Mission Knight III

Foreword:

It seems that pain is the sister of joy; if we rejoice too soon, joy will turn into sorrow.

[Part 1: The Gnu Rider]

"The second Horcrux has appeared."

Exhilarating news came from the temporary command post.

Qi Ji: "What is its specific form? What are the preliminary assessment results of the psionic disaster and the elemental analysis? Can Lady White Snake handle this new enemy?"

Mole Girl nervously picked up the translation form, held the three mail receivers of the fifth scout group under her chin, and while distinguishing the ringtone information, she wrote them down one by one on the tablet computer according to the Romanized version of the translation form.

"Its Spirit Calamity index is similar to that of the Frost Giants, the number one Horcrux, with the core Spirit Calamity area maintaining three to four times the sextant standard."

"It should be a creature purely from the Netherworld. Judging from its appearance, it is a heavily armored cavalryman whose entire body is covered in iron-nickel core plate armor and who rides a wildebeest."

"The mount is similar to the white-tailed wildebeest, with four large horns on its head, the horns pointing outwards, and each horn is over seventy centimeters long."

"The scouts have confirmed that Horcrux number two does not have the ability to fly, but it does have some ability to wade through water. This Gnu Rider entered the shallows through the sewer system at the dam entrance and raced across the sea—engaging with Lady White Snake and the Heroic Spirit Shali Knight."

"The Commander-in-Chief's last question: Can Lady White Snake catch him?"

"The latest battle report is here."

Siyao Shop, near Huacheng Bay Wharf, is a nearly four-kilometer stretch of road from East Street to Huakang Beach. It has been turned into a scene of devastation.

The Soul Artifact Dad is the offspring of Frost Giants, Axue's psionic hail couldn't do much damage to him.

With the help of the [Timeline] and the possession of a Heroic Spirit, Duran fought alongside Ms. Shali, maintaining her flight form with the scales and wings of a Pixie Spirit. She had to constantly adjust her flight posture in the freezing cold to avoid deadly hailstones the size of footballs in the rain and snow.

Teacher Shali, on the other hand, focused on the offensive, repeatedly using the psychic power of [Veil of Night] in an attempt to open the Gate of Death of Horcrux Number One.

The Soul Artifact Dad followed Duran all the way on the ground, but no matter what he did, he couldn't learn to fly. Faced with Shali Knight's psionic bombardment and the flashing sparks that occasionally burst from the psionic Magic Power's powerhouse, this giant lying on the ground could only take the hits one-sidedly.

Even the soldiers of Siyao in East Horse Port wouldn't dare step out of their residence to witness such a battle of gods. The rays of light and fire that constantly erupted from the streets of the bay area, the hailstorms from the sky, and the giants running on the ground—this was hardly a battle that mortals could participate in.

"I can't crack this nut, little sister." Ms. Shali's purplish-blue spirit floated beside Duran: "How are you feeling mentally?"

While Duran was manipulating the spirit weapon [Curtain of Night], the scales and wings that these broken spirits transformed into required a strong will from the user to control, the White Snake was tightly biting her neck. She had to see clearly the path of the hail falling from the near-ground clouds. She had almost no time to rest, like a willow catkin swaying in a storm.

"It's still early!" Duran replied casually, then found the pocket in her inner garment from her robe and used the chocolate mixed with VIP essence as an MP potion. Whenever she felt even slightly fatigued, she would immediately eat candy to keep going.

While it's impossible to replicate the supernatural powers of these VIPs, the Blood-giving Monster's physiques can directly convert human flesh into real-time combat power. Carnivores can replenish what they eat—since the alchemical base contains the flesh and blood of VIPs, these chocolate candies imbued with soul power can also be used as pure psionic supplements.

Right now, at this very moment--

--A bright spark precisely shattered the Soul Artifact Dad's white bronze cane, striking the dazzling blood-red hibiscus stone.

The dust crystal transformed into a high-energy jet, striking the violent and fierce red stone. This multifaceted crystal immediately became an energy refraction device, bursting forth with thirty-two beams of bright red light, which sliced Soul Artifact Dad into pieces almost instantly!

"Is this its Gate of Death?!" Duran, preoccupied with looking at the sky, turned his head and caught sight of this scene, exclaiming in admiration for Teacher Shali's incredible skill. "Your magic is truly divine!"

