‘From now on, the dependent gazes and grateful smiles of these beautiful and important girls will all belong to me!’
He could already see that after this battle, Sara, Emma, and Laura would all look at him in a new light, and their Affection Level would soar.
However, at the other end of the battlefield, a shrill scream and a heavy boom violently pulled him back from his beautiful fantasy.
It was Luke!
Bart’s massive body was once again enveloped in thick Blood Qi. The wings on his back were spread wide, and every step he took caused the ground to vibrate slightly.
His scarlet eyes were fixed tightly on that large head that was still incredibly conspicuous in the chaotic battlefield, and a delighted, cruel smile crossed his face.
“Red-haired brat!”
Bart’s voice had become hoarse and low due to the Blood Awakening. “Your Senior is gone! Now, let’s see who else can protect that annoying, rotten head of yours!”
Luke’s face was as white as paper, and the hand holding his staff trembled violently. He could feel the terrifying pressure radiating from Bart, which was stronger than any time before!
He had Yize to thank for this. Ever since Bart witnessed the methods Ize used to deal with No.2—where No.2 died because he was too busy acting cool to even use his Blood Awakening—Bart had completely abandoned his past habit of playing with his opponents.
Even against this red-haired big-head who looked very weak, Bart was going to take it seriously and hold nothing back.
Luke looked around in a panic.
Senior Dio was entangled by Chise and couldn’t get away. Senior Sister Sara’s light magic was being severely suppressed, and she was struggling to deal with the mass of vampires on her own.
Teacher Laura’s battle with No.3 was intense and focused, leaving her no time for anything else.
And that Li En who had just shown such great power…
Luke saw Li En. He saw him, having just “saved” Emma and Swan, swinging his sword with a stylish posture, clearing out ordinary vampires in another area that wasn’t particularly critical.
His eyes would occasionally drift toward Sara and the others, his face wearing that carefully adjusted expression of concern and confidence.
An absurd rage suddenly rushed to Luke’s head.
“Li En!!!”
Luke used every ounce of his strength, holding up that heavy, large head, and screamed at the top of his lungs toward Li En. His voice even drowned out some of the battlefield’s din.
“Can you stop fucking revolving only around the girls!!!”
That one shout caused many nearby people to freeze. This included the battling Dio, the struggling Sara and Emma, and even the intensely fighting Laura and No.3, who spared a glance.
Luke’s voice was distorted by excitement and fear, yet every word was as clear as blood.
“Senior Sister Sara and Senior Sister Emma can still hold on!”
“The Sword Saint certainly doesn’t need your ‘help’!”
“Look at me! Look over here! I’m going to die! I’m really going to die!!”
“I’m facing a Blood Pillar!!! This Blood Pillar is going to kill me! You clearly have such strong power, come over and help me!!”
Li En’s movements stiffened slightly. His brow furrowed, and a trace of impatience and disgust flashed in the depths of his eyes.
‘This noisy idiot, still screaming and shouting even at death’s door. Truly a disgrace.’
‘Go save him?’
‘What a joke.’
Setting aside the fact that he already disliked Luke and they had bad blood, right now was the critical moment for him to solidify his image and gain the favor of his targets.
To run off and deal with a powerful Blood Pillar who clearly had killing intent?
The risk was too high, and the reward was too low. Moreover, if Luke died… it might actually be for the best.
As if he hadn’t heard anything, Li En turned instead toward two ordinary human female mages who were being forced into a corner by vampires and seemed panicked.
He called out loudly, “Hold on! I’m coming!” His posture was heroic.
Seeing this, Luke felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, which then transformed into monumental grief, indignation, and disdain. He no longer asked Li En for help.
Instead, he took a deep breath and roared at the entire battlefield with a voice even louder than before:
“Li En! You hypocritical-to-the-bone son of a bitch!!!”
“Since you had such strong power, why didn’t you bring it out earlier?! Huh?”
“During the last vampire attack, when everyone was fighting to the death, where were you?”
“When Senior Ize was single-handedly holding back Bart, where were you? When Senior Dio and Senior Sister Sara were in a bitter struggle, where were you?!”
“You just fucking hid it, watching everyone bleed, watching your companions fall into crisis! You just waited for a time like this, waiting until everyone was about to break, waiting until the girls were in the most danger and felt most helpless, so you could jump out like a savior! You only pick the girls to save just to show off your skills and get on their good side, don’t you?!”
