The pink-haired girl sighed, then said with a hint of helplessness, “My name is Elia. I hope you can remember it.”
“Elia?” Ian touched his chin, searching his mind for any information about the name, but found nothing.
Seeing Ian’s furrowed brow, Elia gently pursed her lips, a flicker of disappointment flashing in her eyes before she quickly lifted them into a faint smile.
After a fruitless moment of searching, Ian gave up and turned his gaze to the massive light screen above.
The Sand Scorpion King’s grotesque giant claws were raised high, ready to smash down on Sophia and the others.
Meanwhile, Sophia and her group were covered in various wounds, looking battered and miserable from the Sand Scorpion King’s relentless assault.
“Princess, we can’t wait any longer. We have to escape now,” Kars shouted hoarsely at Sophia.
“If we don’t run now, we might not get another chance later.”
“Do not speak such words again. How could I watch those who saved me face the demons alone?” Sophia’s voice was resolute as she rebuked Kars.
Whatever the reason, she would not run.
Kars’ expression flickered with uncertainty.
His eyes darted between the Sand Scorpion King and Sophia’s determined face before he grit his teeth and steeled his resolve.
“Princess, you’re right. We cannot abandon Ian. But right now, it’s nearly impossible for us to withstand this Sand Scorpion King alone. If only someone could come to our aid, that would be best.”
Kars spoke to himself, his gaze subtly scanning the surroundings as if searching for something.
“So, Princess, let me go find reinforcements. You hold the line here for a while,” Kars raised his voice, his tone edged with urgency.
“Once I bring help, we will surely turn the tide.”
Sophia was momentarily stunned, barely having time to process his words before Kars suddenly spun around.
His feet seemed to touch the wind and fire as he darted away like a released arrow, vanishing in an instant.
“Right, why didn’t I think of that?” After Kars used the excuse of fetching reinforcements to escape, the others nearby echoed his sentiment.
They had long since wanted to leave.
If not for Sophia’s insistence on guarding Ian’s body, they would have fled ages ago.
“Wait for me, Kars! I want to find reinforcements too!”
Several young nobles abandoned Sophia and sprinted after Kars.
In the blink of an eye, the once barely holding formation crumbled into chaos, leaving only Sophia standing alone to face the Sand Scorpion King.
Behind her lay the unconscious Ian.
Sophia watched them leave without saying a word, despite their flimsy and unjustifiable reasons.
“Abandoned again…” she muttered softly.
She took a moment to gather her scattered emotions and concentrated the last of her blood energy into her hands.
Though she couldn’t activate any skills now, Sophia was prepared to exhaust every ounce of her potential in a desperate fight.
***
Meanwhile, inside the mysterious space, Ian clenched his fists tightly as he watched the scene before him.
After a brief moment of thought, he turned to Elia beside him, speaking in a low, urgent tone:
“I have to go back.”
Elia’s pink twin tails swayed gently with the breeze.
Her clear eyes reflected Ian’s anxious expression as she spoke seriously:
“Even if going back means you’ll die, are you willing? If you stay here, I can protect you.”
“Of course,” Ian said firmly.
“I can’t just stand by and watch Sophia sacrifice herself to protect me without doing anything.”
Then he felt his words were somewhat off: “Well, that’s mainly because I don’t want to owe her a favor.”
Elia’s lips curved into a faint, complicated smile.
“As expected, you’re still the same as before. It’s almost as if if you chose not to go back, you wouldn’t be yourself.”
“But I certainly won’t let you go back like that. Do you remember the Soulstone you found earlier?”
“Soulstone? What’s that? Could it be this?” Ian pulled out the stone engraved with Elia’s image.
“Yes, this very one. It contains a skill from my lifetime. Although with your current bloodline development, you can’t unleash its full power, it should be more than enough to handle a Sand Scorpion King.”
Elia took the Soulstone from Ian’s hand and studied it carefully.
“So it’s this skill?”
She looked surprised, as if recalling something, then smiled slightly.
But that smile sent a chill down Ian’s spine, making him feel uneasy all over.
After handing the Soulstone back and giving a brief warning, Elia’s form began to dissolve into fragments, vanishing along with the mysterious space.
Ian opened his eyes again and slowly rose to his feet.
The first thing that greeted his gaze was Sophia’s figure standing protectively before him.
He stared at her back; her small frame looked so fragile beneath the towering Sand Scorpion King.
Noticing movement behind her, Sophia turned around.
“Ian, you’re awake?”
Excitement laced her voice.
Despite the scars covering her body, her face wore a joyful smile.
“Go, run!” she urged.
“Leave this to me.”
Ian smiled, teasing, “Why would I let you have all the glory?”
At that moment, the Sand Scorpion King let out a deafening roar.
Its massive claws sliced through the air, descending towards Sophia.
Sophia had braced herself to take the blow, but unexpectedly, the attack halted mid-air.
Golden chains of light bound the Sand Scorpion King, as if tying up a crab.
The Sand Scorpion King roared in fury, struggling to break free, but it was useless.
Elia’s skill was not something this Sand Scorpion King could escape.
“Impressive,” Ian said.
The skill he used was called Lightbinding Art.
It summoned chains of light to restrain enemies.
The enemy couldn’t break free until Ian’s blood energy ran out.
But as the enemy struggled, Ian’s energy would drain rapidly.
“We can’t wait any longer. Sophia, take advantage of this moment to strike its weak spot—the gap between its two scales,” Ian warned, worried she might not know the Sand Scorpion King’s vulnerability.
Upon hearing Ian’s advice, Sophia immediately conjured flames in her hands and blasted the weak spot.
“Ugh!”
The Sand Scorpion King let out a miserable shriek as its massive body collapsed.
In the end, it dissolved into white specks that merged into Sophia’s talisman.
Ian, drained of blood energy, collapsed onto the sand.