Bai Yan continued controlling the tornado, sucking everyone into it.
The people at the front of the convoy noticed and immediately scattered in panic, but they were quickly dragged back by the tornado.
Seeing that things were about right, Bai Yan continued increasing the tornado's height, sending everyone soaring high into the air.
He walked upon the wind, weaving through the airborne objects as he searched carefully.
Then he withdrew his power.
Everyone and everything plummeted from the sky, and the dull sounds of impacts against the ground rang out without end.
Bai Yan watched the scene from high above, only descending to inspect the situation after everything had hit the ground.
"Looks like they all died.
"Loose ends taken care of. Time to collect the spoils."
Based on their conversation, Bai Yan concluded that Cocolia still did not know what had happened.
Perhaps she was tied up by something and unable to get away, or perhaps the situation was even worse.
But that was not Bai Yan's concern. He began searching the vehicles one by one.
At last, inside a heavy vehicle, he found Wendy, who was still unconscious.
"I'll give you one chance at treatment, unfortunate girl..."
Bai Yan took out the golden pendant and waved it over Wendy. Soon, a surge of energy spread out and enveloped her entire body.
The next moment, the traces of corrosion on Wendy's body began to fade. At the same time, her breathing steadied, her heartbeat grew stronger, and color returned to her face.
She looked brimming with life.
Wendy's eyelids twitched. Bai Yan immediately became alert, and seeing signs that she was about to wake up, he quickly got up and left.
"This way, the Gem of Desire will be missing to everyone else, while I can make up a story and keep myself out of it."
Bai Yan was delighted. He had gained another trump card. Beautiful.
From all the signs, although he was not a Herrscher of Ascension, he could at least wield his Authority as naturally as his own limbs.
For a Herrscher, knowledge was power.
I, the Herrscher of Wind, used to be a small-town test taker.
Bai Yan tossed his long hair and activated his Authority, riding the wind once more. This time, he still flew close to the ground.
Keep a low profile. Avoid being discovered if possible.
"Who knows where Bronya is. Life can't have been easy after Cocolia took her away."
His communicator was not on him either, so he had effectively lost contact with everyone else.
Bai Yan decided to return to the meeting point they had agreed upon before making any further decisions.
Air currents swirled around him, and the Ice Blue Long Dress fluttered wildly. That feeling of freedom was hard to let go of.
Bai Yan did not regret using one of his treatment chances on Wendy.
Recommended by Theresa for implantation experiments, then used as a Gem container for a long time—she had not only been left permanently disabled, but had also endured pain day and night.
Bai Yan could not bear to recall that pain after experiencing it only once, let alone Wendy, who had endured it for so long.
She had done nothing wrong, yet no one had saved her.
Bai Yan felt it was worth it.
He still had two chances left. He already had someone in mind for one of them, but he needed the right opportunity.
Bai Yan rode the wind all the way, his speed unconsciously growing faster and faster.
Cocolia had been set up. World Serpent's scheme and Schicksal's moves had turned this city into a battlefield for a three-way melee.
As the greatest beneficiary at the moment, Bai Yan had no desire to fight. He only wanted to take his people and run.
Near dawn, the moon gradually sank, and its light grew faint.
Yet the enormous black mass of metal ahead remained highly conspicuous.
Bai Yan slowed down and tightened his grip on the crowbar in his hand.
There were more than twenty of them, all powerful close-combat models equipped with shields and built for brawling.
They stood in a circle, seemingly besieging some target.
Bai Yan quietly flew up onto a treetop. When he looked into the center, he immediately frowned.
It was Rita. She was leaning on her giant scythe and gasping for breath, her hair disheveled and her body bearing serious wounds.
Raven walked out from among the mechs, having already changed her clothes.
"Still refusing to surrender? Keep fighting, and you'll die, Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie."
Volume 1: Sister Tazi, What Are You...
"If you don't want to die, surrender. I won't kill you."
Raven regained her confidence. At last, she had confirmed that her earlier defeat had been purely due to carelessness.
Otherwise, how could this S-rank Valkyrie have fallen into her hands?
Unfortunately, her opponent still had the will to fight and had no intention of giving up, even though she was covered in wounds.
After observing for a moment from afar, Bai Yan wrapped himself in a wind barrier, and his figure immediately vanished.
"Despicable, attacking by surprise." Rita knelt on one knee. Her tone was not harsh, but she was actually considering how to break the deadlock.
