Volume One: Intrigue in the Imperial Capital - The Showdown Above, Part Four
"How could the first person I fell in love with at first sight be weak!"
These words were like a bullet, piercing through all the despair, cowardice, and confusion, and striking my heart.
Since they've already said that much,
It would be outrageous if I didn't put in some effort!
The white world collapsed instantly, and my mind returned to the reality before me.
The crumbling Blood Crystal Shield, the ferocious silver storm, the approaching longsword—it all seemed like a sure defeat. But, upon closer examination, there was still a way to salvage the situation.
Underground!
The blood drill, aimed at the ground, frantically burrowed into the soil and rocks, instantly creating a pit a meter in diameter. As the hole deepened, the longsword, shimmering with orange light, was already within reach—
I'll jump!
At the critical moment, the hole was finally dug deep enough, and I quickly hid in the burrow, using my crystal shield to block the entrance. A howling wind blew overhead, and the sound of crystals shattering filled the air. After a long while, all was quiet.
The attack has finally stopped?
Despite being surrounded by thick layers of rock, I felt no sense of security. After all, breaking through such a layer of rock would be incredibly easy for both of us.
The key lies in Haoyue's special ability.
Each rune has a different effect, and the total number of runes is unknown. The known colors are orange and silver. Orange and silver... If I'm not mistaken, her power corresponds to the Gold Silver Orange March of the Spirit Star Night Sky. In addition to orange and silver, there should also be gold, and the power of the runes increases in the order of orange → silver → gold.
This ability is practically a bug... Every rune is different, so doesn't that mean she possesses a multitude of abilities simultaneously? Currently known abilities include "Moon Step," which accelerates movement; "Moon Bridge," allowing her to walk in the sky; the defensive skill "Shield of Moon Radiance"; the wave-like sword light "Moon Ripple"; the crescent-shaped "Moon Wheel Slash"; and the powerful close-range slash "Void Moon Blade"—we've already seen six of the nine runes in the Orange Moon series. As for the Silver Moon, we only know "Moon Mist Silver Veil," which confuses vision and creates clones, and "Moonstorm," which unleashes a storm of light...
Haoyue once told me that her ability could theoretically advance 26 times... If each advancement adds one more rune, she should have a total of 27 runes!
What a terrifying number! Although she probably hasn't finished advancing yet, she likely has at least a dozen usable runes. Judging from this situation, things are really bad...
An arc of light flashed past my side, splitting the hard marble like tofu; a few centimeters off, and my arm would be gone.
She has already begun her underground attack; there's no time to lose, we must act immediately!
"No response..."
Standing on the arena (though it was already shattered beyond repair), Haoyue looked thoughtfully at the direction he had struck. Could it be that he had accidentally killed Xiao Ye? Impossible, the person he had set his sights on would never die so easily.
Come to think of it, in that moment of spiritual communion, I think I confessed my feelings to her...
Oh, how embarrassing! How am I going to face her after this? -- I don't feel that way at all. It's something that should be exciting, but I'm as calm as if I've just drunk a cup of tea, relaxed and natural.
Haoyue couldn't help but feel a little regretful.
It really was a matter of occasion and atmosphere... Well, anyone would find it strange to suddenly say something like love at first sight when you've barely spoken to each other, especially on this dilapidated arena where there's absolutely no romance...
Moreover, what I said was a bit presumptuous, arbitrarily shouting about being an understanding person, which was simply imposing my own ideas on her. I need to reflect on that.
Xiao Ye, do you really hate me that much...?
Haoyue couldn't help but feel nervous.
However, Haoyue was never worried about things like "her sweetheart rejecting same-sex relationships".
Because she was certain that Xiao Ye was, on a spiritual level, a complete male.
Hiss... It's here!
Upon hearing the strange sound, Haoyue immediately held her breath and focused. She could now use a maximum of three runes simultaneously. The rune for "Void Moon Blade" was already attached to Snow Moon, and the runes for "Moon Bridge" and "Moon Step" were affixed to her feet. She was fully prepared, however—
"Fog?"
What emerged from the ground and from the cracks in the rubble was neither blood nor blood crystals, but a pale red mist.
A new attack method? Haoyue couldn't help but feel a little tempted.
If possible, I'd like to use Moonstorm again to disperse the mist, but that move consumes too much energy and can't be used continuously, so the safest way now is to leave the ground.
"Moon Bridge".