"No," Shali said gravely, "I'm afraid that's not enough."

Duran: "Not enough!?"

The redstone on the white bronze staff exploded along with the dust jet.

The shockwave from the explosion instantly cleared the snow from the coastal streets and parts of the shallow waters, shattering the hailstones that were about to fall from the sky. This gave Duran, who was swaying and steadying himself in the wind, a couple of seconds to catch his breath.

Even Flash Butterfly with abundant primordial energy and a strong physique might not be able to withstand the scorching dust crystal flames and the overpressure airwaves, but Fret's Horcrux is not completely dead yet!

The Frost Giants was incredibly strong. Its hair was burned clean, its body was cut into several pieces by the dust crystal jet, the flesh was stuck together, and its clothes were torn and blown away in the explosion. However, due to the giant offspring's super vitality and fire resistance, the blood-producing organs were protected by the sword blade, and the scattered and cracked muscles were forcibly regrown back.

"Always just a hair's breadth away! Always just a little bit short!" Veins bulged on Teacher Shali's forehead as she began to show signs of impatience. "Its cane isn't a vessel for a Horcrux; it's just an ornament. We must destroy all sixteen brilliance stones in its chest simultaneously—we must create a wound at least thirty-seven centimeters long in an instant, preferably a penetrating wound. Brilliant Spark can't do that."

Shali Knight's special ability can create a jet of dust crystals as thick as a fist, which can pierce through the heart of the Soul Artifact Dad, but it cannot destroy so many Brilliant Stone targets at the same time—the moment the Brilliant Spark ends, these Brilliant Stone entities will slowly grow back along with the giant's essence.

The Gnu Rider drove into the battlefield from the dam entrance brought them new trouble.

The Soul Artifact Dad couldn't harm Duran was flying freely in mid-air, but when the fully armed Mercedes-Benz rider performed water walking, galloping through the surging waves—

Suddenly! A cold arrow pierced the wind from the waves!

Duran shuddered, almost as if the [Timeline] had transformed into a little White Snake, biting her neck and twisting her head to the side.

The arrow, imbued with intense spiritual energy, ripped open Duran's face, tore open the collar and shoulder fabric of her rare robes, and viciously tore through her flesh, carrying away bits of flesh from Ms. Duran cheekbone as it flew into the distance.

The excruciating pain made Duran grit his teeth and hunch over. Looking back at the Gnu Rider's movements, he saw that the rider had completely disappeared into the waves, riding the wildebeest for more than two hundred meters into the deep water.

"That's another Horcrux." Shali saw through the mystery. "Legend has it that Wood Plark traveled through the kingdoms of the Western Continent, using cast iron to forge bows and arrows to test the strength of his students— Fret Caesar was his adopted son, and this bow is the second Horcrux."

"Teacher Shali! Your spirit armor can't stop this arrow." Duran flapped his scale wings and flew low towards the city.

"Of course! That's a relic of the saint Wood Plark. The people of Shambhala regard it as a divine artifact chosen by the God of Abundance. Before becoming a think tank advisor for Ming De, this old man was also a highly skilled archer and warrior—how could a helpless spirit like me possibly withstand it?"

Duran asked anxiously, "What should we do?!"

"Fly towards the city! We'll stay close to the ground! The little Dragon Cavalry will figure something out!" Shali Knight snapped. "We have to hold out until Wood Plark arrives to help! He'll have to deal with his own legacy!"

[Part 2: Hunting Season]

At this moment, Flavia was completely unable to move.

Compared to the White Snake soaring freely in the sky, the black snake was of almost no help in this battle.

Almost the instant the battle began, she returned to her familiar post, to the wartime logistics supply line, and to the front line of the anti-piracy operations during the expedition.

Along the two main north-south roads of Huacheng Bay Subdistrict, there are nearly 300 households, a private school, a university building, and sixteen restaurants and teahouses of various sizes.

Most of the civilians who still had the strength to escape found a way to survive under the guidance of the Dragon Cavalry, clearing out a clean combat environment in advance. The Spirit Cloud Squad could ambush the Wings of Light in the Huacheng Bay market, and they also needed this kind of environment—otherwise, if these gentry and noble families could just grab civilians and ask them a few questions, or hold them hostage, the conditions for the ambush would become complicated.

Those who are too weak to escape are left in this Human Hell, waiting and praying that the gods will leave soon.

