The gale howled, and vegetation seemed to have been harvested, gradually being uprooted and flung away.
"Who are you? Why did you join World Serpent?"
Amid their frantic exchange of blows, Durandal could not help asking.
Her opponent was so formidable that they had fought evenly.
"Hmm... you can call me Feather Rabbit for now. Joining World Serpent was my own decision."
"Is that so? Then it seems we can't reach an understanding!"
Durandal suddenly exerted more force, pouring the strength of her entire body into Black Abyss White Flower like a landslide and tsunami. Her attacks came one after another, giving her opponent no chance to catch her breath.
The two fought with everything they had, as though they could keep fighting forever, with neither showing any sign of weakening.
"Holy Lance Bloom!"
Suddenly, Durandal activated the first rated power, attempting to shatter her opponent's weapon.
The next moment, the purple lance in Feather Rabbit's hand scattered like snowflakes and vanished without a trace.
"Ah! How scary!"
Yet there was no surprise whatsoever in her tone.
Durandal pressed her advantage, leaving Feather Rabbit no choice but to retreat desperately.
The two chased each other through the forest. After a while, Feather Rabbit suddenly raised both hands.
As purple light flashed, a banner suddenly appeared.
In an instant, four humanoid figures stood before her, moving as one as they attacked together to block Durandal.
Durandal was startled, her movements briefly stalling as she shifted targets and fought the four strange humanoids.
They were ideal forms from Stigmata Space.
But the four ideal forms were quickly overwhelmed, each pierced through by Black Abyss White Flower before disappearing.
Seeing this, Feather Rabbit joined the battle and summoned more reinforcements, making it five against one.
Durandal felt the pressure and fought with all her strength against the five opponents, turning the situation around once more.
One had summons, while the other constantly unleashed the power of a Divine Key. The battle escalated yet again, its aftershocks shaking heaven and earth, making it impossible for outsiders to intervene and forcing all living things to flee.
Durandal's stamina seemed bottomless. As time passed, the intensity of her attacks did not weaken in the slightest.
Yet while Feather Rabbit found her increasingly troublesome, Durandal was equally astonished by the opponent's wounds, which always recovered as if nothing had happened.
"She can really take a beating!"
"She can really fight!"
The two clashed with all their strength, completely losing track of time.
Ultimate power, ultimate vitality. An hour passed amid the fierce battle, yet neither showed any intention of stopping.
The surrounding land had been stripped bare, everything worn away by the battle's aftershocks. Even the loaches underground had been frightened into wriggling out of the soil to flee for their lives.
At that moment, Jackal arrived. Seeing the scene before her, she was speechless for a long time.
"So this is Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie..."
She stayed far away at the edge of the battlefield, not daring to approach rashly, and immediately began making preparations.
"That day, I went to feign an attack on the Far East while Gray Serpent took the chance to retrieve Thousand Worlds One Step. I never expected that without this Divine Key today, our plan would most likely fall apart."
"Activate Thousand Worlds One Step and trap that Durandal!"
Her subordinates sprang into action. Invisible ripples emerged in the void, gradually drawing back the curtain over its authority.
Durandal continued attacking, determined to discover the limits of her opponent's recovery. Otherwise, she would strike her to the critical point beyond repair in a single blow!
Holy Lance Bloom!
Holy Lance Bloom!
Holy Lance Bloom!
Black Abyss White Flower shone brilliantly as multiple streams of destructive power passed through the obstruction of the ideal forms and lances to strike Feather Rabbit.
Her body began to break down, terrible damage spreading in an instant.
Yet halfway through its spread, the damage was immediately halted, and after a few breaths, it began recovering again.
But Durandal had spotted the problem and rallied herself to continue unleashing her ultimate move.
Because she had discovered that her opponent's recovery efficiency was steadily declining!
Watching from afar, Jackal was terrified, her calves trembling uncontrollably.
"Feather Rabbit has been strengthened so many times by that one, yet she still can't gain the upper hand against this Durandal?!"
She hurriedly urged her subordinates to move faster.
Finally, just as Feather Rabbit began showing signs of defeat, Jackal's side finished their preparations.
"This is the only way. If we load any more, it'll be too late."
"She might even be discovered by that Durandal."
"Let's do it! Activate!"
The fluctuations of spatial power suddenly erupted!
Focused entirely on securing victory, Durandal failed to notice the subtle change.
The next moment.
