Shikai

"Everyone, gather behind me! If anyone is injured, help each other out!" Lu Mingfei shouted.

The scattered crowd seemed to have found their backbone, rushing toward Lu Mingfei's position.

Most of them had been saved by Lu Mingfei before, and they knew that if they wanted to survive, they had to listen to him.

"Are you going to be okay?" Su Xiaoqiang asked, sounding worried.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Lu Mingfei, but there were simply too many of these monsters; it was enough to make anyone feel despair.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. Once everyone is gathered, I'll cast a barrier. Keep an eye on the injured for me," Lu Mingfei replied.

"Got it!" Su Xiaoqiang nodded heavily.

Once the group had assembled, Lu Mingfei had them huddle together and then reached out his hand.

"Binding Spell: Mirror Gate."

As Lu Mingfei's voice rang out, a high-level barrier enveloped the entire class.

"This barrier can reflect external attacks, but it's very easy to break from the inside. Everyone, remember: do not come out under any circumstances," Lu Mingfei cautioned.

Inside, Su Xiaoqiang comforted some of the female students who were crying in fear.

Elsewhere.

Jiu De Mai set up her sniper rifle again, aiming at the figure in the white lab coat standing in the tree.

"Do you need me to take him out now?" Jiu De Mai said into her headset.

"No. Even if you kill him, these Dead Servant swarms won't disappear, and they'll just go berserk prematurely."

There was a slight pause.

"Besides, the Boss said we can use this opportunity to see what hidden strength Lu Mingfei has. If things get truly desperate, we can intervene then," Su Enxi replied.

"Fine," Jiu De Mai shrugged.

"BOOM!"

Blazing flames erupted, surging like a tidal wave as they burned through the weak points of the Dead Servant swarm.

Jiu De Mai pulled her eye away from the scope and looked toward the explosion.

She could see Chu Zihang using fire to carve a path, charging into the encirclement of Dead Servants.

"Holy crap, why is that guy Chu Zihang so reckless!" Jiu De Mai exclaimed in surprise.

"BOOM!"

Immediately following that was another explosion. A girl completely covered in a black combat suit followed behind Chu Zihang, also using fire to clear the way.

"What the hell! Why is that Sanwu girl so reckless too!" Jiu De Mai was stunned.

"The Boss said I am to protect Lu Mingfei's safety at all costs," Zero's voice carried no trace of emotion.

Jiu De Mai and Su Enxi both face-palmed.

"Well, if that's the case, there's no helping it. Be careful, Sanwu girl. I'll provide you with long-range support from here," Jiu De Mai muttered, adjusting her sniper scope.

"Understood," Zero replied coldly.

Someone else is using Lords Flame just like me?

A flicker of doubt crossed Chu Zihang's mind.

But Chu Zihang didn't look back, because he knew the people inside needed rescue even more.

What is this explosion about!

Lu Mingfei looked toward the direction of the fiery impact.

A man walked out from the flames, gripping an Alchemical Longsword. He was expressionless and cold, his eyes glowing with striking Golden Pupils as he sprinted toward Lu Mingfei.

"Senior Chu?"

Liu Miaomiao, inside the barrier behind Lu Mingfei, cried out in surprise.

Reminded by Liu Miaomiao, Lu Mingfei finally remembered that this was Chu Zihang, the number one on the Shilan High School Must-Kill List.

"Lu Mingfei?"

Although Lu Mingfei had changed significantly, Chu Zihang recognized him at a glance.

How does he remember me?

Lu Mingfei knew that he used to be a total nobody, one of those people who blended into the background.

And with how much he had changed, it was absurd that Chu Zihang had recognized him instantly.

Looking at those burning golden pupils, just like his own, he saw that Chu Zihang hadn't lost his mind like those monsters.

It seemed he had finally found his chance to make contact with this real world.

Chu Zihang looked at the students inside the barrier behind Lu Mingfei. He hadn't expected the people surrounded by the Dead Servant swarm to be students from Shilan High School. Was this barrier some kind of Alchemical Matrix?

Judging by the way Lu Mingfei held his blade, he must be a Half-Blood as well.

Though he didn't know much about Lu Mingfei's situation, Chu Zihang still said to him, "Quick, I can trigger my Spirit Word again to open a breakthrough. You and these students follow me out."

"It is already too late."

A cold, clear voice rang out.

Zero stood behind Chu Zihang and said, "We were able to break in earlier because that point was a weak spot, but it has been sealed off now. We no longer have a way to use a Spirit Word to charge out. It seems the person behind the scenes was waiting for you to enter on purpose."

Chu Zihang frowned, looking at the girl dressed in a black combat suit: "Have you been following me the whole time?"

Zero merely glanced at him silently, offering no reply.

"Alright, I don't really understand your situation, but can you tell me what these monsters are?"

Lu Mingfei pointed at the Dead Servant group.

"These are Dead Servant. When a Half-Blood's Dragon blood ratio exceeds the critical blood limit, those who have fallen lose their sanity and degenerate into Dead Servant," Chu Zihang explained.

Lu Mingfei nodded.

"Although I still don't quite understand, welcome to the team. The war is about to begin," Lu Mingfei said.

An eerie whistling sound drifted over.

From the moment the Dead Servant group rioted after the whistle sounded, Lu Mingfei knew what was controlling them.

Lu Mingfei focused on pinpointing the source of the whistling.

Upon hearing the whistle, the Dead Servant group no longer suppressed their instincts and charged forward in their entirety. There were Dead Servant crawling on the ground with deformed limbs, and others running upright—countless in number.

"Has the attack begun?"

Lu Mingfei gazed at the dense swarm of Dead Servant surrounding them and gripped his Zanpakuto tightly.

Chu Zihang and Zero also tightened their grips on their respective Alchemy Blade.

The people inside the barrier were feeling a bit numb. Lu Mingfei was, and so was Chu Zihang. These former classmates or seniors were not ordinary people; what on earth was happening to this world!

So this is their world, Su Xiaoqiang thought as she watched their figures.

"Just focus on attacking. As long as a massive wave of Dead Servant doesn't break through, the barrier behind us is enough to protect them," Lu Mingfei said.

Chu Zihang and Zero nodded slightly.

Normally, the release of a Zanpakuto required a spiritual body, but after this period of fusion with Shinigami Power, his own body could now support a Shikai.

Lu Mingfei held his Zanpakuto horizontally, pressed his left index and middle fingers together, and wiped them across the blade.

"Part ways, Zanshin."

As Lu Mingfei's voice echoed, the blade instantly turned pitch black. It was three feet and two inches long, with a thin black cord sprouting from the end of the hilt, tied to a small black cross.

Domain expansion, range: five hundred meters around the camp.

Lu Mingfei swung Zanshin forward and issued a command to the domain:

"Vision Deprivation."

"Auditory Deprivation."

"Olfactory Deprivation."