This is also why Flavia is unable to move.

She arrived at Boyang Nursing Home four minutes earlier, intending to evacuate the civilians there.

This building is quite old and was used by many people in Huacheng Bay Market as a recreational place for the elderly. Grandfather and grandmas can play cards and drink tea here, occasionally take a nap in the tea room on the second floor, and gather in the lobby on the first floor to listen to opera.

The opera troupe received news of the battle at the beach early in the morning. The troupe leader and several of the leading martial arts actors ran the fastest, while the other elderly people who had family to rely on were taken to the west of the city for refuge.

What about the few disabled elderly people left behind, with their children and grandchildren, all alone and helpless? Unable to leave the building, they were trapped by the hail and died in their warm coffins, huddled together with a few grandchildren, "invisible orphans" without fathers or mothers.

Flavia was squatting in the lobby on the first floor, with a huge coffered ceiling above her head.

The dust explosion that just came from the seaside street triggered a minor earthquake, causing the ceiling of this old house to collapse and nearly hitting the elderly people.

Flavia cried out "[Fairy Tale Kingdom]", and together with the Feathered Serpent Spirit Body, she held up the wooden frame of the coffered ceiling, creating a path to survival.

She could only remain motionless, unable to speak, hoping that the elderly people in the lobby would quickly crawl away with their grandchildren.

The little child was so scared that all he could do was cry. The grandmother, who crawled the fastest, hugged her grandson. Her right leg was not very flexible, and she was panting heavily as she crawled on her belly. Seeing Flavia's miserable appearance with gritted teeth, she could only smile.

There are still more good people than bad in the world.

"Young lady, do you have a husband?"

"I..."

Flavia whispered in response, "Please, old lady, let's go! I don't need a blind date! I don't need anyone else."

Seeing that several old people had climbed out, Flavia prepared to put down the coffered ceiling and escape. There was also a Grandfather with a white beard who slapped his thigh and roared in frustration.

"My grandson! Where is my grandson?! Where is my grandson?!"

It seems he was having a bout of dementia; he was so focused on escaping that he forgot about his beloved grandson in the teahouse.

Flavia dared not move. The ceiling collapsed first, and the old building's framework would collapse as well. If it wasn't properly secured, the entire building would be reduced to ashes at that moment. If she were buried inside, given the efficiency of the firefighters from East Horse Port, by the time the rescue arrived, she would be doomed.

No matter how much the old man called, his little grandson wouldn't respond.

Flavia dared not let go, and could only waste her energy, her spirit growing weaker and weaker.

"You old bastard! Are you sure you have a grandson? Or are you getting Alzheimer's?!"

The black snake's evil intentions led Flavia to hurl a few harsh words at the old man, hoping to bring him back to his senses.

"Yes! He has a grandson! He should be hiding in the attic; he didn't come down with us." The old woman, who had left earlier, was still patting her grandson's back, trying to soothe the little one. "He's frightened, isn't he? He must be terrified; he's too scared to move."

"Oh my god!" Flavia rolled her eyes.

But fate did not respond to her.

--She was responded to by three soldiers from the seventh scout group of the Dragon Cavalry Corps.

Two young men emerged from the raging hailstorm outside. One of them stepped through the kitchen and into the main hall, where he paused for a moment, seemingly startled, upon seeing the damaged ceiling.

The soldier who squeezed in through the second-floor window also looked shaken. His face was pale from the terrible weather outside, as if he had just narrowly escaped Death God. Having just survived the deadly rain and snow, he was uncertain as he stepped onto the shaky indoor floor, muttering, "It's not going to collapse, is it? This is a bit scary."

The leader of Group Seven peered through a hole in the roof, carefully observed the interior, and then nimbly and quickly descended to the ground, hanging upside down from the beams. They hadn't come to rescue Flavia and the civilians; that wasn't their responsibility. The evacuation should have been completed before the war began.

These young knights received orders from the temporary command to support Wood Plark, create conditions for attack around the VIP's route, try to find the Gate of Death of Soul Artifact One in the city, and completely defeat Soul Artifact Two.

Flavia: "Help! Dragon Cavalry!"

At that single call, the scout group's young leader glanced toward the tea room, said nothing, and like walking a tightrope, leaped over two railings and rushed into the attic. He grabbed an eight- or nine-year-old boy hiding in a wardrobe, threw him from the attic to the second floor, and then the brothers on the second floor threw him back down to the first floor.

