On the other side, the Title Douluo of the Holy Spirit Sect and the old guardians of Shrek Academy had also found their respective opponents, and the flashes and roars of colliding Soul Skills rose and fell continuously.
Their battle circles instinctively steered clear of the area where Hoolay and the two Servants were fighting—the residual power from such high-level collisions was enough to seriously wound or even tear apart ordinary Title Douluo. No one dared to venture into that death zone.
"Bei Bei, I have no intention, nor the right, to judge the choice you have made."
Jing Yuan walked slowly to Bei Bei's side. His gilded eyes were as still as water. He looked at the unconscious, faintly breathing black-haired girl in Bei Bei's arms, his tone peaceful yet holding a profound understanding of the world.
"But, having embarked on this path of no return, witnessing former teachers and friends turn into enemies... Do you truly feel no regret at all?"
Upon hearing this, Bei Bei lowered his head further, gazing intently at Tang Ya's colorless face.
His blue eyes, which usually held such resolve, now contained only an impenetrable blend of tenderness and finality.
He didn't hesitate, gently shaking his head. His voice was soft but as unyielding as bedrock.
"I have no regrets."
For her, even if he were branded a traitor, even if he had to stand against the whole world, he would willingly accept it.
"Is that so..."
Jing Yuan let out a near-inaudible sigh. He looked at the young man and woman clinging to each other amidst the ruins and shook his head helplessly. An ancient poem naturally surfaced in his mind.
"What is love, that makes one pledge life and death?"
He was not incapable of understanding this near-obsessive choice.
Throughout his long life, how many times had he seen people become demons for a loved one, a close friend, or a beloved, casting aside all caution?
His dear friend, the Imbibitor Lunae, who pursued the lost and did not hesitate to commit a great mistake, and Yingxing, who touched the forbidden to save his friend's life and ultimately suffered the consequences... were they not all the same?
What the human heart is attached to is both its greatest weakness and its strongest motivation.
Therefore, he would not, and had no standing to, blame Bei Bei.
This was merely the choice the other man made in the face of cruel fate. Whatever the final outcome, he must bear it alone.
Just as Jing Yuan's thoughts were flowing—
"Zheng—!"
A clear, ethereal sound of a qin, like flowing spring water, abruptly cut through the clamor of the battlefield.
Immediately following, a curved sword energy, shimmering with a watery luster, tore through the air. It contained no lethal intent, but rather a clear sense of probing and challenge, accurately aimed at Jing Yuan's face.
Jing Yuan's gilded eyes lifted slightly. Without any visible movement from him, a dense circle of golden lightning naturally burst forth from his body.
The domineering thunder, like a living shield, instantly shredded and annihilated the probing sword energy into ethereal specks of light.
"Distinguished Servant, Sir, allow I—the great Caesar, along with my most trusted subject—to be your opponent. How does that sound?"
A slightly theatrical yet supremely confident female voice came from the front.
Cerydra had, at some unknown point, stationed herself atop a massive, broken stone pillar, and had even deliberately placed a stone beneath her feet to make herself appear taller than Hysilens beside her.
A brilliant and confident smile curved her lips, as if the impending clash were not a fierce battle but an interesting game of strategy.
Beside her, Hysilens slowly sheathed her sword and qin—clearly, the sword energy just now was her handiwork. Rather than a sneak attack, it was a unique style of greeting.
"In the Holy Grail War, the duel between Servants is an unavoidable fate."
Jing Yuan's expression was calm as he slowly raised his right hand.
In an instant, dazzling golden lightning frantically gathered and extended in his palm, ultimately condensing into an ancient, majestic polearm known as the Cloud-Piercing General's Halberd, crackling with lightning.
The blade radiated a biting cold gleam. Arcs of electricity jumped across it, emitting a low, dangerous hum.
"Luofu Xianzhou, Jing Yuan."
He held the polearm horizontally before him, his tone indifferent yet carrying an air of looking down on all others.
"I accept the challenge."
He gladly accepted the duel. However, just as he responded, his incredibly sharp gaze inadvertently swept toward the ruins of a largely collapsed tall building a few kilometers away.
There, he sensed an extremely faint, yet real, feeling of being scrutinized and threatened, like a poisonous snake lurking in the shadows.
"Woah! Such terrifying intuition! Can he spot me from this far away?"
A few kilometers away, in the deep shadow of the collapsed building, Lemuen jerked her head back like a startled rabbit. She quickly put away the specialized sniper rifle that had been aimed for a long time.
She patted her chest, which was slightly heaving from surprise, with lingering fear. She naughtily stuck out her tongue and muttered to herself.
