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“Careful!” Jiyan held her beneath the shoulder, safeguarding Yangyang from tumbling off into the void from the high platform they were on.
There was a hint of worry on his face, his strong jaws were clenched in trepidation as he diverted some attention to the void that she nearly fell into. He couldn’t help the chill that ran down his spine but what he did manage was to hide it from the two women accompanying him.
Rover looked back hastily at his words, rushing toward Yangyang who he had just released from his grip. A small red mark on her right arm, Rover glanced at him, and to his credit, he did not show an embarrassed look.
“My apologies,” He coughed and looked up toward the titan of rocks in the sky.
“Pay no mind,” Yangyang chuckled as she reached into her pocket to retrieve a med-pack that she quickly injected into the area to abate the the severity of the wound as a temporary relief measure.
Due to the current importance of the task at hand, which was combating the Threnodian of War in front of their eyes, she could not administer proper treatment to herself.
“Tacet Discords,” Rover whispered, staring behind them. A number of Tacet Discords of all types began to make their way up toward the small platform they were on.
For a moment they looked at each other, Yangyang took a step forward toward the TDs but Jinyan hurriedly grabbed her shoulder. This time, his grip was lighter but it did not make him seem any less tense.
“I have to do this,” Yangyang didn’t look at him, prioritizing her preparation for battle instead.
Jiyan opened his mouth but silence danced about on his tongue; his worries grew louder, and Yangyang turned toward his direction. She looked at Rover, who was anxiously looking all around them while still trying to maintain her nonchalant look.
“Take the General away, I should be fine to buy time here…”
“There are too many, you—”
“I am fine. On the other hand, you all have a single chance to take down Ovathrax,” Yangyang closed her eyes, “I am fine.”
“General,” Rover said, hesitant and Jiyan found himself at an impasse. He could not stay, due to his strength and expertise he had to go up there but…
He didn’t want that!
He didn’t wish to leave her behind!
He knew what happened to those who were left behind. Alone. Waiting. For a savior, a relief.
All in vain.
The warmth of humanity didn’t extend its grace to a lone battlefield. There was only corpses and regret. Was he supposed to stare regret in the face one more time…?
On her behalf…
“We are not weak,” She placed her hand on his shoulders with him unconsciously lowering himself to accommodate for her smaller stature. Noticing but not dwelling on the small gesture except for a small smile, she continued to say, “My Forte Examination Report is proof that I have the power to fight back. And…”
She stared up at him, her lips, pink and glistening, moved softly. The words she spoke gliding into his ears, “You’ll be back soon right…?”
“I…” His eyes unfocused, Yangyang took this opportunity to push him toward Rover as she jumped toward another floating rock.
His eyes widened as he steadied himself, “Yangyang you—”
“General Jiyan we must move, time is of the essence,” Rover said as she looked at the floating Threnodian in the air.
[Beep!]
[Mortefi: She is right. Please guide us to where we need to shoot the Disruption Canon.]
Jiyan clenched his fist before he nodded painfully at the fighting figure before he turned away. He gave the authority to Rover and she didn’t disappoint. She pointed toward the core of the Threnodian and the canon released a vigorous blast of energy.
The power from it was enough to annihilate an entire City and it successfully pierced into the “Heart” of the beast. Securing them both a place to fight their way in.
“The sooner we kill the Threnodian, the faster we can get back to Yangyang,” Rover dropped such a phrase, side-eyeing him, her gaze teasing. As if she knew what was on the man's mind.
Jiyan turned serious.
Jiyan the worrywart was now gone.
In light of his absence, it was only natural for Midnight Ranger General Jiyan to take the stage. He twirled his Wind Spear in a domineering manner as if to convey his determination and will. He snorted in disdain at the Threnodian of War, Ovathrax as he opened his mouth to say,
“We ride, for victory!”
“Go!” Rover followed up with a determined shout of her own.
They both began to dash forward, in their sights, they could only see victory; yet in the eyes of the onlooking Yangyang, the green hair of the well-built bachelor and powerhouse possessed an equal attractive force.
Her eyes could not help reflecting that dashing figure. A smile graced her lips.
She dodged the energy blast from a Tacet Discord and quickly followed up with a potent Aero-infused slash on another. It exploded into an echo, a slight smile graced her face and she muttered.
“You lot served the purpose of making him worry, it was pleasant but all things come to an end,” Yangyang unsheathed her blade not literally as it was already put out but metaphorically, in accordance to its now growing lethality compared to its previous dormant state.