In the end, the brothers on the first floor sent the child out the door, which only delayed their chance of fighting by twelve seconds.

"BS (short for Black Snake)! Evacuate from here! This tactical point is about to collapse in less than half a minute!" The leader of the Dragon Cavalry squad shouted sharply, his tone tense and stern, allowing no room for error. "Take the civilians and get out of here immediately."

Flavia removed the heavy coffered ceiling slabs, causing the entire house to tilt toward the street. She quickly retreated outside.

The three scouts who remained inside did not rush to leave. They risked their lives to occupy the high ground and kept a close watch on the enemy situation on the street.

An explosion came from the kitchen on the first floor. It was a defensive grenade, standard issue for the Dragon Cavalry Corps, that had shattered the foundation of the main beams, turning this precarious building into a weapon for the legion.

A high-frequency buzzing sound, like that of a hummingbird, came from outside; it was the whistling sound left by Duran as he flew low overhead.

At the same time, the three-story old building collapsed onto the street, and the more than ten tons of basic building materials became an unbearable weight for the giant's offspring.

The three scouts of the Dragon Cavalry Corps leaped back and forth among the collapsed and deformed beams, found a high point to crawl out of the ruins, and continued to ring their bells to perform elemental analysis and assess the enemy's injuries. They poked out the head of the Soul Artifact Dad from the smoke and dust, and then the giant burst out of the ground—they were like birds, frightened away by the astonishing force, coming and going quickly.

Flavia led the civilians through two narrow alleys early in the morning, and looking up, they could see the warriors leaping across rooftops. At least six groups of scouts were doing their utmost in the streets and alleys, using all sorts of methods to deal with this mythical unit.

Reaching a four-way intersection, Flavia saw scouts on a power line tower trimming wires and silently preparing for an attack. One of them held a survival knife and pliers, biting the grip of a gun in his mouth, ready to switch hands and fire at any moment.

The sudden, dazzling purple light nearly blinded Flavia.

Those were the powerful arrows from the Gnu Rider. One side of this four-way intersection leads to the coast, where the terrain gradually slopes down, offering a wide field of vision, naturally making it a target for the Gnu Rider's sniping.

The arrow pierced the young soldier's abdomen, creating a deep, round crater, and broke his spine.

He didn't utter a sound of pain; his legs, having lost the control of their central nervous system, were about to fall onto the road, having been tightly gripping the steel beam of the power line tower.

"No!" Flavia screamed, but it was no use.

The young soldier didn't fall; instead, he grabbed the pliers, hooked his right arm onto the tower's beam, and cut four thick cables. Then, calmly switching hands, he completely severed the wires.

After doing all that, he seemed to have lost some of his strength. His lower body was paralyzed, which also caused him to lose his balance. Judging from the badge on his collar, he was a veteran who had won the Bauhinia Medal, but he was only in his early twenties.

He bit through the plastic packet of the Universal Elixir from the lining of his collar insignia, and his colorful intestines swayed wildly in the wind before being drawn back into his stomach by the power of regeneration.

Meanwhile, the Soul Artifact Dad, who was relentlessly pursuing Duran, had just rushed out of the intersection when he was struck by the four cables, sparks flying from his body, and he froze on the spot, unable to move.

Before the Gnu Rider could fire his second arrow, the warrior glided swiftly down the tower like a nimble ape, calling to the two scouts from the fifth group to move to a new position. A new bell had rung, and new orders needed to be carried out.

Flavia was stunned--

But reality didn't allow her to daydream.

The scout team leader, who had just run about twenty meters, turned around on the spot, seemingly in response to the message sent to command post, and the location of Black Snake was also reported back in real time.

"Command said to take her with us." The scout team leader had barely finished speaking.

Flavia asked two soldiers to carry her horizontally, and they found a path to a dry goods market amidst the hail, rain, and snow.

When he rushed out of the intersection, Wood Plark had been waiting for a long time, following Qi Ji's instructions.

"The situation is not optimistic. Just how many strange things has my unfilial son found back in our hometown?"

"Each group has suffered casualties to varying degrees," the scout leader replied. "Pain is the sister of joy; if we rejoice too soon, it will turn into tragedy. The next step, the decapitation operation, is now in your hands."