She had originally intended to use a single "Goodnight" bullet to surprise him while his attention was diverted, but she never expected his intuition to be so inhumanly sharp. Even across such a distance and chaotic battlefield, he instantly detected her insignificant flicker of murderous intent.
"The probability of successfully sniping a monster of this level is practically zero..."
Lemuen tilted her head, her bright eyes rolling. She quickly abandoned the idea of acting as a distraction or interference.
"As for helping distract them? Doesn't seem necessary either~"
She let out a soft hum, her mood relaxing.
After all, if she wanted to stay in this interesting world, she didn't need to fight and die for the Holy Grail—she only needed to go find Lu Jingming, sweet-talk him, and act cute. Given his clearly written, exceptionally high favorability towards her, he would likely readily agree to help her stay.
After all, the person who is favored is always emboldened.
Above the ruins of the Mingdu Imperial Palace, shattered walls and broken ramparts pointed menacingly toward the gloomy sky like the bones of a giant beast.
He Caitou stood amidst the desolation, his face so grim it looked like water might drip from it.
His gaze, like a poisoned dagger, was fixed firmly on the figure seated in a wheelchair in the distance—Xu Tianran.
However, two figures stood before Xu Tianran like an insurmountable barrier.
They were an elderly man and a beautiful woman. Their auras transcended the natural order, almost solidifying into a terrifying pressure that spread out like an invisible tide, making the surrounding air nearly still and heavy.
This pressure far surpassed what He Caitou was familiar with from Elder Xuan. It felt like two incomparably colossal, world-suppressing, invisible mountains weighing heavily on his heart, making every breath extremely difficult. His lungs ached as if being squeezed.
If Karna were not standing silently in front of him, his warm and resilient golden radiance acting like the most loyal bulwark, protecting him firmly, he might have already collapsed, his bones creaking under the combined aura of these two Limit Douluo.
A wave of intense regret and helplessness gnawed at He Caitou's heart like a poisonous snake—he had been too impulsive! The flame of vengeance had burned away his reason.
Karna's strength was undeniably unfathomable, world-shaking even, but he himself... was too weak.
So weak that not only could he offer no assistance, but he had become the greatest burden and constraint on this powerful Servant.
"Karna!"
He Caitou sharply inhaled, the air carrying the scent of blood and dust, stinging his throat.
His voice trembled from extreme, suppressed rage and finality, yet it was exceptionally clear:
"Kill Xu Tianran. Don't worry about me anymore."
He was ready to die.
The blood feud of his family, ten years of forbearance, the bitterness of exile... everything must be settled today.
Before he closed his eyes, he had to personally witness Xu Tianran, and the usurping "Emperor" lying in his sickbed in the deep palace, precede him to hell.
He didn't know that the current Sun Moon Empire Emperor, who was barely clinging to life, had already died from extreme shock due to the violent explosion and tremors caused by Karna's earth-shattering Noble Phantasm attack just moments ago.
Now, only Xu Tianran remained on his blood feud list.
"Master, you..."
Karna slightly furrowed his golden brow. A very faint trace of incomprehension and doubt flashed in his eyes, which held the radiance and compassion of a sun's core.
Even with the sudden addition of two astonishingly powerful individuals by Xu Tianran's side, he still had absolute confidence in safely withdrawing his Master from this dangerous place.
If not for the constant need to divert his attention and expend significant power to protect his fragile Master, he alone, with his spear, could have cut a path through the impregnable Mingdu Imperial Palace.
The seemingly formidable Soul Tool formations, the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineer Legion touted as the Empire's elite, and even powerful Rank 9 Soul Engineers were rendered useless before him, completely unable to halt the advance of the Son of the Sun God.
Only the two who arrived later—Dragon Emperor Douluo Long Xiaoyao and God of Death Douluo Ye Xishui, two Limit Douluo standing at the pinnacle of human Soul Masters—could barely contend with him and temporarily stabilize the battle.
If not for these two Limit Douluo appearing in time and joining forces to defend, Karna, single-handedly, would have likely utterly defeated and slaughtered the Imperial Soul Engineer Legion, the Sun Moon Empire's strongest ace.
"I have... endured for ten long years."
He Caitou's voice was hoarse, but it held an absolute finality, a breaking of the bridges behind him.
He looked up, meeting Karna's eyes that seemed to contain the radiance of the sun. Reflected in them was his own twisted and pained face.
"This time is perhaps my only, and last, chance for revenge. Therefore, great Son of the Sun God, I beg of you... Please, help me take my revenge!"
He firmly believed that without himself, this fatal weakness, to hold him back, Karna, unleashing his full power, could surely cleave off Xu Tianran's head like the sun melting snow, finally ending his decade-long blood feud.
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