“I spit on you!!! Who the hell do you think you are?! You think you’re worthy of being compared to my Senior Ize?!”
“My Senior! Senior Ize! His Elemental Affinity is only 5%! He’s a publicly recognized Magic Fool! A Second Rank Magician! But every single time! Every single time, he gave his all! He used whatever trump card he had, whatever ability he could!”
“To hold back the Blood Race, he exposed his dual talents, which is why he was targeted by the Blood Pillar!”
“Now, to save us all, he faced two Blood Pillars ranked in the top four by himself, and now his life or death is unknown!!!”
“Why did he do those things?”
“To show off?”
“To please girls?”
“Bullshit! He did it for all of us! He did it for the thousands upon thousands of people behind Betty Territory!!!”
“If my Senior wanted to show off, he would have used those talents long ago to become the center of attention in the Empire!”
“And you, Li En! You’re stronger than him, and you hide it deeper than he did, but what have you done?”
“You only care about your own disgusting thoughts! You only care about picking ‘valuable’ targets to show off your ‘mercy’ and ‘strength’! The life and death of your companions and the crisis on the battlefield don’t mean as much to you as your own ridiculous desire to perform!!”
“My Senior is missing now, possibly being tortured by that ‘Lord’! Yet you’re here, standing on everyone’s pain and danger, acting out your hero saving the beauty routine?! Are you even human?!!”
“Waaaaah… my poor Senior… what kind of trash are the people you risked your life to protect…”
By the end, Luke was crying and shouting at the same time. It wasn’t because of fear, but because of endless grief, disappointment, and deep worry and longing for Ize.
His massive head hung low, and tears rolled down his face; he looked both pathetic and comical.
But his words, filled with blood and tears, were like heavy hammers slamming into the hearts of everyone who heard them.
A brief, eerie silence fell over the battlefield.
Dio parried a line of blood and suddenly looked at Li En, his eyes as sharp as knives.
He remembered his past life and realized he had never seen Li En display this form’s power so precisely and loudly in the early stages…
So, this power was meant to be used in this way?
Compared to Ize’s silent but solid sense of responsibility, Li En’s behavior at this moment made him feel a deep sense of disgust.
Sara’s knuckles were white from how hard she was gripping her staff.
She looked at Li En, who was still maintaining a “heroic fighting posture,” but Luke’s every word echoed in her mind. The contrast was too stark.
Every time Ize “exposed” himself, it was accompanied by real pressure, risk, and sacrifice; it was always to break a siege, to protect.
Ize didn’t even want to show off; even when he saved them from Horn, he had tried to hide his identity.
And Li En… the timing he chose, the targets he saved…
Sara closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, there was only coldness and detachment. This person was not to be trusted, let alone relied upon.
Emma covered her mouth, looking at the sobbing Luke and then at the “heroic” Li En in the distance.
Her small face was filled with dazed confusion. She was simple, but not stupid. Though Luke’s words were blunt and crude, they were like a mirror reflecting details she had ignored.
‘Classmate Li En… is he really like that?’
‘Then Junior Ize…’
Swan bit her lip. The last trace of gratitude she felt toward Li En for being rescued vanished, replaced by disdain and anger.
This person wasn’t worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Senior Ize!
Even the battling Laura had a trace of coldness flash through her icy blue eyes.
As a Sword Saint who guarded the Empire, what she loathed most was behavior on the battlefield that prioritized private gain over the big picture, ignored the greater good, or even used a companion’s danger to build personal prestige.
‘This kid from Liyue Academy… his intentions are despicable!’
At the center of the storm, Li En froze. He could clearly feel that the gazes which might have been filled with gratitude or surprise had now completely changed.
They had turned into scrutiny, suspicion, and undisguised loathing and disdain!
The girls whose attention he craved were looking at him as if he were a pile of filthy, foul-smelling trash!
Li En: “???”
‘Why?’
‘I clearly saved them!’
‘I clearly showed great power!’
‘I should be the hero, the focus, the one who earns their favor!’
‘That idiot Luke!’
‘That lying bastard!’
‘It’s all because of him!’
‘And that Ize—he also hid himself and then showed his power to save everyone during a crisis, so why does Ize get such a good reputation?!’
A surge of mixed shame, rage, confusion, and extreme jealousy suddenly destroyed Li En’s rationality.
His handsome face instantly twisted, and the gaze he directed at Luke was filled with a murderous malice that even exceeded his intent toward the vampires.