Chapter 116: Hill’s Stability and the Crisis of the Three
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The fierce battle had continued for fifteen minutes, yet Esdeath remained calm and composed, while Leone and Lubbock were already beginning to tire.
“I have seen all your methods of attack now. What a disappointment. If this is all you have, then you are completely useless to me. A prey that has lost its value as entertainment has only one fate—to be shot down.”
……
“How is Tatsumi doing? Can he hold on?” Brand had already emerged from Incursio, and the corpse of a burly man, split in two not far away, bore witness to his strength.
If Tatsumi had not been holding him back, Liver would have been cut down by that last strike. Tatsumi, however, saw things differently; he blamed himself for being weak and burdening his big brother.
“I’m not dying just yet. But that blond pervert turning into such a huge brute really scared the life out of me.” Dragging his body, covered in wounds, Tatsumi played a game of cat and mouse with the blond cross-dresser—now transformed into a massive blond man.
“Liver, we are both injured. By the iron rule governing Imperial Arms users, you will not escape today.”
“That is not certain. My body may be getting old, but let me strengthen it a little. After all, my opponent is you. If there had been more water in these mountains, Daidas would not have died so quickly.” Liver pulled out a needle and drove it into his own neck.
His Imperial Arm allowed him to manipulate water for attacks. Unfortunately, there was very little water in the mountains, and no streams or brooks nearby, so he could not display his full strength.
Seeing that Liver’s mind and body had both recovered somewhat, Tatsumi could not help saying, “Big brother, there seems to be something wrong with our opponent.”
“I was mentally prepared for how powerful and troublesome he would be,” Brand said with a smile.
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
……
When Qi received Leone’s distress signal, he was at the critical stage of treating Sheele. His anxiety nearly caused him to make a mistake, but fortunately, he brought everything perfectly under control.
Using his spiritual awareness, he carefully scanned the severed edges where Sheele’s body had been cut in two. Any internal organs or bones along the margins that had been mangled or shattered had to be removed first. Under his flawless control, his spiritual awareness condensed into a needle, stitching Sheele’s two halves back together.
With Qi’s understanding of the human body and his perfect control, his spiritual awareness became finer than a strand of hair. Once the wound had been sutured, no trace could be seen.
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Moreover, because the injury had only just occurred, and because Qi’s Vitality Nourishing Solution was infusing her with nourishment, her organs and muscles remained full of vitality. Once stitched together, they immediately began to grow and intertwine.
At least on the surface, the original wound had already become smooth and seamless. Only a magnifying glass could reveal the tiny traces of the sutures, and he believed that even those marks would soon vanish after being immersed in the life-nourishing solution.
By the time he finished, nearly half an incense stick had burned away, and Sheele’s condition had temporarily stabilized. Some of her shattered organs, however, would be extremely difficult to restore. From then on, all Qi could do was continually replenish Sheele’s vitality and allow her body to heal itself as much as possible.
Because of the nourishing solution, Qi had thrown Sheele’s clothes aside. The bacteria on them might cause her wounds to become inflamed or contaminate the solution. Thus, when Qi finally relaxed and looked at Sheele, he naturally saw her naked body floating in the nourishment solution inside the diamond.
The situation had been critical, and he had not allowed himself to think about anything else. But once he relaxed and was no longer acting as a doctor, his thoughts returned to those of an ordinary man. Faced with such a stimulating sight, he hurriedly turned away. Yet the vivid image in his mind refused to disappear.
Ah, men.
I already have a girlfriend. How can I be thinking this way?
What does it matter? It is no different from watching a movie on the computer. Black Cat knows I watch movies, and she has never said anything.
But Sheele is not someone in a movie. Thinking this way is disrespectful to her.
She does not know. Besides, I have already seen her. I cannot forget it now, so I might as well appreciate the sight without restraint.
Smack!
Qi slapped himself across the face. This was no time for such thoughts. Leone and the others had also run into trouble.
This cave should be safe enough, and Sheele was in no condition to be moved. Leaving her here temporarily should be fine. He only needed to set up some defenses at the entrance and leave behind a cell seed.
His consciousness shifted into the cell seed inside the diamond Leone had crushed. Through his spiritual awareness, he saw a fierce battle. Though the fighting was intense, the blue-haired woman in the white military uniform, besieged by the three members of Night Raid, remained entirely at ease.
Qi had never met this woman, but he knew her appearance and reputation well.
Esdeath. What was she doing here?
After confirming that the others were not in immediate danger, Qi made arrangements within the cave, spread his wings, and flew over in person to provide assistance.
……
“Now, let me show you the ice coffins I prepared for you. Being sealed inside one should be a beautiful sight.”
Esdeath leaped high into the air, evading the trio’s assault, and brought her hands together.
Above, below, to the left, to the right, before, and behind them—in all six directions, enormous blocks of ice appeared. The massive blocks in front, behind, to either side remained motionless, constantly growing thicker. The block beneath them continued to rise, while the one in the sky descended like the heavens themselves were collapsing.
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The expressions of the three changed drastically. Leone sprang forward, let out a furious roar, and drove her fist into the block of ice before her.
The ice collapsed at once, shattering open into a huge hole. Before Leone could continue her assault, a mass of ice spikes shot out through the breach.
Forced to retreat and evade them, Leone moved aside. By then, the broken section had already restored itself, while the block descending from above had drawn even closer.
All three could feel the air pressing down around them. Lubbock manipulated his threads into a barrier overhead, while Akame rushed to Leone’s side.
“Attack together!”
One of them attacked the ice while the other blocked the ice spikes shooting toward them. Sure enough, the enormous block was punctured, and the opening continued to widen.
“Creeeak—!”
“Crack—!”
The metal threads suspended overhead could not withstand the pressure and snapped one after another. Only the cross formed from the Unbroken Severing Line remained intact.
It was indeed tough and razor-sharp—but precisely because it was so sharp, it cut the block of ice evenly into four pieces. Even so, the pieces continued to press downward.
“Lubbock, over here!” Akame shouted.
They had already broken through half the ice and believed they could escape within a few more breaths.
But when Lubbock rushed over, he discovered that the opening had been sealed. He wound his threads into a long axe and brought it down with all his strength, yet the ice merely broke apart in a small section.
“Damn it! Are we really going to stop here? No wonder Najenda called her the strongest.” Lubbock continued hacking at the ice.
By then, Akame and Leone could no longer spare any thought for Lubbock. It was not that they were selfishly abandoning him to escape on their own; they themselves had fallen into a crisis as well.
(My family called. An elder related to a neighbor and friend has passed away, and as a friend, I have some things to take care of. I knew nothing about the matter, so I spent a long time listening. That is why this update was a little late. I will be attending the funeral on the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, so I may not be able to update at noon. There will be two chapters that evening. And of course, I will not go back on my promise of an additional update.)
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