"Heh, all's fair in war. Besides, losing vigilance in a war zone is a warrior's deadliest mistake—"
Suddenly, the crowbar shot toward Raven like a cannonball, wrapped in a storm.
Raven reflexively tried to dodge, but she was too late.
The tremendous impact struck her squarely in the back, launching her directly into the air.
"Puh—"
Raven flew in a spectacular arc, then rolled repeatedly after hitting the ground. In her daze, she had no idea how many new injuries she had sustained.
Only then did the mechs react, immediately turning their cannons toward where Bai Yan had been standing and opening fire.
But Bai Yan had already moved, arriving in front of Raven.
The crowbar was embedded in her back, but it seemed not to have pierced through her body because of the protective gear she wore.
"Tch, not enough force."
"You... you escaped?!"
"You managed to find clothes after running around naked, so why can't I escape? Still, your injuries healed so quickly. What kind of technology is that?"
"Hmph! Despicable! You actually attacked by surprise!" Raven gritted her teeth, as though enduring the pain throughout her body.
"Wasn't that what you said? Losing vigilance in a war zone is a warrior's deadliest mistake."
"I'm not a warrior! I'm just an assassin!"
Bai Yan looked her up and down. "So you don't belong to any organization?"
"O-Of course!"
"Then you have no backing. I'll capture you and present you to the Bishop for judgment—you must know Schicksal's greatest Bishop very well, right?"
Raven's scalp went numb, and she promptly gave in.
"Don't, don't, don't! I'll give you anything you want! Don't hand me over!"
Bai Yan searched her body and pulled out a short sword.
An ordinary Collapse Energy weapon, used by ranged fighters for self-defense. It was not a Divine Key.
It seemed World Serpent did not trust this woman's strength either.
"Withdraw the mechs."
"Fine."
Raven said a few words into her communicator. The mechs immediately powered down in unison, their autonomous cockpits ejecting directly out. There was even a faint burnt smell in the air.
"You don't have any backups, do you?"
"No. Even the built-in backup power sources were burned out."
"Take this too. Your companion was ambushed before she encountered me and was poisoned. Even I could tell."
Bai Yan understood and accepted the small bottle.
Finally, he stabbed Raven once in each limb. She finally let out a breath of relief.
This meant he wanted her to stay out of the coming battle. As long as she could keep her life, that was enough.
She still had so much of life left to enjoy!
Bai Yan walked over to Rita. Once she saw his face clearly, she finally revealed a relieved smile.
"I really didn't expect that you would be the one to save me, Xiao Yan."
"Can you still move?"
"I can still..."
Before she could finish the word "can," Rita collapsed against Bai Yan, her breathing becoming rapid.
"I..."
"It's fine. Just sleep, and you'll be better."
Bai Yan detoxified and bandaged Rita. Soon, she fell unconscious, her delicate body completely nestling into his embrace.
It was almost certain that she had come to save him, and she had encountered more than one interception along the way.
If Durandal had come too, then she was most likely being held up somewhere right now.
"What is World Serpent trying to do? They even managed to tie up Durandal—how much did that cost them?"
Just as he was thinking, Rita woke up again, leaving Bai Yan somewhat speechless.
She could even wake up from this. As expected of someone born with the physique of an overachieving workhorse.
"Lady Durandal has been held up. There has been no news from her yet."
"Are you really all right now?"
"The poison has been completely removed, and I've rested enough. I'm perfectly fine." She smiled and touched Bai Yan's face.
Then she forced herself to stand, leaving Bai Yan's embrace and picking up her scythe again.
"Let's go support her!"
Bai Yan could only nod.
Rita's face was pale at the moment, but after Bai Yan's examination, aside from a slight sense of weakness caused by the aftereffects of detoxification, she was fine.
Bai Yan silently followed behind Rita. He did not want to reveal that he had fused with the Gem of Desire.
Rita looked at the Gnius in her hands, anxiety growing in her heart.
From the moment she had seen Durandal until now, her calls had never gone through.
Was Durandal held up and unable to get away, or...
She did not dare think about it and could only keep hurrying onward.
However, halfway there, another group of mechs blocked their path.
"This is as far as you two go. We cannot let you pass."
The two stopped and looked up to see a humanoid figure made entirely of metal.
Bai Yan recognized Gray Serpent.
This was only one of his clones. It was hard to imagine what the others were doing at this moment.
"They're just a pile of scrap metal. Xiao Yan, cover me!"
With that, she raised her giant scythe and began cutting through the mechs.
Before you continue