"Bastard, do you really think I won't kill you?!"
The Third Herrscher flapped the thunder wings behind her that had been struck by the Noble Phantasm. A Noble Phantasm powerful enough to shatter Heavy-Oni Rabbit 19C's shield had only managed to leave faint cracks on those wings, barely affecting the Third Herrscher at all.
"Some things are more important than life." Billy the Kid's Transformation Energy was completely drained by that Noble Phantasm. As particles rose, Yu Luo returned to his original form. Without the Heroic Spirit body's enhanced attributes and weakened by excessive blood loss, he could only kneel helplessly on one knee. His face was covered in blood, yet he still raised his head and stared resolutely at the Third Herrscher floating in midair.
"Henshin!" Yu Luo took out Sasaki Kojiro's Card and coughed heavily. He could barely raise the card before it drooped weakly from his hand. Wave after wave of drowsiness washed over him. His entire body grew cold, and he had no strength left in his limbs. Yet silver light still emerged from the Heroic Spirit Card and wrapped around him.
When the light faded, a long blue ponytail trailed across the ground behind Yu Luo. Supporting himself with his Katana in both hands, he barely rose from the ground. With the Heroic Spirit body's attributes, Yu Luo temporarily overcame the negative effects of blood loss. Trembling, he raised his Katana and pointed it at the Third Herrscher in the sky.
"Give Mei back to me!"
"Damned insect!" Unable to tolerate Yu Luo's repeated provocations any longer, the Third Herrscher raised her right hand. Dazzling lightning gathered in her palm, aimed at Yu Luo's tiny figure below. A Thunder Pillar as thick as an arm blasted toward him.
"Face reality, insect. You're too weak!"
Yu Luo failed to react at all to the Third Herrscher's casual attack. The brilliant path of the Thunder Pillar was still reflected in his eyes when his body was struck and sent flying. He crashed hard into the ruins of the building behind him, kicking up clouds of dust.
"How... how is she so much stronger than the first time we met..." Yu Luo coughed painfully. Piercing agony shot through his chest and back. In his mind, Sasaki Kojiro's Transformation Energy drained away like water from an open faucet, dropping from 100% to 0% in an instant. Particles flickered around Yu Luo as he was forcibly knocked out of his transformed state.
"Do you understand the gap between us now?" The Third Herrscher lowered herself until she hovered above the ruins. Her purple eyes reflected Yu Luo's miserable, defeated figure. "You may possess power similar to Stigmata, but you are far too weak. What right do you have to speak to me?!"
"Huff..." Yu Luo coughed up the blood caught in his throat and strained to breathe in air tinged with the scent of blood. Every breath brought excruciating pain. He could only lie helplessly amid the broken rubble, staring up at the Third Herrscher floating arrogantly above him.
"Three of your ribs are broken. If you keep breathing like that, the broken bones may pierce your lungs. Just lie still and wait for me to save you." The Third Herrscher's face held no emotion as she spoke in a charitable tone. "I promised Mei that I would not harm Kiana or Bronya. Saving you is also part of the agreement between her and me."
"I will never let you take over Mei's body!" Yu Luo said, staring at the Third Herrscher word by word.
"Helpless rage." The Third Herrscher glanced at Yu Luo before looking away. The man before her was already on the verge of death. Even moving was impossible for him now, so he was no longer worth her attention.
"Hey, do you have any ideas?" Yu Luo asked the system in his mind. Their difference in strength was simply too vast. He could only place his hopes of turning things around on the system.
"Do you have some kind of credit advance service? Let me pull a Rameses II, then have two pyramids smash her flat?"
"Give it a rest. First, you don't have permission to summon Divine Heroic Spirits yet. Second, that kind of loan service is too stupid. I refuse." The system rolled its eyes. "She won't kill you anyway, so just lie there."
"Why did I end up with such a miserly system?" Yu Luo tried to provoke it again, hoping to receive some extra help. This time, however, the system had gotten smarter and refused to fall for his tricks.
"When all is said and done, you're just too weak." The system sighed. "If you could raise Sasaki Kojiro's bond to 100%, there'd be a good chance you could win."
