Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Unlike regular users of magic guns, once Ye Chuxue goes all out, she is able to fire continuously, the drawback being it consumes a lot more power in the process.

She fired five shots and launched five bullets; in the meantime, Wang Xiaole remained suspended in midair, his sword temporarily unable to be used elsewhere.

However, even before the girl raised her magic gun, Wang Xiaole knew he had to deal with her consecutive attacks, so he began chanting at that very moment.

Just as the bullets were about to hit him, the chant ended, displaying his impeccable timing.

A elemental shield hung in front of him, appearing fragile as paper. But to Ye Chuxue, a hint of fear flashed through her eyes.

The one who knows best whether a defense is strong or weak is the enemy. Due to this hostile position, Ye Chuxue more than ever was well aware of the young man's capabilities.

From her standpoint, that shield shouldn't be easily broken. In battle, it’s best not to attempt inferior strategies unless absolutely necessary.

Ye Chuxue understood this principle very well, and what followed adhered to her consistent fighting style.

Just as Wang Xiaole had anticipated, at that moment the five bullets changed trajectories, dispersing in different directions.

Having predicted this in advance, there was a way to counter it. Under the control of the caster, the edges of the elemental shield on the left and right began to ripple like water waves on its surface, extending towards the sides the moment the bullets came close.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

As the bullets collided with the shield, they made the same number of impact sounds, like peas breaking out of their pods and falling to the ground.

Thus far, all of Ye Chuxue's proactive attacks had been promptly neutralized by Wang Xiaole; consequently, the control of the battle gradually shifted to him.

Ye Chuxue showed no signs of panic when falling behind in the battle; instead, a smile gradually deepened in her eyes, as if admiring her opponent.

Feeling awkward under the gaze of the opposite sex, Wang Xiaole sensed that his previous self would not have reacted in such a manner. However, his physical movements did not slow down.

Upon landing, he swung his sword forcefully, striking the dragon tail beyond his line of sight.

At that moment, the only obstacle left to impede the sword’s edge was a pair of dragon wings.

Wang Xiaole swiftly spun his right hand, using a vertical chop motion to cut through the barrier just within arm's reach; before he even made contact, a long narrow crack appeared on the ground beneath the sword's edge.

Knowing she couldn't directly block the sword strike, Ye Chuxue then made her move; she made her holy-powered wings shine brightly, generating a gust of wind whirling in the area.

Hissing!

The black sword missed its mark and left an almost convincing afterimage in Wang Xiaole's eyes, causing him to blink.

Looking up, he saw Ye Chuxue soaring in midair, possessing the ability to fly without relying on magic.

The most skilled user of holy power in the Eastern Continent was his opponent in this battle!

But that wasn’t all; Ye Chuxue had managed to stay in the fight despite being at a disadvantage, relying to some extent on the power of a forbidden curse.

A magic gun enhanced by a forbidden curse posed a danger far beyond ordinary firearms. Without enough information at hand, Wang Xiaole relied more on analysis to pinpoint the curse’s weaknesses.

In the midst of their brief confrontation, a recollection struck him:

While facing off against the Kingdom's army, the bullets fired by Ye Chuxue had pierced through their armor, killing targets without damaging the armor itself.

Due to the enhancement of the curse, no sturdy armor could hinder the magic gun she wielded.

Awareness of this fact drove Ye Chuxue to nonchalantly tell a Kingdom army captain she was facing down, “You aren’t that close!”

Wang Xiaole vividly remembered the captain deflecting a bullet aimed at him by pulling out a heavy sword from his waist in the nick of time, a feat thought to be impossible.

While he had attempted similar actions before, the outcome had been different for him: the bullets were weakened, forcing him to rely on swift swordplay to slice them in half.

The way the same gun was dealt with by different targets varied greatly. To explain this unusual phenomenon, there was only one possible conclusion: while targeting the captain, Ye Chuxue had not fully utilized the forbidden curse’s power, opting instead to unleash only a portion of its effects.

Though initially believed otherwise, after observing for some time, he reasoned out that Ye Chuxue’s forbidden curse had at least two effects:

1. “Diversion”: alters the trajectory of a bullet once the trigger is pulled;

2. “Armor Breaker”: renders all defensive measures for the target ineffective.

When facing the captain, Ye Chuxue had only changed the bullet’s path rather than including the “Armor Breaker” feature.

Had she used the full force of the curse against him, the captain would have unconsciously swung his sword, only for the bullets to dissolve, allowing them to penetrate his body.

If she had taken the fight seriously from the start, it would have ended there.

This was a fact; the captain never knew, ever thinking he was just a step away from defeating his enemy, the truth forever eluding him.

Wang Xiaole himself had experienced the same treatment recently which was essential for him to understand the specific effect of “Armor Breaker.”

The magic bullet shot by the black sword, though formed of holy power, still inflicted physical damage; and because the magic gun couldn't render magical defenses ineffective, Ye Chuxue adapted the bullets to bypass the elemental shield.

Upon reaching this conclusion, Wang Xiaole couldn’t help but feel grateful that he wasn’t solely a swordsman; otherwise, facing such an opponent as the girl would have severely limited his options.

“Congratulations, Xiaojun, you guessed right… same as I thought, you are top tier even among the big countries, and shouldn't waste your talent on a small nation,” the girl spoke in a casual tone.

“Better my own thatched cottage than a palace of gold or silver! Your advice, Xiaoye, won't work. I will forever be a Dibiles person,” Wang Xiaole responded with gratefulness, as if she were trying to kill his fighting spirit by poaching their employees from their boss.

If it was a challenge like that, he would reject it a hundred times for sure, but if she used a confessional tone just now, he couldn’t help but remain silent.

An incredible type of feeling. Before their date, she had confessed to him, and at that time, he felt as if he had been watching horror movies all night long. But once he decided to oppose her, becoming her enemy, the residual fear in his heart gradually turned back to its original state; not fear or any emotion, but an indescribable and complex feeling.

There was something he wanted to say at the first meeting, but kept it to himself, and it wasn't likely to be told to anyone in the future. He buried those dozen words deep in his heart until they decayed, and his mind echoed that voice of doubt unique to him; every time he used that name for her, or heard her voice, a figure would surface in his subconscious. That figure looked like him but would say the words he never uttered and ask questions he never asked.

Little did she realize, as she flapped her wings, the water elements in the room were gradually being transformed into ice elements under the boy's control; due to their dispersed nature, the many small ice crystals remained inconspicuous for the time being.