Just Like Bamboo Standing Firm Against a Hailstorm

Gwen nodded slowly, his expression serious.

"Moreover, in this situation, the other side can create countless false information to confuse us."

Instead of searching for the truth amidst a web of conflicting clues, it's better to cut to the chase quickly.

"Too..."

Raven nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with Gwen, but a hint of inquiry crept into Gwen gaze.

"However, it seems you are very confident in your own strength."

"A little, but not to the point of blind confidence."

Gwen shook his head slightly, his gaze shifting to the Tenshukaku high above.

"However, time is not on our side. Rather than waiting to die, we might as well take a gamble."

"What a spirit!"

Upon hearing this, the Raven clapped softly, a smile playing on its lips.

"I'll wait for you to teach me after I recover."

"It's a deal."

Gwen raised an eyebrow, surprised that the other party still remembered this matter. Seeing the seriousness beneath the smile on the other party's pretty face, he slowly nodded.

That night, the bright moon hung high in the sky, but dark clouds filled the air, preventing its radiance from shining through.

The group gathered at the path leading from the Tenshukaku.

"I didn't expect you to be such a pro, boss lady."

Kiana was quite amazed to see Raven dressed in a sharp outfit, whose usual lazy demeanor was completely absent, and who instead exuded a sharp edge.

"He's the boss, not the boss's wife."

Based on a habit that had almost become ingrained in its very being, Raven casually retorted and looked at the leader of this operation.

"Shall we leave now?"

Gwen had just introduced Raven to the group, and now everyone was gathered here, their eyes fixed intently on Gwen.

"Set off."

Meeting each pair of eyes, Gwen let out a soft breath, his face serious, and pushed open the small door in front of him, heading towards the Tenshukaku ahead.

As for the group's actions, Hiyori had clearly noticed them long ago—

The once picturesque and peaceful courtyard is now filled with all sorts of ferocious monsters, all of which are mutated beasts infected with Honkai Energy. In the dim moonlight of the night, they appear even more grotesque and terrifying.

"Heh... they're quite enthusiastic..."

Gwen scoffed, and before the people behind him could make a move, he swung his crimson sword and charged forward.

Although the Crimson Sakura Yae Sakura's weapon, after confirming that Gwen than herself, Yae Sakura handed it over to Gwen to ensure the strongest fighting force of her side, while she took an ordinary weapon.

"Careful!"

Upon seeing Gwen's reckless actions, everyone gasped in surprise and rushed forward, disregarding their formation.

However, upon approaching, the group discovered that Gwen, who had ventured deep into enemy territory, had not been surrounded but had instead killed them all with a single sword.

The women who caught up didn't even need to finish them off; the biggest impact was probably that their shoes were soaked with the blood flowing from these monsters.

"Wow, Master, you were so strong!"

Kiana was the first to react, looking at Gwen with surprise.

Although the others did not speak, they all showed surprise to varying degrees.

After all, they had all seen Gwen return covered in blood that afternoon.

However, Gwen now had very little blood on him.

"I fought that beast this afternoon and gained some insights; my strength has improved somewhat."

Gwen offered a casual explanation, without going into detail that this was his normal strength after becoming familiar with the environment. Otherwise, explaining that this was just an illusion would only make things more complicated.

Gwen's gaze, however, was fixed on the Tenshukaku ahead—

Even without opening his senses, Gwen could feel the immense, deep-seated malice and twisted resentment within.

"In any case, this is a good thing."

Mei gave Gwen a deep look, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with his words, before turning her gaze to the Tenshukaku in front of her.

"Such immense malice..."

It seems there really is someone extraordinary here...

"Mr. Ida, are you feeling physically exhausted?"

Do you need to take a break?

Yae Sakura, who knew the most among them, glanced at the monster that always drained her energy, and finally looked at Gwen, asking with concern.

"... Give me a quarter of an hour..."

Gwen, slightly out of breath, nodded, not trying to be brave.

Although Gwen's strength increased as he gradually adapted to the illusion, it was only for half a day, and there was still much room for improvement.

Gwen's decision to take on the task of clearing out monsters was also an attempt to further adapt to the illusions here.

And now it seems... the effect is quite good.

As Gwen gradually gained more power, he felt increasingly at ease.

At the top of that Tenshukaku, a pair of dark red eyes, hidden in the darkness, were staring intently at the group...

Chapter 216 is like bamboo standing tall and resolute in the face of hail.

The sky was covered with dark clouds, making the already dim moonlight appear even weaker.

The lanterns that had inexplicably lit up in front of the Tenshukaku cast a faint glow, but they offered no warmth whatsoever, only an inexplicable sense of unease.

Fortunately, with everyone gathered together and Gwen, who had single-handedly cleared out the monsters that had almost filled the small garden, there wasn't much fear in their hearts.

During the quarter of an hour that Gwen was meditating, Mei, whose character is a young swordsman who travels the world, observed the corpses on the ground by the dim light, as if trying to discern Gwen's swordsmanship style from them.

The character is a Tavern owner who immigrated here, but after noticing something amiss, the raven observes the Raven and then his gaze falls on the corpse on the ground, assessing the difference in strength between himself and Gwen.

