Chapter 109: In the End, You Still Have to Rely on Yourself!

Luke had a look of utter despair as he clung tightly to Yize’s leg.

“Senior Yize, if I get done in by that big guy later, you have to look out for me! You can’t just watch me die! After all… those words just now, you were the one saying them behind my back!”

Yize felt dizzy from being shaken. He helplessly patted Luke on the shoulder and reassured him in a low voice, “Just be smart in a bit. Don’t stick your head out. Hide obediently in the back, and… nothing major should happen.”

After all, the main character group was all right here.

Senior Sarah was the female lead of this Era, and Li En was the protagonist. If the sky fell, those two would be at the front to hold it up.

As long as Luke stayed as safe and low-key as he did, playing a bit part should… not be life-threatening.

Beside them, Sarah happened to overhear Yize’s words, and her brow furrowed even tighter.

She completely failed to understand how Yize could remain so… calm in such a tense and dangerous situation, facing two Blood Pillars of unfathomable strength.

He even carried a strange sense of confidence, as if everything were under his control.

Where exactly did this confidence come from?

Was he certain that the mysterious Black Shadow senior would step in to help again? Or was it that… the Black Shadow was actually Yize himself?

Luke, however, completely misinterpreted Yize’s meaning.

To his ears, Yize’s words automatically translated to, ‘It’s fine, I’m here. I’ll keep you safe.’

Recalling Sarah’s description of the senior who killed Horn wearing a magic tool that could hide his presence, he immediately thought of the Source Shadow Garment that Yize had once shown him.

Add to that the fact that Yize was already the definition of “omnipotent” in his heart—mastering pharmacy, magic tool forging, and magic arrays…

Being able to take out a Blood Pillar didn’t seem like such an unacceptable thing after all.

At this moment, Yize’s composed appearance made Luke even more convinced that his senior must have a powerful trump card hidden away.

Perhaps it was a secret magic tool with terrifying power, or a forbidden potion with heaven-defying effects, or maybe… this entire city wall had already been laid with a lethal magic array!

Thinking of this, Luke suddenly felt a surge of heroism rush to his head, and his sense of security reached its peak.

He abruptly took a step forward, straightening his previously cowering back.

He even arrogantly raised his chin, pointing his nostrils at Bart in mid-air, and shouted at the top of his lungs, “What’s the matter? Haven’t you heard the saying ‘to beat a dog, you must look at its master’?”

As soon as those words were spoken, a dead silence fell over everything.

Yize stood dumbfounded, nearly biting his own tongue.

Everyone else on the city wall, including Sarah, Dio, Emma, and Li En, all looked at Luke with expressions of sheer disbelief.

Dio’s mouth twitched as he asked Sarah in a low voice, “This guy… is one of Ms. Isha’s students, right? Has he always been… this ‘brave’?”

He really couldn’t find a more appropriate word.

Sarah pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “Actually, I don’t know Junior Luke that well either…”

She couldn’t help but turn her gaze back to Yize. Could it really be that Yize had given him this inexplicable courage? Luke and Yize were close, so perhaps… he really did know some of Yize’s unknown “abilities”?

At this moment, Sarah was getting closer and closer to the truth.

Meanwhile, Yize was practically suffocating. He had literally just told the guy to “be good” and “not stick his head out.” Which of those words did this brat not understand?

He wished he could pull Luke back immediately, but it was already too late.

Bart was completely ignited by Luke’s extremely disdainful attitude! As a Blood Pillar, he had never been so humiliated by such a weak human! Especially that line about “looking at the master”—it was like pouring oil on his rage!

“Good! Good! Good!”

Bart laughed out of pure rage, saying the word three times. The blood-colored energy surging around him almost solidified, and the pressure in the air spiked.

“You red-haired piece of trash! Why don’t you tell me who the ‘master’ behind you is?! I’d like to see who gave you such ‘dog-like’ courage!”

Hearing this, Luke instinctively moved to turn around and point at Yize.

However, the moment he turned his head, he met Yize’s murderous gaze. The warning in those eyes was crystal clear: ‘If you dare say that master is me, I’ll kill you!’

