The cold gleam of the dagger expanded rapidly in his pupils, and the trajectory of Wei’er’s fall was crystal clear.
Below, jagged rocks jutted up like the fangs of hell, waiting to tear his little sister’s delicate body apart.
To the right, the Assassin’s face twisted with a mix of hatred and savage pleasure, a snarl stretching as the black glow of death approached his throat—less than an arm’s length away!
Vectors! Force! Reaction! Explosion!
A physicist’s mind raced like lightning—every observation flooding his thoughts in an instant: the initial velocity and angle at which the shockwave flung him, Wei’er’s steeper descent, the horizontal thrust of the Assassin’s dagger, the position of the sharp rocks below compared to the soft Scorched Earth Zone…
A mad yet effective plan took shape in a heartbeat.
Within his sea of consciousness, those two dim, lifeless Crystal Cores, the spiritual power he had wrung out with pure Willpower, came under his precise control, compressing madly to half a meter below his back!
The goal: to create a Magic Explosion!
To break the desperate deadlock—
“Give me—explode!!!”
BOOM—!
A dull blast roared!
Explosive energy erupted behind Lin En!
An invisible fist of shockwave smashed into Lin En’s back!
His body was hurled away by the blast!
Only a bloody, blurred afterimage remained in place!
The speed surpassed the very limit of visual perception!
Squelch! The Assassin’s fatal strike pierced the afterimage!
The icy dagger’s tip was but a hair’s breadth from the real throat!
The savage grin on the Assassin’s face froze instantly, replaced by incredulous shock and confusion—
Where is he?!
And Lin En, propelled by the wild force of the explosion, shot forward like a cannonball!
“Wei’er!”
Driven by Willpower, Lin En twisted his waist and abdomen to the limit in midair, spreading his arms wide, and recklessly pulled the small, airborne figure into his embrace!
He wrapped his entire body around her, shielding her completely!
“Blazing Wind Technique!”
The moment he grabbed Wei’er, Lin En squeezed the last glimmer from his Crystal Core, forcibly unleashing the tattered remnants of wind-element Magic!
A weak air current formed beneath them, barely diverting their fall by a hair’s breadth!
Thud—!!!
The two of them crashed hard onto a relatively soft, scorched slope below!
Lin En’s back struck first, like a heavy meteor colliding with the earth!
A muffled impact echoed, mingling with the groan of overstrained bones!
“Gah—!”
Lin En’s vision went black.
A mouthful of hot blood, mixed with shredded viscera, gushed out, splattering across Wei’er’s pale little face!
From the start of the battle to now, destruction had accumulated upon his body.
Below his right scapula, the embedded Breaking Demon Arrow had been brutally torn and widened by the violent impact and movement!
Chaotic Demonbreaking Energy gnawed at flesh and nerves like maggots on bone, madly corroding everything, rendering his entire right arm numb and alien!
Blood covered him from head to toe, as if he had been flayed by countless blades, crimson seeping out relentlessly.
His right leg was pierced through, a deep, gaping wound bared the bone, while his back was scorched by the Breaking Demon Arrow’s explosion.
The shockwave had long since ruptured and displaced his internal organs, causing severe internal injuries.
Each breath frothed with blood, his heart pounded as if to shatter, his stomach churned violently, bile mixed with bloody foam surging up his throat.
His back slammed into the ground, vertebrae threatening to shatter as a massive wave of agony spread through his body!
Worst of all was the sensation of his organs being ripped and shredded—displaced and ruptured!
Lin En lay sprawled in the Scorched Earth Pit, bathed in blood.
Even lifting a single finger felt like a distant, unattainable luxury; every faint breath pulled at wounds that screamed with tearing pain.
The only thing keeping him from giving in completely was the tight grip of his left arm—
He still held Wei’er, shielding her at his side! She was still alive!
“Hah…hah…”
Not far away, the Assassin struggled to his feet.
The shockwave from Lin En’s explosive movement had sent him flying, leaving him battered, his arm scraped and bleeding, his dagger flung aside.
He shook his dizzy head, eyes sweeping the pit, landing on the boy who, though almost unrecognizable, still clung protectively to his sister.
A venomous gleam flickered in his gaze.
“Bug… you bastard… really know how to jump around, huh?!”
The Assassin spat a mouthful of bloody saliva, picking up the fallen dagger.
That Soul-Freezing Dagger’s black glow, capable of annihilating all energy, flickered again at the tip—like a serpent’s tongue.
At the same time, Lin En, his spiritual power strained to the very limit and shrouded as if by a heavy veil, barely managed to scan the depths of the forest.
That Dark Elf Crossbowwoman!
Half her body was blackened and charred, the result of the unstable Pressure Core explosion Lin En had unleashed.
Her left arm hung at an unnatural angle—obviously broken—while dark red blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.
Her injuries were severe!
