Xue Ji did not look in the direction of her classmates. Right now, she was facing off against a monster nearly sixty meters tall—she couldn’t afford to be careless.
Her body trembled slightly, sweat trickling down her forehead and mixing with the dust on her cheeks, leaving faint streaks. The Abyssal Fang Chieftain before her loomed like an insurmountable mountain, its massive form casting an enormous shadow in the dim space, completely engulfing her. The chieftain’s eyes burned like two blood-red searchlights, scanning the surroundings relentlessly. Every time that gaze swept over Xue Ji, she could feel an overwhelming killing intent.
Right now, Xue Ji was utterly drained. A metallic taste rose from her throat into her nose. The chieftain’s colossal claw blotted out the sky as it descended toward her position. The sheer wind pressure nearly crushed her into the ground—only by relying on the power of shadows did she barely manage to stay standing. If this strike landed, she would be reduced to pulp.
In this desperate situation, she recalled her past battle with the Demon King. The Demon King had been overwhelmingly powerful—none of the seven members of the Hero’s Party could face him alone. His physical might was monstrous, allowing him to withstand the Priestess’s Holy Light Domain and the Cultivator’s Daoist arts while forcing the Hero and the Dragonkin Champion into retreat. His spells were bizarre and deadly; as the Sage, Xue Ji had to work in tandem with the Dwarf Shaman to cast protective barriers just to keep the party alive, all while relying on the Elf’s magical arrows to cover them.
At that thought, the corner of Xue Ji’s lips curled up. No matter how strong an enemy is, once isolated, they’ll eventually be ganged up on and beaten to death. How do you like our righteous many-against-one?
Just as Xue Ji thought she was about to be flattened by that massive claw, a huge chunk of the school building smashed into the Abyssal Fang Chieftain with a deafening crash. The impact sent tremors through the entire space, scattering debris and dust everywhere. The sheer force of the blow made the battlefield shudder. The creature staggered, its claw slamming into the ruins beside Xue Ji instead. The shockwave sent her and the rubble flying through the air. Her battered body finally gave out—she coughed up a mouthful of blood, her body tumbling like a broken kite.
Her consciousness wavered from the impact, but in her daze, she felt a pair of gentle hands catch her. When Xue Ji opened her eyes, she saw Ling Xiaoxiao’s furious expression.
“You’re late,” Xue Ji muttered weakly. “Any later, and no one would be left to take care of you.”
Ling Xiaoxiao pouted. “I wanted to step in ages ago, but you kept stopping me. I nearly fell asleep watching those kids. If I’d actually dozed off, you’d have melted into a puddle, Xiao Xue.”
“Hah? Slacking off on the job? Deal’s off!” Xue Ji snapped, despite knowing the girl was just teasing her.
“Yeah, yeah, deal’s off. So what we have isn’t a transaction, right? That means my payment turns into a reward, doesn’t it?” Ling Xiaoxiao grinned.
Xue Ji was left speechless. This girl is so annoying… Some things don’t need to be said out loud…
Ling Xiaoxiao carefully set Xue Ji down at the edge of the barrier, her movements swift yet gentle, as if afraid of wasting even a second. Then, she turned and shot toward the Abyssal Fang Chieftain like a crimson bolt of lightning. Her figure streaked across the dim battlefield, a dazzling red flash heading straight for the towering beast.
She threw a punch—so fast the creature couldn’t react—landing a vicious uppercut on its massive jaw. The chieftain’s head snapped back, struggling to recover from the blow.
It scanned its surroundings, bewildered. Where had that tiny insect who’d just hit it gone? It looked left and right but found nothing, its face twisting in confusion.
“What are you looking at?” Ling Xiaoxiao’s sharp voice rang out from above its head.
It instinctively raised its hands to shield itself, but Ling Xiaoxiao hammered down with two more punches. The rapid strikes left it momentarily dazed. Seizing the opportunity, Ling Xiaoxiao dashed back to Xue Ji’s side.
“Come on, I’m getting you out of here.”
She moved to carry Xue Ji, but the girl shook her head.
“I’m staying with you. This thing’s abilities are tricky. Jump right—now!” Xue Ji’s voice was weak but steady.
Ling Xiaoxiao obeyed instantly, leaping to the side just as a massive, translucent spiderweb enveloped the spot where they’d been standing.
Her playful demeanor vanished. “What the hell was that?”
“I don’t know, but it seems this thing’s true form is a spectral entity. The body it’s using is just a corpse it’s possessing.”
Through Ling Xiaoxiao’s attacks and her own perception within the Netherflame Arena, Xue Ji had realized the terrifying truth. Despite the Abyssal Fang Chieftain’s reinforced hybrid physique, the strain from maintaining this form shouldn’t have been so severe. Ling Xiaoxiao’s strikes hadn’t dealt much physical damage, yet they’d left it stunned for so long. There was only one explanation—its soul was far too powerful for the body it had taken over. Ling Xiaoxiao wasn’t damaging its flesh; she was disrupting its control.
Xue Ji pulled out her communicator and contacted Chen Shijie. “Bad news. We need backup. The Abyssal Fang Chieftain’s true form seems to have soul-affecting powers.”
No unnecessary words were exchanged. The response came immediately: “Understood. Five mid-tier Awakened and one high-tier Awakened are en route.”
The five nameless warriors who had been protecting the students earlier now entered the barrier—the mid-tier Awakened Chen Shijie had mentioned.
The leader spoke up. “Kids, you’ve done well. Leave the rest to us.”
Ling Xiaoxiao opened her mouth to warn them, but Xue Ji gripped her hand and shook her head.
The nameless ones sprang into action.
“Everyone, start with conventional firepower for recon.”
One of them began pulling out heavy artillery from his pockets—RPGs, grenade launchers, high explosives—as the other four unleashed a relentless barrage at the distant chieftain. Its thick layers of fat and fur, which had seemed so resilient, now proved vulnerable. Flames clung to its body like parasites, burning relentlessly.
Under the suppression fire, the Abyssal Fang Chieftain altered its body structure, elongating and thinning itself before slashing at the ground with its claws and burrowing underground.
The first clash had clearly gone in the nameless ones’ favor.
Ling Xiaoxiao watched, impressed. “Huh. Those fireworks aren’t bad.”
But Xue Ji remained tense. This enemy wasn’t one to be taken down so easily. Within the Netherflame Arena, she could sense everything clearly—why would it endure soul-scorching pain just to hide underground?
“Hey,” Ling Xiaoxiao suddenly asked, “didn’t they say there were six people? Who’s the last one?”
“The last one is right beneath you. Move!” A woman’s voice crackled through the communicator.
Xue Ji immediately stepped aside just as Solaka emerged from the ground with two others in tow.
“Ugh, I’m exhausted. Dragging two people through the earth to back you up—you owe me big time.”
Xue Ji ignored her complaints, frowning. “How could you just tunnel up like that? That thing just went underground!”
Solaka chuckled evasively. “What, high-tier Awakened can’t have their quirks? Come here, let me heal you.”
She set down the unconscious Blade and Hawkeye beside Xue Ji, then closed her eyes. A moment later, her hands glowed with an emerald light. With a wave, an overwhelming surge of life energy radiated from her. In this moment, she truly resembled the legendary Solaka of the Sixth Rank.
Xue Ji’s injuries visibly healed at an astonishing rate. The nearly dissipated Lilith state reactivated, divine light intertwining with dark energy in a bizarre display.
Ling Xiaoxiao’s voice was calm. “Round two’s starting.”
The ground trembled again. Unnoticed until now, bats and crows had begun swarming the sky in a frenzied mass.