The ghoul leapt as it reached the edge of the arena, soaring five or six meters—high enough to clear the protective barrier and draw dangerously close to the noble spectators.
If the ghoul managed to escape into the stands, it would surely cause a bloody massacre. The nobles, already staring at the terrifying figure of the ghoul closing in, were stricken with fear, screaming and shoving each other in panic, each desperate to flee, plunging the scene into utter chaos.
“Thank you all.” Bai Ya stood with her back to the girl and Master Luo, her gaze calm as she looked ahead. “Now, please watch my battle with a smile and complete peace of mind. This will be my final fight.”
“I won’t let you down. I will become your hope.”
“As you wish!”
Bai Ya forced her near-broken body to run, charging straight toward the ghoul. She bit her lip, enduring the pain ravaging her, and as she passed a spear wedged in a crack between the stones, she stretched out her left hand and pulled it free, weighing it once or twice before gripping it tightly.
Normally, with her speed, there was no way she could catch up to the ghoul, especially when the monster had acted first. If he managed to escape this arena, it would be nearly impossible to kill him.
But what a pity! Bai Ya had already seen the ghoul’s end—there was no way he could escape! She waited for that moment to appear. When it did, she would unleash her most frenzied attack upon him!
So there was only one thing she needed to do now: move forward! Keep moving forward! The straight-line distance between Bai Ya and the ghoul was shrinking fast.
“I’m so happy!” The girl watched Bai Ya’s distant figure, tears dropping to the ground without her noticing, yet her face was alight with a joyful smile. At this very moment, she felt truly blessed, tears streaming down her face as she smiled.
She believed in Bai Ya with all her heart, believed every word spoken by this girl whose image was deeply rooted in her own soul.
Bai Ya was her hope. The girl was utterly certain of it.
The singing continued, and Master Luo closed his eyes, listening intently. An easy smile, even he didn’t realize, crept onto his face.
After quietly feeling it out, he sensed a subtle connection between himself and Bai Ya. It seemed the song being played in the arena was related to her. Though he didn’t know how she managed it, even the ghoul had chosen to flee from her, and with himself unable to fight, everything from here on would be left to her! To him! And to their great savior!
He believed Bai Ya could take him toward a future full of possibilities! He wouldn’t die here—as long as he followed her, he could keep going!
“She gained power from an unknown source, whether magic or martial skill, her true nature remains a mystery.” Lunhui Tianqi kept a close watch on Bai Ya’s every move. Though her face hadn’t changed expression from its deathly, icy calm since earlier, Lunhui Tianqi’s own heart couldn’t stay tranquil.
Especially with her master, Liu Miweng, gripping her hand tightly, passing along his own anxious excitement. Affected by him, the normally indifferent and desireless Tianqi—who cared nothing for life or value, who felt nothing—found herself deeply interested in Bai Ya for the very first time.
Liu Miweng had staked everything on Bai Ya. It seemed a ludicrous, even laughable, gamble. Yet now, the situation appeared to favor Bai Ya. Even the gold-rank ghoul was fleeing in panic!
In that case, Liu Miweng’s all-or-nothing gamble was just as unbelievable as Bai Ya herself, this slave who had created an astonishing turn of events!
While focusing on Bai Ya, Lunhui Tianqi also kept a small part of her attention on the ghoul stirring up chaos in the stands. That gold-rank magical beast, the nobles’ pet glutton, was nothing to the task. Chief Guard Ya Cang watched impassively, making no move to intercept. In that case, she had no choice but to protect Liu Miweng. As soon as the ghoul set foot within her guard perimeter, he would be killed in an instant!
“Someone! Someone, help!”
“All of you, get up there! Stop him!”
“I can’t die! I can’t die! Get out of the way! Don’t block me!”
Never had the nobles, who came to the arena for gladiatorial shows, imagined they would one day face a ghoul head-on, feeling the terror of being devoured at close range. In their panic, they ordered their guards to stop the invading monster, but the sight of torn flesh and blood everywhere left them speechless with fear.
At this moment, the ghoul was utterly blood-crazed. He killed everyone in his path, whether guard or noble—humans were nothing but cheap food! Out of his way!
The ghoul could feel Bai Ya’s life force drawing near, a presence that filled him with dread—he wanted nothing to do with it! This fight had gone from a meal to his own execution! He needed to escape!
Slashing a bloody path, the ghoul couldn’t even spare time to feast on fresh corpses. He didn’t even have time to lick the fragrant blood on their faces. All he saw were people—damnable people! To escape, he had to keep killing, keep slaughtering his way to the outer gate!