Kiana, who had somehow gotten lost and ended up here, instinctively avoided looking at the top of the Tenshukaku, as if something there lurked there that instilled a subconscious fear in her.

As for Kallen and Yae Sakura, they both focused their attention on Gwen at this moment.

Yae Sakura was hoping that Gwen, whose strength far surpassed her own, would be able to break the illusion that had tormented her for five hundred years.

Kallen, meanwhile, stared blankly at the face that evoked an inexplicable sense of familiarity in her...

When Gwen opened his eyes, he met a pair of blue eyes that were staring intently at him.

Although he knew Kallen was watching him while he was adjusting his state, actually meeting her gaze still stirred some inexplicable feelings within Gwen.

"Is there a problem, Miss Kallen?"

Seeing that Kallen hadn't come to her senses yet, Gwen waved his hand and asked softly.

"Ah?"

Finally snapping out of her daze upon hearing her name Kallen blinked, realizing what had happened, and felt a little embarrassed. She quickly waved her hand.

"It's nothing, I was just a little distracted."

"It's good that you're alright."

Gwen didn't detect anything unusual about Kallen, so he didn't delve too deeply into her thoughts.

After all, if Gwen's guess is true, and he is indeed one of the products of Otto's resurrection plan, then the source of his genes is very likely the Saintess of Schicksal from five hundred years ago.

Although Gwen considered himself an ordinary womanizer, he wasn't so outrageous as to have feelings for someone like Kallen.

Upon hearing Gwen speak, everyone's eyes turned to him.

"Is everything ready?"

What awaits us... is bound to be a fierce battle..."

Feeling the increasingly eerie and terrifying atmosphere within the Tenshukaku, Gwen took a deep breath and asked in a low voice.

"Certainly."

"No problem."

After receiving affirmative answers from everyone, Gwen slowly nodded and gently pushed open the door in front of him.

With the creaking of the door hinges turning, a gust of wind blew in, causing the two lanterns by the door to sway and quietly go out.

At that very moment, dark clouds rolled across the sky, completely obscuring the moon and plunging the world into darkness.

Inside the pitch-black Tenshukaku, however, there were clusters of blood-red ghost flames, some large, some small, some tall, some short, which sent a chill down one's spine.

"It really is... nothing new..."

His gaze pierced the darkness, revealing that the eerie, blood-red will-o'-the-wisps were actually the blood-red eyes of ferocious beasts. Gwen shook his head with a sigh, raising his blood-red katana.

"Gentlemen, tonight follow me... to slay the demon!"

This time, Gwen didn't single-handedly take on all the enemies inside—

It's not that it's impossible, but at least everyone needs to be familiar with the enemy's characteristics so that they won't be caught off guard later.

With Gwen leading the way, the rest of the group followed in the formation they had agreed upon earlier.

From the outside, it looked like a fairly spacious building, but once inside, everyone felt as if they were sailing in a small boat into an endless sea.

In the darkness, there were no walls in sight, only waves of monsters surging in as if there were no end in sight.

Fortunately, with Gwen at the forefront, he withstood the greatest pressure and even had the capacity to take care of all sides, allowing the few people at the rear, whose strengths varied and whose teamwork was almost nonexistent, to persevere without any casualties.

However, even so, as time passed, everyone's energy and stamina gradually dwindled in this seemingly endless battle.

This boundless darkness contains only endless monsters, and this is only the first level.

No matter how strong one's spirit may be, it will quickly be consumed in the darkness.

Fortunately, Gwen stood at the very front, like a bamboo stalk standing firm against the hailstorm, keeping light in everyone's eyes instead of being completely swallowed by darkness.

Noticing the unusual state of everyone and the unusual environment, Gwen frowned slightly.

Despite the constant attacks from hordes of monsters, their team kept moving forward. They were already close enough to reach the entire Yae Village, so how could they not have reached the stairs leading upstairs yet?

With the condition of the people behind him deteriorating significantly, Gwen pondered for a moment, then decided not to hold back any longer. His crimson katana suddenly lit up, radiating a captivating fiery red light, like a constantly dancing sun, annihilating demons while illuminating the surrounding darkness.

The sudden appearance of light instantly jolted everyone's spirits, which were steadily sinking.

In the boundless darkness, where there is light, there is hope.

Inspired by the light, everyone's condition improved considerably.

However, once their eyes adjusted to the bright yet soft light and they could see their surroundings clearly, everyone's expression changed involuntarily—

The first floor of the Tenshukaku, which was originally spacious but not very large, now seemed incredibly spacious, with only blurry walls visible in the distance.

It was as if this was not the first floor of Tenshukaku, but a gladiatorial arena where people fought endlessly with wild beasts.

"What's going on?!"

Upon seeing this unexpected scene, Kiana was so startled that her two braids at the back of her head stood up, and she kicked away a wolf that pounced on her, exclaiming in surprise.

"Careful!"

However, Gwen had no intention of answering Kiana's question. A powerful shout rang out from his mouth, instantly putting everyone on high alert and causing them to instinctively do as Gwen commanded.