.
"Mm."
With a nod, Miyabi vanished from sight, sprinting after the truck carrying Perlman.
Meanwhile, Arden was onboard, guarding Perlman.
With Miyabi there, eliminating the rebels was a given—no worry needed. Compared to that, the safety of Yiji, Belle, and Perlman was the priority.
"Piper, incoming pursuers!"
As Zhu Yuan predicted, Arden peered through a gap in the cargo door and saw large numbers of rebels rushing from both sides with various vehicles, launching an assault on the truck.
"Leave it to me!"
Piper displayed her driving skills flawlessly, dodging the attacks in a scene straight out of a high-octane road battle. Arden focused on deflecting bullets and heavy weapons.
Whoosh, whoosh!
"These rebels really went all out…"
Watching missiles fly toward them, Arden muttered under his breath.
These weren't ordinary RPGs—they were guided anti-tank missiles, each worth millions. Arden had never seen even the Defense Forces deploy missiles in town like this.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Heavy fire rained down. Arden did his best to shield the truck from direct hits, but the blast waves still damaged the road, sending the truck tumbling into a pit and spinning off a cliff into the Hollow.
"Sure enough… the poor rely on skill, the rich rely on tech!"
Using his magic, Arden stabilized the truck, gently lowering it to avoid shattering it. He silently vowed that once back at Yunkui Summit, he'd get some heavy modern weaponry—powerful, simple-to-use, and sometimes more practical than magic.
"Ugh… darling, I feel dizzy…"
Yiji rubbed her head as she sat up. She noticed she was no longer in the truck, nor was the vehicle in sight.
As a competent Proxy, she immediately realized the Hollow-space displacement had separated them.
"!!!"
Alert, Yiji pulled a talisman from her waist to check the area for skeletal entities and began searching for Belle.
Arden and Piper had things under control, and Perlman's fate was in his own hands—but Belle, a physically weak girl, would struggle to survive in the Hollow.
"Yiji… is that you?"
Fortunately, Belle wasn't far. Using her path-finding magic, Yiji quickly located her.
"It's me!"
Belle exhaled in relief.
In terms of Proxy abilities, Yiji might be slightly weaker, but she had her own strengths—she could fight. While she couldn't compete with Arden, she could handle high-risk skeletal threats.
"Yiji, what do we do now? Should we find Daoist Arden?"
Belle emerged from her hiding spot among the debris, her leg slightly injured—not severe, but it slowed her down.
"Hm…"
Yiji pondered. They could synchronize to meet faster, but considering Belle's injury…
"I think it's better to wait here. I have a tracking talisman; Arden will find us soon."
"Okay."
===BREAK===
Like the story and want more chapters?
Join and support me by joining my Patreon!
[email protected]/SiRoasa