Chapter Ninety-Six: A Clash of Powerhouses

The first team to be eliminated has already appeared.

Everyone saw a line of brilliant words drifting across the sky, and all of them looked on in astonishment. No one had expected a team to be knocked out so quickly. The team that had been eliminated was Gale. They were not a particularly strong team, but to wipe them out so completely in such a short time was still no easy feat.

“Who could it be?”

After receiving the news, many lowered their heads, thinking about what they would do if they were to encounter such an enemy.

At the heart of the battlefield, Franny stood at the broken edge of a ruined building, gazing into the distance. A breeze brushed her cheeks, and from the wind she could catch the scent of fresh blood. Her slender fingers lifted and fell, until at last she let her boneless little hand sway weakly in the wind.

“I know. It was you. You did it.”

A smile touched her lips. Franny knew that it was Xie Liu’s team of Misfortune that had defeated Gale. She could also feel the heart of a group of strong people awakening. Their presence lingered in the air, somewhere on this battlefield of less than fifty kilometers.

“You are still struggling, aren’t you, together with your companions?” Franny smiled, turned, and cast her foreign silhouette toward the faraway horizon.

“Sister, look what I found.” Wendy stood behind her, a rocket launcher taller than herself balanced on her shoulder, and gave a thumbs-up.

...

Xie Liu and the others did not know that everything they had done had already stirred quite a commotion among the other teams. They were still rummaging through the farmhouse.

Because they had crushed Gale so early, they had not managed to take many supplies from them at all, only an automatic rifle and an electric baton. The rifle was given to Ye Ling, while Xie Liu took the baton to replace his damaged saber.

“Look what I found.” Ye Ling came out of the bedroom excitedly, carrying a map nearly half a person tall. Xie Liu and the others immediately brightened. They hurried to find an empty table and spread the map out upon it.

“Let me see. We’re here now.” Xie Liu found the location of their farmhouse, in the northwest corner. To the west was the racetrack where he had previously landed, and farther northwest lay a patch of forest. Beyond the forest was a place resembling a small harbor.

Xie Liu was almost certain that at least three teams had landed there.

“The teams that dropped there don’t seem to have settled the winner yet, so we won’t go stir up trouble.” Xie Liu’s gaze moved along the roads on the map toward the east. Finally he found the nearest little town. “This town is three kilometers away from us. We should have seen the flames rising over it before. There must be a powerful ability user there, so we won’t head that way this time.”

He pointed to a small power plant south of the town. “Let’s go here instead.”

According to the map, the power plant stood on higher ground and could overlook the entire town.

“Up to you,” Lin Yang said. He knew Xie Liu had always been excellent at making decisions.

At that moment, Xu Xiong and Gong Hou came out of another room, laughing as they carried a box almost as tall as they were. “We found something good,” they said, and set the box down heavily on the map.

“What is it?” Xie Liu and the others gathered around. Gong Hou opened the box and grinned smugly. “A modular weapon. This should be the Death Scythe.”

Yet there was not a trace of a scythe in what lay before them. Everyone looked blankly at one another, and Gong Hou hurriedly explained, “What’s with those faces? Don’t you know how valuable this is? It’s a discontinued item. There are fewer than a hundred known in existence.” He stroked the thing before him, which looked like a massive laser rifle, his eyes growing soft. “It’s fully energy-driven, usable in close combat or at range, and if necessary it can even function as a flying device.”

With that, he took it out.

With a forceful swing, several sharp clicks rang out, and the original firearm-like object transformed into a gigantic scythe more than two meters tall.

“There are also three energy cores here, enough to sustain us until the end of the battle,” Gong Hou said, spinning the scythe in his hands so that it whistled through the air.

After he had had enough fun, he folded the scythe back into its gun form and slung it across his back.

At the same time, Xu Xiong came in and tossed a long, narrow box to Ye Ling. Ye Ling took it in bewilderment and opened it, revealing a silver slender sword. At the pommel, where the guard ended, there was a flower-like ornament with five petals of different colors unfolding like a bloom of five hues. It was exquisite.

“A Condensed Energy Sword? They were willing to bring out something this good?” Xie Liu said in surprise as he took the sword from Ye Ling. “This must be a discontinued weapon. It was produced years ago by the Eastern Dragon Industrial Group under the Chinese branch. Because the cost was far too high, only the first hundred were made before production stopped. But this weapon is truly formidable. By channeling different forms of energy into it, it can perfectly reproduce different supernatural powers.”

“The white petal represents light, the blue one water, the gold one speed, the green one wind, and the black one strength.” Xie Liu pointed to the five-colored petals on the guard as he explained.

“You need to insert an energy core to unleash part of its power.”

As he spoke, Xie Liu searched through the small box and picked up three battery-like objects. “These are it. There aren’t many, so use them sparingly.”

Ye Ling played with the energy cores in one hand while admiring the slender sword in the other. The blade was very light and nimble, perfectly suited for a girl. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it. She mimicked the motions she had seen on television, sweeping it twice through the air before posing as if she were sheathing it. Xie Liu and the others smiled faintly. Everyone had a hero’s dream, and girls were no exception.

Just then, Lin Yang rushed in from the doorway, calling out excitedly, “Look what I found!”

...

A line of six people sped across the grassland in an open-top off-road vehicle. Xie Liu and Gong Hou sat in the front passenger seat, while Xu Xiong and Li Shizhu sat in the back studying the map. With no other room, Ye Ling and Lin Yang simply sat on the tailgate. They cheered happily, watching the scenery fly backward as they returned laden with spoils.