Luke understood in an instant. His senior had always been low-key and cautious; he must be planning to pull off another massive move silently.

Thus, he immediately turned back to face the enraged Bart. With his acting skills in full swing, he shouted in a tone designed to infuriate people to death, “What kind of thing are you? You’re not worthy of knowing who my master is!”

“Aaaaagh! You’re driving me crazy! Kill them! Break through this pathetic city! I’m going to tear that red-haired brat into ten thousand pieces!!!”

Bart completely lost his mind, his violent roar echoing across the entire battlefield.

He wasted no more words and violently waved his hand. Behind him, the low-tier Blood Race surged forward like a tide, letting out earth-shaking shrieks as they launched a frenzied assault on the walls of the Betty Inner City!

As for Bart himself, his eyes were blood-red, and his goal was unmistakable—he was locked onto Luke!

He wanted to use the most brutal method to personally tear this red-haired brat, who had provoked him time and time again, into shreds!

“Senior! He’s coming! He’s coming!”

Seeing the blood-colored figure rushing toward him with a terrifying aura, Luke’s “toughness” from a moment ago vanished instantly. He was so scared he nearly jumped out of his skin.

As he hurriedly scrambled backward, he frantically cast the strongest magic he had mastered after his hard training in the Realm of Law—

“Flame Dragon!”

Intense fire mana gathered, transforming into a formidable dragon of flames that roared as it charged toward Bart.

This was the Fourth-tier fire magic Luke was proud of; its power was even enough to damage Lord Class magical beasts.

The power of the spell even caught Sarah’s eye. ‘Junior Luke, it seems you’ve learned quite an impressive spell.’

However, facing this roaring fire dragon, Bart didn’t even have the intention to dodge. He simply let out a disdainful cold snort and swung a fist covered in thick blood energy!

Boom!

The seemingly powerful Flame Dragon was easily shattered the moment it touched Bart’s fist, turning into a cluster of scattered sparks. It couldn’t even slow him down for a moment!

“How is that possible?!” Luke’s pupils shrank.

Seeing Bart’s hideous face and his claws radiating the scent of death right in front of him, Luke no longer cared about his dignity.

He performed a pathetic roll to get to Yize’s side and whispered with a sob, “Senior! Now! It’s now! The time for you to protect your cute junior has come! Hurry up and act!”

Yize rolled his eyes speechlessly. While warily watching the incoming Bart, he hissed back irritably, “Protect you? Do I look like I can block him? I can barely protect myself!”

“Huh?!”

Luke was stunned, clearly not expecting this answer. But he reacted quickly and immediately changed his line of thought.

“Then… Senior! Quick! Give me one of those awesome magic tools! You know, the kind that can instakill everything as soon as they appear! Or… those magic potions that give you Eighth-tier or Seventh-tier strength the moment you drink them would work too!!!”

Yize almost laughed from anger. “Do you think I’m a game GM?”

‘How could I have such heaven-defying things?’

‘Even if I did, would I not keep them for myself? My most powerful magic tool, the Desert Eagle, was given to you for self-defense a long time ago!’

“What… what is a game G-M?”

Luke was confused for a second, but in this life-or-death moment, he couldn’t afford to ask.

He hurriedly added, “What about a magic array?! Senior, you surely have a super powerful attack array prepared in advance, right? Activate it now!”

Yize shook his head helplessly. “I don’t.”

Setting up a magic array capable of resisting attacks from a Demon King Seed required a vast amount of rare materials.

Even if he had the ability to make one, he had nowhere to get the supplies.

He had only managed to set up a large-scale teleportation array for escaping at the critical moment.

While the two exchanged whispered words at high speed, Bart’s second attack had already arrived!

The blood claws, containing terrifying power, whistled as they tore through the air, aimed straight for Luke’s head!

The fire shield Luke desperately put up shattered like a bubble upon contact!

The shadow of death instantly enveloped Luke. He no longer had any trace of composure, and the color drained from his face.

