"There's that annoying guy's scent on you." Ledux suddenly appeared and, after Qiuyan was sent flying backwards, spoke these words before quickly launching an attack ahead. Qiuyan had just been kicked in the face by Kasha, coughed up some blood, and now found herself facing another opponent up close.
Even though her vision was becoming blurry, Qiuyan continued to wield her sword towards her opponent. Faced with her onslaught, Ledux didn't meet her head-on, but instead dodged to the side, allowing his partner behind him to assist.
Ledux moved aside, and then Kasha stepped forward behind him, bringing down a heavy axe onto the blade of the short sword. Enduring the heat emanating from the opponent's weapon, Qiuyan was about to counterattack when Ledux, standing nearby, raised his fist and struck.
Bang! Qiuyan's abdomen was hit, a hint of blood ran down her mouth, and Kasha followed up with an elbow strike. Just as the strong wind hit, Qiuyan dodged to the side. Her steps retreated continuously, just avoiding the enemy's reach when a magical beam shot towards her.
Thud! After enduring the third direct hit, Qiuyan's body slammed against the wall behind her; cracks spread across its surface, and her body then slid down and collapsed on the ground. In a one-on-one fight, whether Ledux or Kasha, neither possessed the strength to defeat Qiuyan.
If they adopted a tag team approach, Qiuyan would at least be able to stand against the second opponent after defeating the first, despite exhausting herself greatly. However, whether in solo or tag team combat, they were all just hypothetical scenarios.
The opponent employed the most efficient and despicable encircling tactic; instead of initially sending out both main forces, they waited until halfway through the battle to have a hidden powerhouse strike suddenly, a despicable sneak attack.
The Murin soldiers watching on the sidelines shouted excitedly, accusing the enemy and the demon race of colluding and using underhanded tricks. Filled with righteous indignation but lacking the power to help, the weaker ones could only watch as their savior figure had her body lifted by the enemy, feet forced off the ground.
External force pressed against her neck, icy nails piercing her skin as if to slit her veins. Gasping for air, Qiuyan involuntarily released her hands, dropping her short swords with a clang. She grasped desperately at the hand Ledux had grabbed, trying to pull it away with all her might, but his hand, like a sharp claw, held firm at her delicate neck without any sign of letting go.
Ledux's tightened fingers felt like sharp blades piercing her throat, causing immense pain with every movement. *Cough, cough, cough!* Her legs swayed in the air, her body continuously making cracking noises from the pressure. Unable to draw enough air into her lungs, her lips emitted groans several times, her wide eyes turning bloodshot.
As Ledux increased the pressure on her throat, her fragile windpipe slowly distorted. Her face turned ghastly pale all at once, her consciousness drifting rapidly, not knowing where it wandered off to. In a deep and unfamiliar mansion, a girl with her exact appearance reached out to a young boy. "Thank you for being my friend, thank you!" The girl repeated those words.
Facing the girl, the young boy, lacking experience in handling such situations, didn't know how to react. Suddenly, the scene shifted, and a hissing sound echoed in Qiuyan's ears; her consciousness felt shrouded in a sandstorm.
Shortly after, a figure gradually emerged from the blurred surroundings. After a while, the figure took on the form of a girl dressed in white. In front of the girl, the white-clad girl swung her blade down.
*Puchi!* The white-clad girl cut her own skin on the arm, allowing the blood to drip onto the girl's lips from the blade. With a condescending tone, she conveyed her thoughts to the girl: "I don't want you to die. Let my blood help you survive and it might feel good to live this way..."
The intermittent scenes disappeared, and the palms of Qiuyan, resisting until the end, finally drooped helplessly. *Why am I alive?* This question echoed in her heart for a long time. With fading eyes, no choice remained but to gaze up at the colorless sky. A tear rolled down her cheek.
In the next moment...