But in those narrow, ice-blue eyes, colder than venomous crystals, burned a chilling killing intent and unyielding resolve!
With sheer Willpower, she used her only functioning right arm and her body to painstakingly set the massive Breaking Demon Heavy Crossbow atop a tree trunk!
Creak… creak…
The sound of drawing the bowstring, enough to make teeth ache, echoed weakly through the silent forest.
Her blood-stained right arm bulged with effort, veins popping as she forced open the thick, child’s-arm-sized bowstring, locking it into place!
Finally, the massive bolt—shrouded in dense, ominous Demonbreaking Energy and gleaming with lethal cold—locked once more onto Lin En’s motionless form at the center of the pit!
No matter how close to death Lin En seemed, she didn’t relax in the slightest!
Her mission logic was cold and efficient: until the target completely ceased breathing, the threat was not eliminated!
“Die!”
The Assassin’s roar was thick with bloody delight, his figure turning into a streak of black lightning, slashing for Lin En’s exposed throat!
“How dare you! To harm one of my Academy—!!!”
A split second before impact!
A roar, filled with rage enough to burn the heavens and the sea, thundered with godlike authority!
Before the sound arrived, destruction had already descended!
BOOM—!!!!
A fireball more than two meters across, radiating an aura of all-consuming annihilation, crashed down like the hammer of divine judgment, tearing through the night sky and striking with pinpoint accuracy atop the Assassin’s head!
Its force was like a falling meteor!
The savage grin on the Assassin’s face hadn’t even transformed into terror before he and his Oblivion Dagger were swallowed whole by the crimson-gold inferno.
“Magma Hand! Rise—!”
The wrathful roar, like a deity’s pronouncement, echoed instantly!
The ground beneath the Dark Elf Crossbowwoman’s feet shuddered violently, splitting apart!
Solid rock melted like butter!
A colossal hand of molten magma erupted from the depths, surging upward like a reborn fire demon, breaking through the gates of the underworld!
Five fingers splayed wide, blotting out the sky, radiating terrifying heat and irresistible might as they closed inward!
“No—!!”
The Dark Elf Crossbowwoman could only utter a single, despairing scream.
Her wounded body and the heavy crossbow were crushed together like a helpless insect within the molten grip!
“Zzzzz—!”
The searing sound was unbearable!
The metal components of the heavy crossbow twisted, reddened, and dripped molten iron!
Her tattered leather armor and clothing instantly turned to ash, while exposed flesh carbonized under the intense heat!
Yet she did not die instantly—
At the last moment, the crushing force of the magma hand was expertly restrained, encasing her only in burning agony rather than complete obliteration!
This was not mercy, but a more savage torture and restraint!
The pain wracked her body with violent spasms; even her screams were distorted by the steam, reduced to hissing gasps like a living sacrifice thrown into a furnace!
BOOM!
A burly figure wreathed in blazing fire crashed down beside the Scorched Earth Pit like the incarnation of a fire god!
The raging flames instantly receded, revealing Vice Principal Morton’s face—beard and hair standing on end, contorted by fury and grief.
The forest fell into utter silence.
Fire crackled on charred wood in the distance, wind moaned through bare branches, and Lin En’s faint, ragged breaths, threatening to cease at any moment, became the most haunting sound in this hellish tableau.
Morton’s gaze swept over Lin En’s grievous wounds, lingering on the blinding Breaking Demon Arrow.
His pupils constricted.
He strode to the pit’s edge in a single step, dropping to one knee, pain and urgency warring on his ashen face.
Without hesitation, Morton’s left hand flashed to his chest, withdrawing a vial carved from pure, icy-blue crystal!
A gentle, ethereal glow pulsed within, visible even at the pit’s edge.
The slightest crack of the stopper unleashed a fresh, life-rich fragrance, instantly dispelling some of the blood and burning stench!
As the scent filled his lungs, Morton’s own turbulent rage eased slightly.
“Hang on, little one! This is the last of my Emerald Star Marrow!”
Morton’s voice was resolute, edged with anxiety and even a trace of pain.
But his movements were swift as wind—his thumb flicked the crystal stopper away!
Without a pause, Morton carefully pried open Lin En’s clenched jaw with his left hand, then brought the vial to Lin En’s bloodied lips, tilting his wrist—
Drip!
Drip!
The viscous, gel-like Emerald Star Marrow glimmered with a life-giving halo, slowly and preciously dripping down, each drop carrying the essence of an entire forest!
As it entered Lin En’s mouth, a visible wave of green light radiated from his lips, instantly spreading beneath his deathly pale skin!
Morton’s eyes grew heavy with concentration.
He held his breath, carefully pouring every last precious drop into Lin En’s mouth—wasting nothing!
Teacher Morton… has come…
Wei’er… is safe…
This thought flickered like the final light in darkness.
Endless night swallowed his consciousness, his last strength draining away, and he fell into the deepest unconsciousness.