With a push of her feet, the orange moonlight lifted her upwards, the light converging beneath her feet like a bridge, allowing her to stand in the air. The red mist thickened, gradually covering the entire ground, but it did not continue to rise.
The fog seems denser than air. Is it trying to make me lose my footing? Or is it deliberately misleading me? It might be intentionally forcing me into the air, creating the illusion that the red fog can't rise, or blocking my vision... There are too many possibilities.
Once there are too many possibilities, it becomes impossible to consider each one individually. The most effective approach at this point is to eliminate all possibilities with a single action!
"Although this move is also very strenuous, I can't worry about that now..."
Haoyue grasped Snow Moon with both hands, raised it high above her head, and a second silver halo appeared beneath her feet. The most complex rune ever seen was affixed to the sword.
"Silver Moon, Moon Sea!"
The longsword slashed down with incredible speed, and the runes transformed into a silver waterfall of light that cascaded down, surging and expanding the instant it touched the ground. Amidst the rippling silver light, the sound of rushing waves could be heard; the light was so dense that it had liquefied!
The ocean of light filled every inch of the land, and despite the absence of wind, the waves surged, instantly pushing aside the red mist covering the ground. The giant spikes that Liu Ye had released earlier also broke off and sank into the sea.
Having lost its territory, the red mist swirled around the sea for a moment, then suddenly rose and pounced on the bright moon like a hungry wolf.
"As expected, she can control this mist— Moon Fire Fall!"
The orange light surged and billowed like flames, forming a small fireball that plummeted towards the red mist. However, instead of being evaporated as the moon had expected, the red mist caused the moonlight to distort and dissipate upon contact.
"What!?" Haoyue was startled, but immediately realized the reason. "So that's how it is. This fog is actually composed of countless tiny blood crystals, like countless small blades. Ordinary methods would easily destroy it, so..."
With a gentle lift of her jade hand, the Moon Sea seemed to receive some kind of signal, instantly unleashing a giant wave tens of meters high that crashed into the red mist. The sea surface surged violently, even lifting rubble and broken giant Crystal Spike from the ground into the air!
As the silver waves crashed down, the red mist vanished without a trace. Haoyue smiled slightly, a smile that held both pride and regret.
The giant wave that shattered the red mist crashed down, stirring up a storm of waves once more. The thunderous roar of the waves resounded throughout the heavens and the earth. Although the Moon Sea was small in size, its power was no different from that of a real ocean!
Click.
Amidst the rumbling waves, a discordant sound, like shattering glass, suddenly rang out. Haoyue's hearing was extremely sharp; anyone else would surely have missed it.
A shiver ran down my spine, and a sense of unease, like needles pricking my back, welled up inside me.
Haoyue immediately turned around to look.
The colossal wave not only destroyed the red mist, but also carried the Crystal Spike left behind into the air, with some even rising higher than the bright moon.
Each of these Crystal Spike is as thick as a large tree, and their dazzling, ever-changing red color makes it impossible for humans to see their internal structure.
It's more than enough to hide one person inside.
One of the Crystal Spike shattered with a crack.
What flew out of it was not just fragments of blood crystal.
Wildly flowing black hair
Multiple abrasions do not diminish the allure of her sexy physique.
Sharp eyes that radiated a fierce, burning intensity.
The crimson rainbow swirling around him
Blood in its gaseous, liquid, and crystalline states condensed on the black longsword, transforming it into a crimson Greatsword as tall as an adult.
"Blood Makeup Blade - Eight Bullets Fired Simultaneously--"
A dazzling Blood Rainbow swirled around the blade, making this deadly weapon even more alluring.
The formation of the crimson Greatsword even shook the atmosphere; it was clearly a sure-kill move.
"Hahaha..."
However, Haoyue smiled.
"Haha, hahahahahahahahahahahaha! That's more like it, Xiao Ye!!"
She laughed loudly, then jumped off the Moonlight Bridge, falling freely into the sea.
"Silver Moon--" With a wave of his hand, another rune floated up on the second silver ring. The rune flew downwards at an extremely fast speed and plunged directly into the sea of moonlight!
Come on, darling.
Let's decide the outcome with this one strike!
" --Blood Prison Rainbow Slash!"
"--Hai Sea Moon Rise!"
Accompanied by eight flying golden bullet casings, a magnificent, gigantic slashing blade descended from the sky.
At the same time, a dazzling silver full moon rose from the ocean of light and flew straight into the sky.
The two collided head-on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm so drunk that I had to get up at 3 a. m. to write this.