Her blade grew in power as she used her Resonance Skill then followed up with her whirlwind-like Resonance Liberation.
After the attack, dozens of Tacet Discords were either; killed, seriously injured, dazed, or blown off of the floating stone platforms into the large abyss that was the ground below. A distance of over thousands of meters high, perhaps even she would not survive if she used her Aero Resonance Skill and Glider together.
But that was only a possibility.
“The survival of you wretches, however, is not! Die.”
Yangyang began to slaughter her way in and out of the encroaching TD’s, biding time for when the “Qinloong” finally returned. Then a conversation would be held, a very important one. A conversation about the future, not Jinzhou’s or Huanlong’s but their own.
What a conversation that will be, hehe… Giggling, the woman sent all of her enemies to the realms below.
/-/
Perhaps I was too rash. Yangyang breathed heavily as she backed away from the attack of another TD. I didn’t expect for there to be this many of them, twenty, sixty maybe even a hundred. But after the counting for so long, I see no end.
Argh! Yangyang held in her scream as a chilling ice spike grazed her shoulder.
She placed her sword diagonal to the ground and steadied her breathing. A whistling sound sounded and her eyes contracted, her muscles pulled as she slashed to the right, deflecting another ice spike.
In the same breath, she activated her Resonance Skill, tightened the grip on her sword, and jumped before the full might of a high-power Forte Circuit graced the surrounding enemies.
The wind took form, granting blessings to humanity and cursing their enemies at the same moment beneath the brightening sky.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three burst into echos on the spot and Yangyang held herself from falling to one knee. By coincidence, she took a glance at the Threndian.
Crack—
There was an explosion and a shockwave that spread in all directions. She stabbed her sword into the floor as her Forte activated to shield her from the blast. The TDs, fortunately for her, weren’t so quick-witted.
The wave of dust, wind, and other debris lasted a mere minute.
By then the TDs that were approaching Yangyang were cleared out. She coughed and looked up, a bright light shining from the hole where the Disruption Canon hit the Threnodian.
Coming out of that light were Rover and Jiyan. The man had Rover leaning over him, both of them looking incredibly tired.
“Rover! Jiyan! Over here!” Yangyang breathed a sigh of relief as she shouted out. Her vision whirled and she fell to her butt, kicking up some dust. As a green light slowly floated down from the sky a voice continually shouted her name.
Yangyang fell unconscious.
/-/
Jiyan peeled an apple.
Using his past skills, he sliced away at the fruit.
“You don’t have to do this you know,” Yangyang was silenced as the man gently shoved one into her mouth. She shivered, as she practically inhaled the fruit, taking a passing lick at his finger before she lowered her head cheekily.
She chewed, slowly, so as to not choke and embarrass herself. She wasn’t reprimanded for her previous action, which she deemed a success.
“Hush,” Jiyan glanced at her.
She lay in the hospital bed and hummed as she looked at him. She smiled, gazing at the apple in the palm of his hand, “I thought an apple a day kept the doctor away.”
“Recklessness of a patient grants him immunity, how unfortunate is that?” He finished another slice and she opened her mouth to receive it.
“Hmm, well this patient would like for him to stay longer,” She clasped her hands with a small smile.
“As long as you wish,” He sighed, placing a slice on a dish held by a table near the hospital bed. Yangyang raised an eyebrow at him. He retracted his hand, the slice missing from it, now in ownership of the plate on the table.
Yangyang didn’t seem to like that.
She reached out a paw and snagged the man's wrist. Their eyes came into mutual contact and they kept it as she slowly dragged his hand back to the dish that was on the table.
“Here comes the grappling~! Do do do do!” She snaked her hand around his as she opened up his palm, for a moment she even rashly indulged herself as she casually held hands with him.
The eye contact was temporarily lost as she gave him a closed eye smile.
Their fingers interlocked for nearly a quarter of a minute before she crawled her way out and continued to control the General’s hand like a toy she found. She used it to grab the slice and then directed it to her mouth.
“Ahhh~”
Jiyan quickly shook over her palm and devoured the apple slice.
“You’ve become too impudent.”
“Ah, the apple…” Yangyang looked on as the general chewed, taking care to make sure his words were not clogged by the activity.
“This is punishment.”
She was speechless.
Then she got a mischievous idea. She acted for a moment, pouting and turning her head…
Then she quickly shot toward him, falling on him whiel takign care to not injure herself further. She quickly pecked the side of his lip and then backtracked.
She smiled.
“This is also punishment.”
She licked her lips. She caught him licking his as well.
“So sweet,” She whispered.