The Valkyrie, attacking with all her strength, vanished from where she stood as though she had been deleted.
Feather Rabbit stopped and let out a long breath.
"I almost got beaten to death. That was really frightening."
Jackal walked over in silence.
Feather Rabbit smiled at her. "Good thing you came. Otherwise, I really wouldn't have known what to do."
"We can only trap her temporarily. She'll come out of there before long... Durandal really is a terrifying person."
"She really is strong—what about Gray Serpent's side? And the child Cocolia captured?"
"I'm contacting them now."
While they waited, two people followed the battle's earlier disturbances and arrived.
Rita and Bai Yan.
Feather Rabbit immediately turned her gaze to Bai Yan. "You seem different somehow."
"Your appearance is definitely quite different."
Bai Yan looked Feather Rabbit over. She was currently in a miserable state, her black robe tattered and torn, faintly revealing glimpses of skin.
The two sides faced off.
Judging from the surrounding environment, the battle here had lasted quite a while, but Bai Yan could not understand how Feather Rabbit had managed to endure for so long.
He looked at Rita.
Although she was pretending that nothing had happened, Bai Yan knew she had already reached her limit.
So Bai Yan took the opportunity to lean close to Rita's ear.
"Big Sister Rita, lend me your earring for a moment."
"Hm? Why?" Rita kept her eyes on Feather Rabbit, but her attention shifted toward Bai Yan.
"There's no time to explain. Anyway, I feel like if I wear Big Sister Rita's earring, I'll be filled with power!"
"Hm?"
Rita was immediately bewildered by Bai Yan's words.
"Xiao Yan, are you serious?"
Her usually reliable little assistant had suddenly said something like this. Rita even felt that something had gone wrong with the world.
"I'm serious."
"All right."
That was the advantage of dealing with smart people. She would not ask why; she only cared whether the person before her could be trusted.
Without drawing attention, she swiftly removed her earring and casually handed it over.
"What exactly is your objective? Raiden Mei?" Rita continued questioning them.
She had already confirmed that the gap in strength between the two sides was too great. She could only stall for time first and look for a way out.
Bai Yan put on the earring, and power quietly surged through him in an instant.
Not enough!
If Feather Rabbit could fight Durandal to this extent, then even if he became the Herrscher of Wind and had Luoshen Transformation, he would still have difficulty matching her!
Even if Rita were in perfect condition, their side still did not have enough combat strength.
At most, he could hold Feather Rabbit off for a short while!
What should he do?
Bishop, hurry and look at your most capable employee!
Save me. I swear that from now on, there will be no second sun in the sky—there will only be the Bishop's sun in my heart!
Bai Yan prayed inwardly, while his gaze fell upon Jackal.
Got it!
Wait a moment, you lucky dog.
Jackal sneered. "Even at this point, you still haven't understood our plan. Otto is nothing special after all."
Rita had also noticed the disparity in strength between both sides. She deeply regretted bringing Bai Yan here, but she had no good way to break the deadlock.
"We already have K423. But a few more captives wouldn't be bad, especially as materials..." Jackal said teasingly.
Hearing that, Rita gripped her scythe tightly and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear.
"Xiao Yan, run first. Go get reinforcements—"
Jackal continued, "What other cards does Otto have in his hand? Really—"
At that moment, Bai Yan shot toward Jackal like an arrow leaving the bow.
Startled, she abruptly waved her hand. More than a dozen Death Weavers swarmed forward to block Bai Yan's path.
A fierce wind suddenly rose, sharply lifting Bai Yan's advance path. He flew over them and headed straight for Jackal.
With nowhere to retreat and no way to defend herself, Jackal could only stand there in shock.
Clang!
Feather Rabbit arrived in time to rescue her, sweeping her lance between the two.
Bai Yan immediately stopped, then rode the wind backward and returned to Rita's side.
"You nearly got her. That was a close one."
Bai Yan looked at Feather Rabbit. "I don't understand why everyone in World Serpent covers their faces. Are you too ugly to show yourselves?"
"Should I show my face to prove myself? Sorry, but not right now."
"Oh, right. I want to ask about someone."
"Don't ask."
"Eh, why? I only wanted to ask whether your brother is called Bai Yan. How has he been lately?"
Bai Yan immediately became alert.
No one in the Intelligence Department knew about this mission he was carrying out. Ragna knew, but she could not possibly have leaked it.
Before you continue