CHAPTER 98 – Shen and Ling Enter the Fray
The impact was immense.
Xiao Xi crashed into the ground, the pavement beneath her spiderwebbing outward and cracking into deep fissures.
A trickle of blood ran from the corner of her mouth, evidence of the physical strain of controlling such immense, raw power.
The Root Protagonist descended gracefully, without a scratch, his movements demonstrating the cold inevitability of a mathematical constant.
"You cannot win," he repeated, his voice modulated, almost sympathetic, as if lecturing a bright but misguided student.
"Chaos is inherently unstable.
Imperfect.
Flawed.
It must eventually collapse into itself, leaving only Order."
Xiao Xi pushed herself up, wiping the blood with the back of her hand, the violet glow in her eyes burning brighter.
"I am human.
Humans are flawed.
We make mistakes, we feel too much, we bleed when we fight."
She lifted her chin, meeting his cold gaze without flinching.
"That's why I'm stronger.
Your perfection has no room to adapt.
My flaw is my power."
He raised his hand, gathering an immense white pressure to crush her where she stood,
and Shen Yichen and Ling Qiuyue shot out from the ruined side of a nearby building, acting with perfect, coordinated instinct.
Shen's golden protagonist aura surged, not as vast as it once was, but focused and sharp.
Ling's crystalline wings blazed with pure, stabilizing light, a light that came from her own internal narrative, not the Root Protagonist's imposed Order.
Together, they slammed into the Root Protagonist's side, a direct assault on his physical form, sending him skidding violently back across the cracked ground.
He stopped, momentarily unbalanced, and wiped a trickle of silvery light,his own essence,from his lip.
"Interference from secondary roles is meaningless.
Your power is contingent.
It will fade once the primary conflict concludes."
Shen cracked his knuckles, a wide, challenging grin stretching across his face.
"Then consider us primary roles now.
We chose our side, not the algorithm.
That's a bigger power upgrade than you could ever understand."
Ling floated beside Xiao Xi, her light a gentle, warm counterpoint to Xiao Xi's violent Chaos.
"We'll help stabilize your chaos," she said gently, placing a steadying hand on Xiao Xi's shoulder.
"Your power is creation, but it needs an anchor.
Lean on us."
Xiao Xi blinked, surprised by the unexpected, unwavering support.
"But,your powers are weakened,you were being deleted"
Ling shook her head, a soft smile on her lips.
"Your return restored us.
The moment the true Root took her place, our narratives were re-validated.
We are not mistakes; we are allies."
Shen Yichen stepped forward, his eyes burning with the old heroic intensity.
"And now we get to beat the hell out of the guy trying to delete us. A perfect ending arc, wouldn't you say?"
The three of them stood shoulder-to-shoulder,
the original heroine, the original hero, and the new Root holding the world together.
A trinity of defiance.
The Root Protagonist's silver eyes scanned their formation, a faint smile touching his lips.
It was pitying, not amused.
"A group effort? A shared narrative?
How quaint.
And inefficient."
Xiao Xi's chaos surged behind her, forming a glowing, violet shield that enveloped all three.
"This is not a group," she corrected, her voice firm.
"This is a team.
And we have a purpose."