After biting off the head of another gold-rank guard, the ghoul noticed something strange: the humans’ panicked cries were growing quiet, and soon he could only hear the beautiful song of a girl praising hope.
Realizing this odd change, he looked up and saw everyone had stopped running. They stood in place, shivering, not daring to make a sound or utter a word.
The ghoul let out a low growl and was about to continue his rampage, but the crowd before him parted, opening a path. At the end stood a grim-faced blond man, exuding kingly authority with every gesture.
“Get down there! Kill her!” Arthur pointed coldly at the ghoul and commanded. This infuriated the ghoul—after all his struggle, how could he possibly go back?
Mere food, daring to give him orders!
In a blur, the ghoul appeared before Arthur, jaws agape, aiming to bite off his head. He would kill this arrogant human first!
“Ghoul intelligence really is the lowest among magical beasts. That is His Highness, Prince of Amidal,” Ya Cang sighed, palm to his forehead. His decision to stand by would certainly bring punishment when he returned home. Still, he couldn’t resist watching the show—serves him right.
He hoped the ghoul would come to a miserable end; that would at least balance out his mood.
Just as the ghoul was about to bite off Arthur’s head, his movement suddenly halted. He tried again and again, swelling his muscles to unleash terrifying power and break the unseen restraint, but it was no use.
A black-haired girl in an inky dress slowly stepped out from behind Arthur, a mass of viscous darkness swirling in her palm, her eyes cold as she fixed the frozen, jaw-locked ghoul in her gaze.
“Spare his life,” Arthur ordered coldly, not even glancing at the Shadow Spider beside him.
Before the words had fully left his mouth, the darkness in the Shadow Spider’s hand expanded, forming a giant black-armored limb behind her. It swept in a sharp arc, cleaving the ghoul’s chest! The blow shattered his skin and sent him flying into the arena sky!
Only now did the ghoul understand: for Arthur, killing him would be as easy as flicking a finger.
What terrifying beings had he offended!
The ghoul crashed to the ground, raising a cloud of dust and sand. Even so, he was not dead—the impact was nothing to him. What chilled him to the bone, though, was the bleeding gash on his chest, and the fact that his steel bones and iron skin were useless against the Shadow Spider’s attack!
“Well, well! I’ve been fed up with this for ages! You come with resurrection and leveling-up buffs? You must be from Europe! European spy! Eat my spear!”
With a shout, Bai Ya hurled her spear at the ghoul as she continued her charge, now less than five meters away. She’d already predicted his failed escape, and felt gratified for having chosen the right path. She had no intention of giving the ghoul time to recover. Strike while he’s down!
The ghoul nearly failed to block the spear thrust at his head. His mind was a mess. As the spearhead grazed his cheek and drew blood, he exploded in rage at Bai Ya’s taunt. All his pent-up frustration boiled over. He no longer bothered to think, even with his few remaining scraps of intelligence. If he was going to die, he’d take Bai Ya with him!
Death if he ran, death if he stayed—enough with the arrogance, you food!
The furious ghoul twisted the spearhead into a lump of scrap metal with ease and let out a roar, swinging his giant claw at Bai Ya. Just one hit! One strike, and he’d smash this human into mincemeat!
“I’m switching to blade stance!” With only two meters left between her and the ghoul, Bai Ya drew a long blade from a crack between the bricks, slashing at the ghoul’s hand, her eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit!
The raised blade blocked the ghoul’s left hand, but his other massive hand aimed straight for her skull! Wait, that was her mistake! The ghoul thought he finally saw hope of killing Bai Ya!
He was thinking far too much! He could never understand the conviction that had driven Bai Ya this far! He could never comprehend why Bai Ya had grown so strong!
“And now, shield stance!” Bai Ya kicked up a rattanwood shield lying on the ground, raised her right arm—this limb, missing its hand and only a bare stump, slipped through the spinning, flipping shield’s leather at the critical moment and fixed it atop her head!
The ghoul’s twin strikes were thus rendered useless—Bai Ya blocked them all with her weapons!
“Dual class—are you scared yet?”
It wasn’t over! As she blocked every attack, Bai Ya used the shield to knock aside the ghoul’s right hand, and with the opening, let her blade sweep across the ghoul’s left hand and slice straight into his chest, deepening the Shadow Spider’s wound!
What an extraordinary counterattack! For a moment, everyone watching was utterly stunned!
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