Chapter 117: The Final Battle Begins

Xie Liu opened his eyes to a clear, bright sky. Rubbing his forehead, he groggily asked, “How long have I been asleep?”

“Over an hour. The sun just rose,” Falani’s voice answered. Xie Liu glanced over to see Falani’s lovely face. After a brief silence, he sighed in resignation, “First Angela’s lap pillow, now Falani’s. Looks like Wendy’s going to turn me into minced meat.”

Falani couldn’t help but laugh, covering her mouth. “Don’t worry, Wendy won’t find out.” She then steadied Xie Liu by the shoulder as he sat up, holding his forehead.

“How do you feel now?” Falani asked with concern. Xie Liu rubbed his forehead again. “No major issues anymore.”

He stood and took a couple of steps forward, eyeing the gear laid out on a stone ahead. He hesitated, not reaching for it immediately.

Falani stood silently behind him, watching this man whose shoulders weren’t broad but who bore burdens many could not.

“I’ve done a lot along the way. Of course, I’ve made many mistakes. No one is perfect—who can avoid error?” Xie Liu reached out and picked up the sniper rifle before him. “Because of my mistakes, comrades have fallen. I’ve blamed myself endlessly. I kept thinking, if only I had been more thoughtful, considered more angles, maybe they wouldn’t have fallen.”

“I always dreamed of devising the perfect plan, where we could all joyfully defeat the enemy and return home intact.”

“But it seems I was wrong.” He slung the sniper rifle onto his back and began fastening his tactical belt. “I should have relied on them more.”

“If I had asked them sooner, maybe our current predicament would be much better.” He picked up a small box beside him and stared at it for a long moment before pressing it to his forehead. This was their only chance to turn the tide—the sole level-seven bullet.

“You were just unconscious for a while, and suddenly you have an epiphany?” Falani teased with a knowing smile. Xie Liu gave an awkward grin. “Didn’t expect a way to deal with Oda Nobunaga, huh? Bit of regret, isn’t it?”

“If everyone was still here, we could discuss tactics together.” He sighed as he attached all the small components to his gear. “But there’s no time to dwell now. Besides, no tactic is perfect in this world. As long as we’re alive, we can fight.”

Falani said nothing, quietly watching as Xie Liu equipped himself piece by piece. Then, footsteps sounded behind them. They turned to see Lin Yang approaching, clad in full military gear.

“Ready?” Xie Liu asked calmly. Lin Yang nodded, pulling a companion behind him. “By the way, Ye Ling said she wants to join the fight too.”

Ye Ling had finally donned the battle attire once worn by the songstresses. She looked uneasy, fidgeting slightly.

Indeed, the suit was designed to maximize freedom of movement by using minimal materials. Now, much of Ye Ling’s skin was exposed. The only fully covered parts were her chest guard, shoulder pads, elbow and wrist guards, and the white silk covering her knees.

Xie Liu maliciously thought that if it weren’t for decorum, Ye Ling wouldn’t even be wearing the ultra-short skirt beneath.

“Is that the songstress battle suit you’re wearing?” Falani asked, surprised as she glanced Ye Ling over. “That’s a great piece of gear. Wendy has wanted one for ages. By the way, where are the scanning and control devices?” She pointed to Ye Ling’s head. Ye Ling and the others blinked in surprise.

“Scanning and control devices?” The trio from the Doom Squad exchanged looks, then simultaneously exclaimed, “Ah, the cat ears!”

Ye Ling fumbled through her small pack and pulled out the black cat ears, her eyelids twitching nervously. Falani urged her, “Put them on quickly. Without them, controlling the suit is difficult. This suit was the best equipment in the city a hundred years ago. Combined with rhythmic weapons, it can unleash strength and speed more than twenty times human limits. After the songstresses’ demise, the production craft was lost.”

“Oh, and you need a good weapon,” Falani added thoughtfully. “I don’t have anything better now, but you all can—” Before she finished, Ye Ling drew a slender sword from her waist.

“This one will do?” she asked.

“A focused energy sword?” Falani examined the blade and nodded approvingly. “A fine weapon. Use it well.” She handed Ye Ling three energy cells.

“Let’s move out.” Xie Liu and Lin Yang exchanged a glance and nodded together. Ye Ling understood the decisive battle was imminent. She sheathed the energy sword and followed behind the two men.

“Then, I wish you the best of luck in battle.” Falani remained amid the ruins, watching them slowly vanish into the distance. She sent them a blessing, raising her right hand lightly, forming a fist, and pressing it to her chest. She saluted the hunting team as they departed.

“May fantasy endure,” Falani whispered, then shook her head and chose another phrase—“May miracles be with you.”

