Picturing herself streaking naked in front of hundreds of players in the newbie village, Bai Xia’s face went deathly pale—then she snapped back. “Wait… what the hell am I thinking? Since when did ‘can’t get married’ become a thing?!”
The man shot a speechless glance at the girl nearby. Was she just too carefree, or a few cards short of a full deck? How could she zone out *now*?
He opened his mouth—but there was no time. The overwhelming firestorm was already upon them, seconds from swallowing both alive.
No hesitation. Tianzheng slammed his greatsword into the earth. Frost surged outward, crystallizing into an icy shield that sealed him and Bai Xia safely inside.
The Frost Greatsword’s skill was versatile: it could lock down foes or form a temporary barrier to protect allies.
But the moment the firestorm struck the ice shield, cracks spiderwebbed across its surface. It held for barely a second before shattering into glittering shards!
Short as it was, Bai Xia seized the chance. She and Tianzheng scrambled backward, putting precious distance between them and the inferno.
“You still haven’t answered me! Why’d you run *here*? Go the other way!” she yelled while retreating.
Tianzheng didn’t look at her. “You planned to sacrifice yourself—let me create distance, defeat it, and finish the quest. Right?”
“Then *run sideways*, you idiot!”
“Sorry. I can’t.” Tianzheng shook his head. “Friends live and die together. And… I couldn’t just watch a girl get killed by a monster.”
*Live and die together my ass!* You’d be “living and dying” just fine—but *I’d* be streaking in front of who-knows-how-many people! “Couldn’t bear it”? How’s *watching me streak* not unbearable?!
…Okay, honestly, it wasn’t Tianzheng’s fault. He had no idea what “punishment” awaited Bai Xia if the trial failed. To him, it was just a failed quest.
And if victory required her sacrifice? He’d scorn even the only path to win. When had he ever needed a girl to die for him to clear a game? Losing was losing—but abandoning a teammate to save his own skin? Never.
(Truth be told, without her magical DPS, he had zero confidence taking down the Lava Colossus. Its physical defense was *terrifying*. Hack away slowly? He’d break his sword first.)
If Bai Xia knew his thoughts, she’d give him a thumbs-up… then kick him *hard*.
“Pro, can’t your survival instinct be *stronger*? My entire future’s riding on you!”
…Though, thinking about it now felt pointless.
Staring at the fiery whirlwind—five seconds from fading, but more than enough to reduce them both to ash—Bai Xia suddenly felt calm.
*Whatever. If I respawn, I’ll log off immediately and never touch this trash game again.*
Still… one last struggle.
With a sharp burst of strength, just before the flames swallowed her, she planted a solid kick on the man’s backside. Caught off guard, Tianzheng tumbled face-first into the dirt.
In that final moment, Bai Xia gazed gently at him, offering a saintly, pure smile.
“Bro… this is all I can do. Live on with my best wishes… Huh?”
Flames engulfed her—but no death notification came. No trial-end prompt either.
Because Bai Xia wasn’t hurt. Not a single point of damage.
The instant the fire touched her—no, touched the *Shura Deathbind*—her quiet sailor uniform roared to life like an awakened ancient beast, erupting in viscous black light.
Black shouldn’t be a color of light… yet this *was* light. A darkness that shone.
It split like a maw, swirling into a vortex that devoured every flame. The Lava Colossus’s whirlwind—meant to rage seconds longer—vanished in an instant.
But it wasn’t over. As the Lava Colossus stood frozen in confusion, the black light swelled violently. Then, right before Bai Xia, the vanished firestorm reformed—
—and slammed straight into the unprepared giant.
Flames swallowed the Lava Colossus again, this time wrenching a guttural roar from it. Ten full seconds of burning carved a massive chunk from its health bar, already down by a third. Worse: it had *lost its Flame Power* for the next thirty minutes. No Lava Cannonballs. No burn aura. No ultimate skill.
Meanwhile, the Shura Deathbind quietly settled back into its ordinary sailor uniform.
“What… the hell was that?”
Bai Xia stared at her clothes—relieved she was saved, overjoyed she wouldn’t streak… yet utterly bewildered.
Her eyes snagged on the item description: *“10% chance to perfectly evade attacks when hit; 5% chance to reflect double damage.” Did… this save me?!*
She’d dismissed it as near-useless—meant for tanks, not her glass-cannon self. She’d never dared gamble on 10% or 5%.
Yet *this*—the very trait she almost ignored—yanked her back from the abyss at the last second.
The double-reflected ultimate shattered even the Lava Colossus’s resistance. Now below half health, stripped of Flame Power… victory was sealed.
“We’ve won.”
At that moment, even if Bai Xia hated skirts and sailor uniforms, she’d hug the Shura Deathbind and kiss it twice.
*So powerful!*
And if anyone was feeling the pain right now? Undoubtedly Tianzheng—clutching his sore waist as he pushed himself up from the dirt.
