Chapter 5: Baizhi in Crisis, Crownless Incoming
"Is that Jinzhou City? It's truly magnificent."
Rover couldn't help but marvel at the distant city-state.
Hearing her words, both Yangyang and Chixia simultaneously curved their lips into smiles, confident expressions appearing on their faces.
This was the pride these young women felt for their hometown.
"Hehe, right? Our Jinzhou is pretty great, isn't it~"
"Among the six states of Huanglong, our Jinzhou is actually the most recently established capital. But since its founding, it has shouldered the crucial responsibility of guarding the border and protecting hundreds of millions of Huanglong civilians in the rear."
"...I see. That's truly remarkable."
Amon couldn't help but nod slightly. Although this was information he already knew, hearing Yangyang say it aloud stirred feelings within him that hadn't changed even after transmigrating, sharply increasing his favorability toward Jinzhou.
Just then, sharp-eyed Rover noticed something.
"Hmm? Look over there. There seems to be someone."
"Who would be in such a dangerous place at this time... Oh, it's Baizhi! We finally found her! Wait, where is she?!"
Chixia suddenly grew anxious mid-sentence, startling even Yangyang beside her, whose face showed concern.
At the foot of Gorges of Spirits, a black-haired girl dressed in qipao-like attire was crouching on a patch of land that looked utterly eerie, seemingly collecting and studying something.
"That Baizhi! How did she get into a Tacet Field?!"
"We don't know what level this Tacet Field is, but we must get Baizhi out as a precaution. I have a bad feeling about this!"
"Tacet Field? So that's a Tacet Field?"
Rover's eyes widened slightly as she looked again at that patch of land.
Distinctly different from the surrounding environment, the land appeared half-faded into grayish-white. At the center of this gray-white area was a massive cross-shaped Resonance Mark.
Yangyang quickly explained that Tacet Fields are dangerous zones that generate large numbers of Tacet Discords at once. The longer they brew, the more powerful the Tacet Discords that emerge, making each occurrence a high-risk situation.
This wasn't a crisis that could be handled by just a few people. They needed to return to Jinzhou City immediately to report it, then let the Midnight Rangers handle it!
As Yangyang and Chixia hurried off to retrieve the girl named Baizhi who was investigating alone in the Tacet Field, Amon nudged Rover beside him, who was still processing the information.
"Hmm? What is it, Amon?"
"Well, time to prepare for the boss fight."
"Eh?"
Amon, who knew the game's storyline, was well aware that a tutorial boss named "Crownless" was about to appear.
So they had to make preparations now.
But just then... a sudden change occurred!!
"Baizhi—!!" x2
Yangyang and Chixia screamed as countless spikes suddenly sprouted from the previously calm Tacet Field! Simultaneously, a terrifying pressure that could be felt even from a distance emerged!!
Inside the Tacet Field, the girl named Baizhi was horrified.
Without hesitation, she turned and ran toward the periphery.
However...
It was too late. The deadliest crisis had already descended!
A white humanoid Tacet Discord materialized! It appeared like a knight clad in pale armor, draped in an eerie purple cloak, with a head resembling a ghastly grinning white skull, radiating murderous intent!
"Huh? Not good! It's appearing ahead of schedule!!"
Amon's golden eyes widened abruptly. At this moment, he once again clearly realized—he wasn't playing a game, this was reality!!
In the game, as long as players didn't reach the trigger point for mission events, no matter how much time passed, enemies wouldn't appear.
But reality was different!
The real world wouldn't wait for you!
Once you missed it, it was truly gone!
Moreover, although in the game Crownless was a punching bag boss for tutorial purposes, its actual setting portrayed it as a formidable enemy that shouldn't be underestimated in the slightest! Its danger level absolutely couldn't be taken lightly!
Baizhi's strength was no match for Crownless!
"Not good! We're too far from the Tacet Field, even the Gliding Module won't get us there in time. If this continues, Baizhi will..."
"Dammit! If only we had the Soaring Module, we could make it!"
