The thread of tears broke, the droplets falling into Halloway’s open mouth.
The salty bitterness caused the red light in his artificial eye to flare up, exposing an almost manic excitement and fervor:
“Old Tian, hurry up! He’s almost finished!”
“I—know!” Every word was squeezed out from between Tanaka Hoshii’s clenched teeth, his voice a hoarse roar.
He put his whole weight into it, pressing the metal plate downward, but the trembling arms of the boy beneath him still resisted like steel bars, stubbornly holding off the sharpest tip from plunging in.
What on earth is this monster?
Tanaka Hoshii had lived for so many years, but it was his first time seeing a teenager with such terrifying physical strength.
In his panic, he suddenly drew back his fist and, with all his might, smashed it down onto his own left hand pressing on the metal.
Bang!
A tremendous, instant impact forced the metal plate further down, piercing the skin, blood gushing forth.
Bang!
Another punch!
This one even heavier, driving the wound another inch deeper.
Clearly, they had been struggling for a full minute in a suffocating stalemate.
Yet, as the pain grew, 498’s resistance only became fiercer.
His eyes were bloodshot, red veins spreading, his teeth clenched so tightly they creaked.
A desperate urge to survive ignited, and a surge of power brewed deep within his marrow, ready to erupt.
Tanaka Hoshii stared in horror as the metal was being bent and warped with a crunch, slowly rising under a force he could barely resist.
“Die, monster!” He lifted his fist again, putting all his strength into hammering down on the metal plate over his left hand.
If this punch landed, the metal would pierce straight into the boy’s heart, ending everything.
But in that instant, a fierce wind whipped up behind him— a metal Round Shield crashed down from above.
Clang!
The metal Round Shield, with the force of a thousand pounds, struck the back of Tanaka Hoshii’s head.
His eyes bulged wide, and hot blood streamed simultaneously from the corners of his eyes, ears, and nose.
His consciousness faded, and he crumpled limply to the side.
Crack!
In that instant, 498 crushed the radius bone in Tanaka Hoshii’s forearm, flinging him over ten meters away.
Immediately, he bent his right arm, driving a forceful elbow downwards at the one pressing him.
That powerful strike landed squarely on Halloway’s waist and abdomen, caving in his organs along with the flesh.
They turned to mush, hanging loosely like a sheet of sticky skin.
The agony caused Halloway to instantly lose all strength, letting 498 break free— and in turn, wrench both his arms out of their sockets.
Even as Halloway’s vision blurred, seeing a rapidly growing foot in front of him, he still couldn’t understand.
Why had the tide suddenly turned so drastically?
Splurt!
498 stomped and shattered Halloway’s skull.
He turned slowly, head cocked, looking at the blue-haired girl with the shield, who remained on guard.
Yun Ruoxi took a half step back, the arm shield crossed in front of her chest.
Drip, drip…
In the deathly silence, only the sound of blood drops hitting the ground could be heard, as the two faced off amid the heavy scent of blood for a full thirty seconds.
The crimson in 498’s eyes gradually faded, a trace of clarity replacing the previous savagery.
“219, you…” He hesitated, glancing down at his blood-covered hands, expression dazed.
What… just happened?
“I came to save you!” Yun Ruoxi cut in quickly, breaking 498’s train of thought.
“You—came to save me?” 498 frowned, scattered fragments of memory from his earlier frenzy slowly reassembling in his mind.
It seemed someone really had helped him, breaking the final punch from that black-haired man.
He looked at Tanaka Hoshii, who’d been flung more than ten meters away, his gaze unfocused.
But why did that guy fly so far? Was I always this strong?
498 stared at his own hands, lost in thought.
“I heard your cry for help. At times like these, we’re all trainees…” Yun Ruoxi flashed a sweet smile, appearing to lower her guard, though every muscle remained tense, “We should help each other.”
498 must have just awakened a portion of his Stellar bloodline, thus gaining a brief explosive boost.
Intense emotional stimulation is, after all, the best way for an ordinary person to awaken their Stellar bloodline.
And nothing brings a stronger emotional surge than brushing past death itself.
However, when someone first awakens their Stellar bloodline, they often suffer a short period of mental confusion due to the overwhelming psychological impact, falling into a state of bewilderment or even violence.
So Yun Ruoxi still had to keep her guard up against 498.
“I see.” 498 nodded in understanding. “Then, the Sinner’s Ear here—let’s split them between us?”
“Really?”
Yun Ruoxi was surprised by his generosity. After all, she had only dealt with one enemy from start to finish.
“Mhm!” Having just walked on the edge of life and death, 498 found himself suddenly less attached to material things. “You get three, I get three.”
He glanced at Yun Ruoxi, when suddenly, something caught his eye. His expression shifted slightly: “Watch out!”
The moment the words left his mouth—
Yun Ruoxi had already heard the faint rustling, and in a single smooth motion, she turned and raised her shield.
***
The next second.
A flash of cold white light sliced through the air.
Clang!
With a grating metallic screech, a powerful impact sent Yun Ruoxi flying five or six meters.
She curled up behind her shield, twisted in mid-air to regain her balance, and landed safely, cushioning the fall.
Except for the numb, throbbing pain in her right arm, she was almost unscathed.
But as Yun Ruoxi climbed to her feet—
A dark shadow had already rushed over, moving so quickly that even 498 in the distance could barely react.
Bang!
Yun Ruoxi barely raised her shield before the impact drove her to her knees, making her let out an involuntary muffled groan.
A grating, tooth-aching noise came from the surface of the shield.
Looking from the edge of the shield—
What slammed down on her shield was an enormous wolf paw. Behind that paw was the strange beast she had seen the previous night: its head crowned with tendrils, looking both like a wolf and a leopard.
The Wolf-Leopard Beast.
It must have been lurking nearby, drawn in either by the scent of blood or the pheromones.
What a troublesome creature.
Yun Ruoxi abruptly fell backward, using her legs to kick off hard and slip out from in front of the monster.
Then she rolled sideways several times, dodging the swift follow-up strikes of its deadly claws.
Dirt exploded near her ears as she rolled.
The beast tried to pursue, but 498 had already charged in.
Though he didn’t know the idiom “shared lips, shared teeth,” he understood the concept well enough.
498 felt overflowing with power. He clasped his fists together and leapt up, aiming to smash down on the monster’s waist.
Unexpectedly, the beast twisted and sprang backward, sending the airborne 498 flying with a well-timed swing of its rump.
He crashed painfully to the ground, ribs aching sharply. He wasn’t sure if any had broken.
Tap!
The Wolf-Leopard Beast landed, its ghostly green eyes fixing on 498, then it lunged at him, claws raised.
It looked like it wanted to finish him off with one blow.
Suddenly—
Whoosh!
A spinning Round Shield struck its forehead, carving a shallow gash before ricocheting off to the side.
Blue blood began to flow, soaking into its fur.
It whipped its head around.
Behind it, Yun Ruoxi squinted, her whole body radiating the aura of a powerful predator.
She crooked her finger: “Come on, big dog!”