As long as, as long as that place is reached

"What do you mean, the timing's about right?"

Li Hao was in a Red Heat state when the nonsensical remark caught him off guard.

Before he could react, Jiang Mian's expression changed in an instant. As if she'd been deeply shaken, she shrieked at him:

"Y-you, don't come any closer! Please!"

Her voice was choked with tears, as if she'd switched back to the pitiful, helpless Jiang Mian from before.

Li Hao suddenly felt like a clown, toyed with and played for a fool by Jiang Mian. His anger flared as he shouted:

"Quit acting! What the hell are you pretending for? I'm going to—"

Before he could finish, a violent gust swept him up with such force that he nearly went flying.

A gale sprang up out of nowhere inside the warehouse, howling like a host of ghosts and wolves.

Centered on Jiang Mian, a visible Cyan Wind Field took shape.

Li Hao lost his footing and was blown away by the demonic wind, crashing hard into a stack of shelves.

"Cough, cough..."

He struggled to his feet, horror in his eyes.

"W-what kind of ability is this?!"

The wind carried wood splinters and nails scattered around the warehouse, slicing at his ability-enhanced hardened skin like blades.

What he couldn't believe was that these insignificant bits of debris seemed to have easily pierced his defense under the strange wind field's influence, leaving countless tiny wounds.

Li Hao had barely read a book in his life, so his understanding of other Sequence Abilities was extremely limited. But judging by the chase just now and the situation before him, this was probably an ability to control wind from the [Elemental] Path.

But... weren't abilities like this supposed to be weak in the early stages?

There were a few students at school who'd awakened abilities from the [Elemental] Path, and fighting them felt like being tickled. How could this be so absurdly destructive?

This level of power... even an ordinary Second-tier Awakened couldn't pull it off, could they?!

When had she awakened?!

Before he could figure it out, Jiang Mian's lips curled slightly. The scattered gale deliberately converged toward Li Hao, forming several invisible wind blades.

Li Hao's pupils contracted. Though he'd never experienced a fight to the death, the killing intent hidden in the wind was already coming at him without restraint.

A chill ran down his back. He rolled to the side on instinct, but the wind blade still grazed his thigh, shearing off a chunk of flesh and leaving a wound deep enough to expose bone.

"Splurt!"

"Argh!"

Li Hao had never felt pain like this before and cried out at once.

But this was only the beginning.

One wind blade after another soon came at him, deliberately avoiding his vital spots, as if they meant to slowly "wear him to death."

Gritting his teeth, he clung desperately to the ground and inched toward the nearby door, leaving a trail of crimson behind him.

"As long as... as long as I get there..."

But Jiang Mian wasn't about to give him the chance.

Just as he was about to reach the door, the wind surged to another level, sweeping him straight into the wind field.

Like he was inside a washing machine, Li Hao felt the world spinning around him. Even the pain from the wind blades seemed to fade.

"Stop! Please... stop..."

He couldn't help begging for mercy, but Jiang Mian showed no sign of stopping. In just a few seconds, his voice grew weaker and weaker.

The defense he'd been most proud of was like paper in the face of those bizarre wind blades.

Li Hao could feel his life slowly slipping away. A stream of memories flashed before his eyes, and he bitterly regretted ever setting his sights on Jiang Mian.

Below, Jiang Mian watched Li Hao's suffering with cold detachment, her heart unmoved.

This was the price he deserved to pay.

Just then, through her perception of the [Gale], Jiang Mian sensed a familiar presence.

"Chili Fried Pork?"

She instinctively thought of that young Security Officer.

"Bushigomen, this ability is... Golden Body?"

Jiang Mian sensed that the figure was moving through the wind field she'd created as if it offered no resistance at all.

Looks like I'll have to hurry. Still, it's under control.

With a thought, she formed a wind blade and sent it straight into Li Hao's throat.

Li Hao's voice cut off instantly. His body slammed down at the end of the long trail of blood. The light faded from his eyes. His body twitched for a moment, then went still.

"Hmm, looks like the [Gale] does decent damage?"

Li Hao's so-called [Steel Bones] were like tofu before her gale, offering no resistance at all.

Still, it seemed a little overpowered for Sequence 48's [Eye of the Storm]. She'd have to rein it in a bit next time.

As she pondered, Jiang Mian controlled the airflow and tossed some sharper pieces of metal at Li Hao's corpse, adding a little extra to the wounds for good measure.

At the same time, she slapped her face hard, then casually tugged at her collar, revealing a glimpse of the snowy-white skin and delicate collarbones beneath.

"Something still doesn't feel right..."

Her sudden change in expression had only been skin-deep. That idiot Li Hao hadn't noticed, but things might be different with two Security Officers.

With that in mind, Jiang Mian stimulated the Calamity Core. Her body immediately reacted, trembling slightly as tears welled in her eyes.

"Ah... I went a bit too far. That hurts..."

There wasn't much time. She hurriedly curled up in a corner, hugged her knees, and began to sob quietly.

A pale golden glow lingered around Ye Chenyang. Like an icebreaker, he pressed forward through the chaotic wind field.

Although, to simulate the [Shining Blade], he'd chosen [Condense Light] as his First Order skill—a skill that condensed power into weapons or tools—

his control over his abilities allowed him to use some of the skills he'd acquired in his previous life as well.

The [Flowing Colors] he was using now, for instance, was a rather effective defensive skill.

Ye Chenyang surveyed the scene. Li Hao's burly figure stood out starkly.

Seeing the trail of blood behind him, Ye Chenyang's first thought was that he'd died of blood loss.

Judging by the wounds alone, there seemed to be several fatal ones: his throat, chest, lungs, even his groin... And the wounds were chaotic, with a great deal of debris mixed in, making it difficult to tell which had been the main cause of death.

Ye Chenyang pushed down his doubts. Li Hao was already dead. At this point, saving someone was the priority.

Before coming in, he'd asked Lin Yun for Jiang Mian's basic information.

After learning what had happened, Ye Chenyang had found it a little strange, but for now, he'd assumed Jiang Mian was a Natural Awakening who'd awakened and erupted by accident in the depths of despair.

Elemental Bursts could indeed kill Awakened of the same tier in an instant, but... to have this much strength and range right after awakening seemed a little too outrageous.

Only Awakened with a High-tier Sequence could summon an Elemental Storm on such a scale...

After pressing forward for a while, the storm seemed to weaken as he neared the area around the "Eye of the Storm."

Ye Chenyang entered the center of the warehouse. The sight before him made his heart tighten.