With a face full of grievance as if he had been cheated, he cried out to Yize, “Senior! I’m begging you! Stop playing with me! If you don’t act now, your cute and loyal junior is really going to die! I know! The one who killed Horn before was definitely—”

Mmmph—

Before he could finish, Yize acted swiftly, clamping a hand over Luke’s mouth to block the words about the truth of Horn’s death that were about to spill out.

Yize’s face darkened.

This guy, Luke, clearly wasn’t very bright, yet his perception of certain things was startlingly accurate. He had actually guessed that the Black Shadow who killed Horn was him.

If he hadn’t been careful, he would have been exposed again.

Looking at the struggling Luke in his arms, who was flailing due to fear and suffocation, and then at the hideous Bart who was already inches away, Yize finally prepared to take action.

A blue-gold light arrived first!

“Wind Wall Entwinement!”

A familiar clear shout rang out, and a resilient barrier of wind was instantly constructed in front of Luke, accurately blocking Bart’s path of impact.

It was Sarah!

She had been keeping an eye on the danger over here.

Although her suspicions regarding Yize were growing heavier—almost to the point where she was certain he was closely linked to that mysterious Black Shadow or even the person himself—she didn’t dare gamble the lives of her two juniors on a mere possibility before the truth was clear.

As their Senior Sister, protecting her companions was a responsibility etched into her bones.

“Hmph! This move again!”

Bart gave a sinister laugh. Facing the wind wall that had blocked him before, his movements didn’t falter at all. He kicked out repeatedly with legs covered in thick blood energy!

Bang! Bang! Crack—!

In just three kicks, the Wind-Rock Barrier, which was enough to withstand a barrage of ordinary Fifth-tier magic, crumbled once again amid the sound of shattering.

Bart’s crimson eyes swept over the grim-faced Sarah. “Little girl, you’ve made quite some progress since last time! However…”

His tone shifted, and his killing intent locked back onto the trembling Luke. “I don’t have time to play with you right now. I’ll kill this foul-mouthed red-haired trash first!”

Before his voice finished echoing, his figure lunged forward again.

A flash of blood light shot straight for Luke, who was still being held by the mouth by Yize, his soul nearly departing from fright.

On the other side, Dio was locked in a fierce battle with Chise.

Sword light and blood shadows clashed, setting off bursts of booming sounds.

Dio’s face was grim as he pushed the sword techniques inherited from the Sword Saint to their limit.

His aura surged, but he was still pinned down by Chise’s strange and tricky blood magic and her shadow-fast movements, unable to pull away to help.

He could feel that this sixth-ranked Blood Pillar was definitely not much weaker than Horn.

Meanwhile, Swan, Emma, and Li En were doing their best to assist the Betty Family army in dealing with the low-tier Blood Race swarming the walls.

Emma’s healing light and buff magic fell continuously, while Swan used increasingly sophisticated combinations of low-tier magic to create chaos among the enemy ranks with high efficiency.

Yize’s gaze quickly swept across the battlefield, finally landing on Li En, who was dealing with several vampires not far away.

Li En’s movements were still calm and graceful. His coordination between sword skills and basic magic was practiced.

He seemed to be giving his all, but he would still check the situation on their side from time to time.

However, he clearly had no intention of providing support.

Yize understood. As the protagonist, it was impossible for Li En not to have a trump card.

‘As expected…’

Yize sighed helplessly in his heart.

‘In our protagonist’s eyes, NPCs and passerby characters like Luke and me clearly aren’t worth using his precious trump cards for. He probably only intends to use them when the female lead or he himself encounters danger.’

A faint sense of sorrow belonging to a “passerby” and the realization of reality washed over Yize.

Was this the fate of an NPC forced into the main storyline?

Danger was everywhere, and life hung by a thread, yet one shouldn’t expect the “Child of Destiny” to waste even a sliver of protagonist luck on you. The protagonist’s umbrella would only ever be held open for specific heroines.

“Senior! He’s here! I’m really going to die!!!”

Luke’s tearful scream pulled Yize’s thoughts back to reality. Bart’s oppressive, bloody aura was already in his face.

‘As I thought, I still have to rely on myself!’

Yize lamented as a vast amount of magical elements began to gather around him.