"You place too much importance on the power of Heroic Spirits!" The system was unusually serious for once, but its tone immediately shifted. "Besides, you have no money and don't want to lose. That makes things difficult for me. You get what you pay for, after all. I still need to make a living!"
Yu Luo fell silent. Quietly, he searched through his mind for the Heroic Spirit Card he had once said he never wanted to use. He had not expected that only a few days later, he would have to eat his words.
The system knew Yu Luo's thoughts perfectly well. It watched as Yu Luo held a bronze Heroic Spirit Card between his fingers. A smiling archer leaped across its surface, and beneath the one-star icon were the words [Arash].
"Henshin..." Yu Luo weakly uttered those two syllables. His lungs felt as though they were on fire, and agonizing pain spread through his entire body. Simply speaking had exhausted all his strength.
Dim silver light enveloped his body. When it faded, Yu Luo's clothes had changed into blue armor, and he held a crimson greatbow in his hand. Activating Arash's EX-ranked Robustness skill, along with A-ranked Endurance, temporarily stopped his injuries from worsening.
Enduring the agonizing pain, Yu Luo stood with one hand braced against a broken wall. Leaning against the shattered wall, he looked unyieldingly at the Third Herrscher, who was preparing to attack the massive floating battleship in the air. He held the bow in his left hand, drew the string with his right, and aimed at the Third Herrscher's graceful back.
"Your bond is too low. You can't bring out the Noble Phantasm's full power." The system spoke calmly in Yu Luo's mind. "Even if you trade your life for it, you still won't get the result you want."
"There's no other way, is there?" Yu Luo said with the calmness of someone who had seen through life and death. "There are always people and things worth risking your life for."
Arash's Noble Phantasm, [Star of Creation, Arash], was a B++ anti-army Noble Phantasm capable of firing an arrow that split the earth. Legend said that Arash had once divided the border between Poland and Turan with a single arrow. This Noble Phantasm had been elevated from that legend, making it a powerful Noble Phantasm comparable to an anti-country Noble Phantasm. The price of using it was the user's life.
The Third Herrscher also sensed the force gathering behind her. Turning around, she saw Yu Luo's battered body and the bow aimed at her. Somewhat impatiently, she asked, "Is it worth it?"
"Leave Mei's body..." Yu Luo said weakly. The hand drawing the bow trembled slightly, but it remained steadfastly aimed at the Third Herrscher—or rather, at the thunder wings behind her.
"I admit that attack of yours is not bad. It could probably destroy half of Changkong City." The Third Herrscher's face was full of impatience. "But it is nothing to me, and your body cannot bear that attack either."
"That's right. I'll die." Yu Luo spoke calmly, as though the person dying were some unrelated stranger.
"So, is it worth going this far for someone you've known for less than three days?" The Third Herrscher mocked Yu Luo. "Or have you simply been bewitched by that beautiful shell?"
"Heh, how could a monster like you understand human feelings?" Yu Luo laughed softly. "I'll give everything I have to make you return Mei to me."
"You're courting death!" The word "monster" in Yu Luo's words provoked the Third Herrscher completely. She flew into a rage as endless lightning gathered at both sides of the translucent purple thunder wings on her back, forming densely packed spheres of lightning.
"Star of..." Yu Luo slowly drew the crimson greatbow to its limit. His hands trembled, his muscles tore, his blood vessels ruptured, and his skin split open. Blood gushed from his arms like a torrent, and a mist of blood shrouded his entire body. Every bone in his body creaked under the unbearable strain. Just as the Noble Phantasm's description stated, the moment he fully released its name, Yu Luo would be torn to pieces.
"Hey, you said just now that you were willing to give everything, right..." The system sighed deeply in Yu Luo's mind, interrupting his attempt to release the Noble Phantasm's true name. "I seriously can't stand you hot-blooded single-celled organisms."
"What are you planning?"
"I'm going to beat that bitch up for you and bring back your adorable little girlfriend Mei."
"Didn't you say I had no money?"
"Then use something else as payment. But the price will be enormous—far beyond anything you can imagine."
"What are you planning to do?" Yu Luo coughed and asked doubtfully. The system's tone was frivolous, like that of a delinquent girl. "Obviously, I'll log into your account and be your power leveler!"
"If you agree, I'll take over your account right now."
Before you continue