"Tsk. What a cockroach that won’t die." I clicked my tongue at the burning shards strewn over the ice, little coals sparking like fireflies on a winter pond.

The flames that first licked the ice spread outward like a prairie fire in a dry wind. Bloodflame ate anything it touched, turning the world it passed into a wick.

Even so, the ice refused to melt, stubborn as a glacier under noon sun.

"Qianya, I’ll carry you. We need to move. That thing needs a bit more time to break free."

"Mm… the barrier’s exit is over there…"

"Got it." I slipped an arm under her knees and another behind her back in a princess carry. Easier to maneuver… and faster to run.

"By the way, Qianya, how’d he catch you? I never felt a fourfold Blood Rage off him. He shouldn’t have been able to."

"I… sigh. I was cracking the barrier. I only set a small ward and didn’t watch my surroundings. Then he hit me out of nowhere, like a falling star."

"…"

"Tangxue? What’s wrong?"

"Nothing…"

Boom!

A thunderclap split our words. Then another. And another, like war drums rolling through fog.

The ice blocks shattered completely, but the Vampire didn’t appear. What oozed out was a mass of red, viscous, bubbling filth. It moved like it had a pulse. It smeared itself over everything it touched to grow, spreading like mold after rain. It was fast. In moments, a burning giant of blood hauled itself upright, roared like a furnace, and thundered toward us.

"Didn’t expect that… damn. Might be too late. It already sprinted ahead and cut off the exit…"

"My god, what even is that!"

"Is that something a human can fight?"

"Why did you two come after us…"

"She dragged me…"

"Liar! You came willingly!"

"I—" Yanfengle glanced at Ye Muhan’s death glare and swallowed the rest.

"Don’t freeze—run! That thing’s on our tail!"

"Ahhh—help!"

"Run? With this young lady here? Watch this—Holy Light Bulwark!"

A huge golden bulwark flared up and stopped the blood giant’s charge. Its red feet hammered the gold and hissed white steam, like rain on hot iron.

"Heh-heh. Knew it couldn’t break—"

The giant lifted its right hand, borrowed force off the ground, and smashed the bulwark. Cracks raced across the gold like spiderwebs blown in by a cold wind.

"Uh, Holy Maiden, something’s not right…"

"…"

"You don’t say…"

"Run!"

"I’ll open the road for ya!"

"Stop engraving every meme into your DNA, idiot!"

We bolted at once, but the shockwave still hit us like a tidal bore and scattered us like autumn leaves.

"Ugh—Qianya!" Somewhere in the chaos, the towering giant collapsed into a mountain of blood-sludge, steam curling off it like breath in winter. It surged toward Qianya with disgusting speed.

"No good. Too little water essence. I can’t blink over…"

No time to plot. Two choices. One, run. Two, save Qianya and… improvise.

That heap of gore felt wrong, like a giant stomach trying to swallow the world.

My body was already moving. Using my gun as a pole, I vaulted, caught Qianya’s hand just before the sludge could reach her.

"Idiot, get away! You’ll die!"

"If I go, we go. I’m not listening to you." I puffed my cheeks and glared at her.

"You…" Qianya was speechless. Of all times to act cute.

She yanked off her space ring and forced it onto Qingsheng Tangxue’s pinky. "Stop throwing your life away, little fool…"

"Qian—" White light flashed, and I vanished.

"…Haah." Qianya sighed. If she hadn’t been forced, she wouldn’t have done it. The gap in power was a canyon. Even together, we couldn’t handle this blood giant. When he burned his blood, she had no way to fight back.

Better one life than two. Maybe that girl could avenge her someday. That would count as fulfilling her wish.

The red sludge rolled closer at last. It seemed to leer at Qianya, like it mocked her struggling wings.

Qianya ignored it. She lowered her head and looked at the necklace in her hand—the one that girl shoved on her before vanishing.

Even now, she couldn’t bear to let go of that silly girl. The girl who made her heart stutter at first sight. The girl who kept helping, while she planned only to use her. Qianya lost her parents young. No one ever told her what love was. Even after moving in with her aunt, she didn’t understand. From other people’s mouths she learned that “love” was just two different sexes of the same race doing that thing and then catching feelings. Or maybe feelings born over time.

But after peeking at the dirty magazines hidden under her aunt’s bed, she decided she didn’t like that kind of love. Boring.

She couldn’t bring herself to like those gentle saints.

Until she met this girl…

A flash of blue, and the blue-haired girl appeared again like a wave returning to shore.

"Mm-hm. Too far that time. Got a little dizzy…"

Qianya sighed helplessly. "You came back again…"

"Why wouldn’t I? I’m not scared of him!"

"…Reckless."

Her mouth said one thing, but inside, her heart felt light as lanterns.

Noticing the bluehead’s return, the burning sludge grew restless. It heaved its heavy, sticky bulk and lowered itself to crush the seated Qianya like a falling tar roof.

"Go, now…" Qianya pushed at the girl in front of her. She was too weak to move even a little loli.

After a few failed shoves, Qianya gave up. "Tangxue… you shouldn’t have come back."

"Hmph. Even if you push me away, I’ll blink right back!"

Qianya suddenly remembered something. She raised the necklace in her hand. "Is it because of this?"

"Who knows~"

"So willful." Qianya clasped the necklace back around my neck.

"Even if I wanted you gone, I don’t have the strength. My mana won’t answer…"

"Then let’s go together~"

"…?"

"Of course—after we kill him."

I lifted my head and met the incoming wave of sludge with a grin. The instant it dropped to crush us, an invisible field unfolded and wrapped us both like clear glass.