But before it could draw near, Lycaon lunged forward, sending it flying with a single kick.
A closer look revealed Lycaon had punched a gaping hole through its chest with that one strike, sealing it with a thick layer of ice. After the kick, Lycaon turned his back, glancing over his shoulder with unwavering resolve. "Fear not, Master Proxy."
The mighty Thiren stood his ground in peril, facing danger with unflinching courage.
Eous was momentarily stunned, his display flickering. Seeing Lycaon charge forward again, stomping the ground to create several ice spikes that pierced through multiple Ethereal, Eous sucked in a sharp breath.
Then, Eous exhaled and shouted, "Charge!"
Its ears flapped in the wind as it dashed forward again.
A dozen Ethereal turned their gaze toward it simultaneously. Floating in the air, their hands like spikes, they transformed into hunters the moment they saw Eous scurrying toward them on its stubby legs, hopping like a rabbit.
They thrust their steel-forked hands straight toward Eous!
"Keep going, don't stop! Trust us, we'll protect you."
Eous had been panicking, but the thought of Phaga right behind her made her grit her teeth and keep running. She paid no heed to the spiked blades thrusting downward, death closing in like the wind.
Clang!
A flash of cold steel erupted—a long blade thrusting out abruptly. Over a dozen spiked blades stabbed at it, yet it didn't waver even an inch. Phaga swung upward with force. The frenzied power stemming from his vampire bloodline surged through the blade, causing all the spikes to rebound.
Before they could recover, a fiery glow swept past, engulfing all the Ethereal creatures!
Eous didn't pause, continuing to sprint forward.
Another dozen Ethereal stood ready in formation. One, unable to contain its bloodlust, lunged forward, claws outstretched. But it never got close. Two meters from Eous, Lycaon intercepted it, knocking it down with a single punch.
The fallen comrade incited the others into a frenzy of ethereal matter. The remaining Yihai roared and bellowed, charging forward at all costs. Purple light surged across their varied arms as their Ether concentration skyrocketed—they had unleashed their ultimate attack!
But it was insufficient. Far from sufficient!
Lycaon sidestepped, delivering a simple, unadorned side kick.
BOOM!
Power roared as muscle erupted, shattering ice into wind! Thick ice shards materialized the instant Lycaon gathered his force, only to be obliterated into dust the moment his foot struck!
Thousands of ice shards shot forth, impaling any Ethereal daring to stand in their path like straw dolls, dropping to the ground like kites whose strings had snapped. Then they exploded into dust, becoming specks of light.
The entire event unfolded in an instant. After retracting his metal prosthetic, Lycaon bowed slightly, elegantly gesturing to the side:
"This way, please."
Eous felt a surge of reassurance, his confidence renewed, and the strength to press forward returned.
At that moment, Rina, Ellen, and Corin—left behind to cover their retreat—had already slaughtered all the remaining Ethereal in the hall and quickly caught up.
Seeing Lycaon and Phaga each facing their own opponents, Rina glided over to Phaga and whispered, "Phaga, this time you two will hold the rear guard!"
"Understood."
Phaga drew her blade, a tranquil purple light flashing. Dozens of Ether crystals shot from the ground, instantly filling the air with screams. The Ethereal beings were pierced through their bodies, their remains scattering in the wind.
Before long, Eous had reached a set of stairs. Climbing them would lead to another floor.
Yet, in its heightened state of alertness, it failed to notice a hound-like Ethereal tearing open its sharp fangs. Ether Substance materialized into saliva, a pool of purple filling its mouth. The mere sight of the appetizing Eous climbing upward made the drool flow freely.
"Woof!"
The dog-shaped Ethereal Remnant—Hati.
It let out a howl to the heavens, expelling a thick phlegm. Massive Ether Substance overflowed with terrifying force, hurtling toward Eous like a cannonball!
"Ah!"
Eous instinctively closed his eyes and covered his face with both hands.
But two seconds passed. The Belle synchronized with Eous detected no pain, so she instantly opened her eyes and instinctively felt her entire body.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing!
Not only that, but she felt as if she were sinking into a cloud of cotton candy.
So comfortable, so warm!
Eous blissfully surrendered to the sensation, unable to suppress a soft moan.
"You're awake?"
Suddenly, a delighted voice reached Eous's ears.
Looking in the direction of the sound, Eous realized she was being held in Rina's arms, soaring toward the steps.
The two Bangboo were displaying their might, furious bolts of lightning flashing one after another, the roar of thunder never ceasing. Amidst the chaos, Rina lowered her head and smiled faintly.
"Please don't close your eyes from here on out. It might lead to some misperceptions."
What misperceptions?
What possible misperceptions could there be?
Eous was utterly baffled, eyes wide as he scanned his surroundings.
What he saw was Corin charging forward, chainsaw raised high, wailing, "Aaaah~~~~ Corin's gonna do her best!!!"
The chainsaw crashed down, and Hati braced his shoulder to take the blow, sending sparks flying everywhere.
That single strike was already too much for Hati. His left leg was cleanly severed by the chainsaw!
Hati's body lurched sideways, but he didn't give up. Using his remaining two legs, he pushed forward with all his might, lunging forward violently, his right claw extended.
"Waaah!!! Don't come any closer!!!"
Corin was too terrified to open her eyes, her shrill cries shaking the heavens. After the chainsaw's downward strike, she swung it violently sideways, aiming straight for Hati's dog face.
Hati: Hmm?
Hati: Woof woof woof woof woof woof~~~
The chainsaw whirred at high speed, sparks flying as it scraped across Hati's snout.
In moments, half of Hati's face was sliced away. Soon after, Corin severed his entire head.
The next instant, Corin snapped her eyes open. Seeing the headless corpse slowly drifting away before her, her face paled. She immediately bowed in apology.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"
With that, Corin scrambled to her feet and dashed toward another blocking Ethereal, beating it mercilessly while wailing loudly.
Seeing this, Eous froze in surprise.
Huh?
Is this little Corin?
Fighting while crying... she's just... so adorable!!!
No wonder Rina insisted on opening her eyes. If she'd only heard the sounds, she'd have thought little Corin was being bullied by that stinky Ethereal!
After descending the steps, Rina set Eous down.
Eous perfectly understood why. As a proxy, she was destined to lead the charge!
"Manager, can you run any faster?"
Beside Eous, Ellen effortlessly sliced through the obstructing Ethereal with each stroke, keeping pace with Eous' speed.
But Eous was already giving it her all. Closing her eyes, she shouted back, "These two little stubby legs of mine just can't go any faster!"
Suddenly, as if remembering something, Eous snapped his eyes open. Sure enough, in the distance, the automatic partition layer at the central courtyard corridor was slowly descending due to a power outage. He panicked.
"Ellen, the automatic partition layer is about to fall!"
Ellen's eyes narrowed slightly. She scooped up Eous and held him close, then forced open her [Roaming Hunt] ability and dashed forward. Her speed was so great she appeared as little more than a streak of blue light!
She could make it! She could make it!
Ellen's eyes widened slightly. After a quick calculation, she determined there was just enough time before the automatic partition fully descended for her to thrust her large scissors underneath and forcefully prop it up!
But, things didn't go as planned.
Mid-stride, Ellen suddenly felt a chill on her back.
Eous, clutched tightly in her arms, saw everything clearly and urgently warned, "Ellen, watch out!"