A golden glow flashed, and Falani’s figure vanished. From the sky came the announcement that the Silver Flash Team had secured third place.

At that moment, Oda Nobunaga looked up at the cloudless sky. “Falani, do you truly trust them so?”

The battlefield had shrunk to the central area, a city circle less than two kilometers across—a former branch’s core. Towering buildings still told tales of past glory.

“We aim to end the fight before the battlefield shrinks again,” Xie Liu led from the front. “Lin Yang, you must face Oda Nobunaga directly. Don’t worry—no matter how strong his wind, you can dodge it easily.”

Lin Yang nodded. He would never dare to confront Nobunaga with only a sword, but now, armed with the city’s advanced tech, even an ordinary person could overwhelm a superhuman. Lin Yang himself was a level-eight psychic.

Xie Liu’s eyes scanned the last cluster of intact buildings. At the center, atop the tallest tower, sat Oda Nobunaga. He leaned against a crumbling wall, clutching a sword, eyes closed as if napping. When Xie Liu’s gaze met his, Nobunaga’s eyes snapped open.

“So terrifying!” Xie Liu quickly withdrew his gaze. For his fighting spirit to be sensed across dozens of buildings, Nobunaga’s intuition was terrifying indeed.

“How does one defeat such an enemy?” Xie Liu bit his lip. Nobunaga rose on the rooftop, his clothes unmoved by any breeze. Simply standing casually on the edge of the tower, he exuded an overwhelming pressure.

...

Falani ascended the spectator stands, spotting her sisters already seated. She smiled faintly and took a position near the front. Beside her, Vladimir was bent over, recording notes. She asked, “Aren’t you curious who will win?”

“What’s there to be curious about?” Vladimir glanced up from his virtual paper. “The Doom Squad’s strongest attack is the level-seven Endgame Bullet. Even that’s only about a thousand in psychic reaction damage—nowhere near enough to break Oda Nobunaga’s defense. I can’t think of any way to win. This outcome is already decided. Didn’t you notice many spectators are leaving?”

Falani looked up and saw groups steadily streaming out of the stands.

“Why is this happening?” Falani wondered. The Doom Squad, the biggest dark horse making the finals, shouldn’t they be the main attraction? Yet the audience and city officials showed cold indifference.

“As far as I know, the military is on pins and needles,” Vladimir closed the virtual paper. “You know their reputation was ruined during the Hokkaido branch battle. They want to restore it, and the Hunter Tournament is their best chance. The high command wants to prove to the public that level-ten psychics are invincible. But Xie Liu’s team just took down Rommel—that tells the public level-tens can be defeated.”

“The bigger problem is that they’re not only targeting Rommel but also Oda Nobunaga. Rommel was a strong attacker but weak defensively; a surprise attack could be explained away, and public anger could be exploited to cover it up. Nobunaga is different. If he falls too, I think the high command might even want Xie Liu’s team dead.”

“If Xie Liu’s team dies, that’s one thing. But if Nobunaga falls, it would shatter the city’s half-century-old ‘level-ten invincibility’ theory.”

Hearing this, Falani felt dazed. She hadn’t expected the match to be tangled in such political intrigue. Still, she wanted to defend Xie Liu’s team. “But they’re fighting for revenge. Doesn’t such a cause deserve support?”

Vladimir sneered. “A revenge battle? How many merit points is the Doom Squad’s hatred worth?”

Falani sat back, stunned. Her gaze toward the audience shifted; the previous enthusiasm and excitement vanished, replaced by pity.

She pitied the spectators, for in the eyes of the elite, they were mere pawns—tools to protect military prestige and personal interests. Their passion, their dreams, were reduced to means of profit.

Those fighting on the battlefield—their efforts, their blood and tears, their dreams—were just a performance scripted by the high command. Victory and defeat were predetermined. Those without strength or fame had no worth.

“Don’t worry. Xie Liu’s team won’t win. The only concern is Xie Liu’s level-seven bullet. The high command will warn Nobunaga to guard against it. Of course, I negotiated with them to ensure Xie Liu’s team doesn’t lose too badly,” Vladimir said, returning to his documents.

Falani hadn’t fully absorbed his words.

What did he mean? The high command was meddling in the match? Where was the fairness then? Or was this competition never truly fair?

“There is no absolute fairness in this world,” Vladimir said, reading her doubt. “All we can do is make people think it’s fair.”

Falani slumped in her seat, thinking of Xie Liu and his companions’ resolute faces, knowing their fate before they did.

“They are still fighting for their convictions, unaware that this is a war they cannot win.”

...

Unaware of these intrigues, Xie Liu and his companions climbed a nearby tall building, gazing toward the tallest tower ahead. They smiled at each other.

“Oda Nobunaga, here we come…”