The roar of the engine, the dust kicked up by the wheels, and the weeds whipped aside by their passage all swirled endlessly over that broad expanse of grassland, accompanied by the clear laughter of a girl, echoing through the air. It was the laughter of a conqueror, born from the heart and rooted in the soul.

Ye Ling held the slender sword in her arms. At that moment, for reasons she could not explain, her heart felt wonderfully at ease. The scenery in the distance retreated one after another, finally dissolving into golden radiance, like the glow of sunset. There were no birds returning home, no horses running free, but in Ye Ling’s eyes it seemed as though all the scenes that ought to have been there were appearing before her.

It was not because she loved the wind scented with grass, nor because she loved the breadth of the prairie, but simply because that sunset had looked so much like a dream she did not wish to wake from.

Ye Ling turned and saw Lin Yang beside her. Sunlight fell across his face, and the beautiful boy seemed at that moment like a quiet princess seated in the glow of dusk. Sensing Lin Yang’s gaze, he turned his eyes toward Ye Ling as well.

The scenery in the distance, like springtime itself, seemed able to carry their presence no matter how far away it might be. Beneath the setting sun, that landscape appeared to be a time already faded, yet it harmonized strangely with the young man before her, slowly melting together.

Ye Ling was entranced in that instant. She had never known such a time. It was like the arrival of some new message within an unfamiliar season, telling her that the future had already come, a brilliant tomorrow of endless colors.

Lin Yang’s figure gradually blurred.

“I’m so glad you two were able to meet.” Her lips trembled faintly as she sent the words she wanted to say softly into the breeze, carried far away on the current of her heart.

Lin Yang’s eyes shifted slightly. “Is that so? That’s what you think? Then that really is wonderful.” He too looked out at the receding scenery with Ye Ling.

“Being able to meet you has really been wonderful too...”

...

The battlefield followed a cycle of two hours of daylight and two hours of night. As night was about to fall, Xie Liu and the others heard a series of thunderous booms from far away, shaking the heavens and the earth.

“What’s happening?” Ye Ling asked, rubbing her eyes.

Xie Liu and the others’ expressions grew grave. “The battlefield has shrunk. The contraction has begun. From here on, the fighting will only become more frequent. Let’s go. It’s nothing major.”

...

As night slowly descended, Franny shook her head slightly. Seeing the few sisters behind her still laughing and roughhousing, she felt somewhat helpless. Their strength had made them lose their sense of caution, and that was never a good thing.

Still, Franny had no intention of scolding them. The original purpose of forming this hunting team was simply to give these people a place where they could make a life for themselves. Franny knew that, including herself, none of them truly liked fighting. Compared with war, they loved life more. That was precisely why she was willing to stay with them.

Turning to look at the girls as they played, Franny’s lips curved into a smile.

To live freely, to live unbound, was what they cared about most. And for that freedom, Franny was willing to shoulder many responsibilities. That was all.

After thinking alone for a long time, Franny suddenly said in a cold voice, “No need to hide. Come out.”

She did not even turn around. Behind her, two figures appeared after her words fell.

“As expected of Franny, goddess of mind. There’s no way to hide from you.” The man standing in front grinned. He was a handsome young man. Though not tall, no one would ever overlook someone like him.

“Oda Nobunaga and Rommel, the two captains of the Godslayer Unit. What do you want with me? You’re not planning to start a war with us right now, are you?” Franny named them and turned to face them. Rommel was a somewhat melancholy-looking youth; he said nothing, simply standing quietly behind Oda Nobunaga.

“Of course not. We only wanted to come and meet Miss Franny. Is that not allowed?” Oda Nobunaga wore a smile, yet there was no mirth in his tone. “And also, I came to apologize for the excessive thing my subordinate did to Miss Angela a few days ago.” With that, he bowed slightly.

“The one you should apologize to isn’t me,” Franny said, her expression grim. “You should go find the Misfortune team.”

Oda Nobunaga straightened, still smiling. “I don’t think that’s necessary. They aren’t qualified to receive my apology.”

“We only respect the strong.”

Franny lifted one eyebrow. “The strong, you say?” Thinking of the eerie aura around Xie Liu, she said, “Then perhaps you’ve chosen the wrong people.”

“By the way, let me give you a warning. The Misfortune team is looking for you. I think they’ll wash away their humiliation with their own hands.” Franny nodded as she spoke with conviction. “You’d best be on your guard.”

“The Misfortune team?” Oda Nobunaga sneered. “Let them come. They’re nothing to fear.” His eyes gleamed with excitement as he looked at Franny before him.

“What, you want to make a move on me?” Franny smiled faintly, her gaze sweeping across both Oda Nobunaga and Rommel.

The atmosphere fell silent in that instant, as though even the air had frozen. Franny stood alone against the two of them, showing not the slightest intention of retreat. On the contrary, beads of sweat began to form on Oda Nobunaga and Rommel’s foreheads.

“All right, you may go now.”

Franny withdrew her mental pressure. The two in front of her trembled, and their faces instantly turned ashen.

In those few seemingly motionless seconds, the three of them had already exchanged a clash. Clearly, Franny had gained the upper hand. To hold the advantage even against two opponents—!

“Truly worthy of Franny. Let’s go.”

Oda Nobunaga and Rommel did not linger. Turning around, they left at once. Just moments earlier, as the two had been about to unleash their powers, Franny had brutally suppressed them, leaving them not the slightest chance to resist. Her ability was unfathomable, almost ghostly in its reach.

Watching them disappear into the darkness, Franny finally pressed a hand to her chest.

“I almost couldn’t hold the two of them down. Xie Liu, your enemies are this strong, so you must be careful!”