Yangyang and Chixia were burning with anxiety. Even though they knew they couldn't cover the distance in time, both still rushed toward the Tacet Field.
Truth be told, neither of them had ever imagined Baizhi would encounter danger.
After all, she had always been the most rational and composed among the three of them. Yet now, the most reliable person in their daily lives was in peril, leaving them momentarily at a loss about what to do.
Although Yangyang and Chixia were consumed by worry,
Amon and Rover remained perfectly calm.
Reality wasn't a game—things would never go that smoothly. But conversely, the real world didn't have as many restrictions as games did. After exchanging a glance with their identical golden eyes, both understood what the other was thinking.
"Yangyang, only you can send us over now."
"What?"
"This is the only way right now. Trust us."
Looking into Amon and Rover's identically serious and composed golden eyes, Yangyang fell silent for a moment before nodding firmly, choosing to trust them.
"Okay! Please tell me what I need to do."
...
Meanwhile, inside the Tacet Field.
"I'm beginning to grow weary."
"The Tacet Discord... can actually speak? cough!"
The black-haired girl was currently kneeling on one knee.
She somewhat awkwardly covered the wound on her side. Although the cold released through her Resonance Ability had temporarily numbed the pain, treatment was already too late. This Tacet Discord before her... was simply too terrifying!
Forget that she was just a researcher—even if they replaced her with that general from the Midnight Rangers, it was uncertain whether he could win against it!
What made it even more despairing was that she couldn't escape.
There was an unbreakable barrier at the edge of the Tacet Field, completely cutting off Baizhi's chance to flee. Meanwhile, the pale Tacet Discord was closing in step by step, already arriving right before her.
"...Is this the end?"
Watching the Tacet Discord raise its clawed fist, Baizhi bit her thin lip, feeling unwilling as she instinctively closed her eyes.
However...
The anticipated death never came.
"What is this?!"
Suddenly, the pale Tacet Discord uttered a surprised exclamation before immediately creating distance from Baizhi. The latter opened her eyes in confusion, only to see two black blades crossed and embedded in the ground before her.
The two blades formed an X-shape where they crossed.
As if silently warning the Tacet Discord not to presume.
Then, accompanied by the sound of the barrier shattering, two pitch-black figures descended from the sky, crashing onto the ground and creating a web of cracks.
"You... who are you?!"
"I heard you were the one who provided us with emergency treatment. Thanks."
"Hang in there. Leave the rest to us."
Amon and Rover glanced back at Baizhi with nearly identical gentle smiles before drawing their crossed blades. The moment their eyes fell upon Crownless, that gentleness had already transformed into fighting spirit.
In an instant, the Tacet Field became filled with sharp, murderous intent. The aura displayed by Amon and Rover was no less formidable than that of Crownless before them, with both swift blades now imbued with Resonance Power.
Meanwhile, back in the valley direction.
"Made it, we made it! Thank heavens, Sentinel be praised." Chixia plopped down on the ground, releasing a heavy sigh of relief.
"Yeah, I never expected such reckless methods would actually succeed." Yangyang also sat down in a duck-sitting position, fine beads of sweat trickling down her forehead.
Earlier, when they realized they were too far away to support Baizhi through conventional means, Amon and Rover had proposed a bold idea to her—using Yangyang's Resonance Power to send them across!
Yangyang's Resonance Ability Wind Spirals.
Not only could she perceive surrounding information through the wind, but she could also control wind to some extent. So Amon and Rover first used their Gliding Modules to approach the Tacet Field from the air, then Yangyang exerted her full power to drive the wind and blow them across!
As for that barrier sealing the Tacet Field...
It was Crownless's cage for trapping prey.
An arena of mortal combat that wouldn't dissolve until one side was dead.
Its toughness could render ordinary Resonators helpless.
Yet Amon and Rover shattered it with a single punch.
Now, the young girl's all-out wind had become their wings, successfully delivering both to their companion's side. As for what remained...
They would settle it with the swift blades in their hands!