Watching the situation take a sharp turn for the worse, Sean swiftly steeled himself. Realizing all was lost, he made an instant decision.

"Retreat! Run!" he yelled, simultaneously summoning his Corruption Artifact.

"Corruption Artifact—Storm Feather!"

A blood-red feather materialized in his palm. He snatched it up and swung hard.

*Whoosh—*

A violent gale erupted before them, its force stinging eyes shut and scattering the Loki Squad members.

"Go!!"

*Think you can run?*

Eyes closed, Meryl trusted her instincts. She raised her gun toward the sound and fired.

The bullet pierced the roaring wind. Through the howl, she sharply caught a muffled grunt.

*Hit!*

In that instant, a black figure nimbly vaulted over the wind barrier—and vanished.

Moments later, the wind died down. In the chaotic room, Sean and his two companions were gone. Only a fresh pool of blood remained—clearly from the gunshot wound. Bailian had also disappeared.

But Meryl wasn’t worried. She knew Bailian was already in pursuit.

"Pah! Those little brats ran damn fast!" Kaylo spat dust from his mouth, cursing.

"Hehe. Escape?" A fierce glint flashed in Meryl’s eyes. "Do you really think you can?"

"Kevin, Capier, Kaylo—you three, go. Work with Bailian. Leave none of them alive."

"Huaxia is a fine place. Since you refused to be dogs in South America… stay here forever."

"Roger that, boss!"

Without another word, the trio took off.

"Speaking of which, Akiko," Jin Xuanwen finally turned to her with a light sigh, "you truly left us speechless."

Meryl’s suppressed curiosity flared. She studied Akiko, puzzled. "Yeah. I thought you were bluffing. Never expected you actually had an ace up your sleeve."

"How did you do it? What *was* that black light?"

"Who knows?" Akiko played coy.

"Perhaps—" She winked mischievously, a hint of cunning in her eyes. "It really *was* my Lord God."

—

That shadow was, of course, Ming Yi.

From the start—while Meryl’s team battled Ravagers fiercely in the pit—Sean’s group had already slipped behind Akiko and taken her hostage. Ming Yi wanted to intervene, but revealing himself then would’ve been suicide. So he stayed hidden, trailing silently.

When Sean brought Akiko into the room to confront Meryl, Ming Yi observed quietly from a nearby wall’s shadow. As Sean grew more aggressive, the situation turned dire. Even after long, furrowed thought, Ming Yi saw no way out.

Then Akiko spoke—and shifted everything.

At first, he was baffled by her calm composure. But as her words unfolded, realization dawned.

*That trump card… was me.*

He should’ve guessed sooner. Akiko’s Insight Mirror detected Blood Essence and Corruption Artifact auras—she must’ve spotted him long ago. For whatever reason, she stayed silent. That silence saved her life.

Her cryptic remarks were deliberate: to lull enemies, divert attention to Loki Squad, and create an opening for Ming Yi’s strike.

No denying it—Miss Akiko was bold. Even Ming Yi doubted his control over his own Corruption Artifact—that shapeless blood. Yet she staked her life on a rookie’s first attempt. He couldn’t help but admire her courage.

With no choice, he gritted his teeth. Bit his finger. Slowly coaxed a blood droplet to hover. It wobbled unsteadily, trembling on the edge of collapse—terrifying him.

*Please, bro… don’t fail me now,* he whispered inwardly.

The moment Akiko called upon her "Lord God," instinct took over. He sent the droplet flying toward Mia.

It worked. The droplet didn’t even graze her skin—but the impact knocked the dagger loose. One precious second bought.

—

Up to that point, Akiko’s gamble had paid off exactly as planned.

What happened next, she never knew.

The instant the blood shot out, Ming Yi swayed. His entire presence shifted. His face turned cold and hard as stone in a frozen wasteland. His pupils dimmed almost imperceptibly. In a breath—he was someone else.

While Sean activated his Corruption Artifact to flee, Ming Yi had already slipped away—silent, ghostlike. Even Bailian, chasing after, found no trace.

—

Two kilometers south of the White Bloodsource site, Sean and his companions slumped panting atop rubble.

"Damn it… What *was* that thing that ruined everything?!" Sean’s rage boiled over. *So close!* One step from making her yield—then plummeting from heaven to hell. Mia was shot. No Blood Essence to heal her. And in panic, he’d fled *south*—straight opposite the helicopter.

Trapped. No way out.

"Damn… gotta scrounge up some Blood Essence," he muttered.

"Fool."

Li Xiaoming’s voice cut through the air, ice-cold.

"Hah? You yellow-skinned brat—looking for a fight?!" Sean whirled, fury exploding—

—but froze mid-turn. A sharp pain pierced his chest.

Clutching his wound in disbelief, he watched the boy slowly withdraw the dagger from his heart. Warm blood sprayed across his face.

Mia screamed in horror.

"I thought following you might teach me something about living on the edge," Li Xiaoming said calmly. "Turns out you’re just a fraud. A waste of space."

"This young master has no interest in playing house with you anymore."

Sean collapsed, eyes locked on the boy with venomous hatred until his last breath.

The boy wiped blood from his delicate face, leaving crimson smears across his features. He smiled—a gentle angel who’d just stepped out of hell.