Chapter 190
Soon, Yukina and Hatsukawa Fuka clashed twice more. This time, Yukina intentionally controlled the shifts in the battle area, significantly weakening Hatsukawa Fuka's offensive.
Even so, she was still at a disadvantage in the clash. Unable to dodge in time, Yukina was punched and thrown straight into a burnt-out street tree, breaking it and embedding herself in a wall.
She pressed her elbows down, about to get up, when she suddenly saw a familiar figure in a dark corner not far away.
She opened her eyes wide in disbelief.
"Naoko!?"
Why is Naoko here? When did she...?
Efnir, facing her, gently raised her hand, making a "shush" gesture, while her lips moved slightly.
Although she couldn't hear anything, Yukina understood what Efnir Neal meant simply by reading her lips:
"Protect yourself and lure her over."
No verbal communication is needed; this is the unspoken understanding between the two sisters.
69. You're doomed.
Despite still being surrounded by the Apostle, seeing Naoko Yukina Naoko her a sense of security and reliance, just like when she was a child.
However, she is no longer the introverted and clueless little girl she was when she was a child; now, she focuses more on Naoko.
She will also think more and worry more.
--The Apostle's true target is Naoko, and Naoko herself being here is indeed too dangerous.
Yukina put herself in danger so that Naoko could be saved. If Naoko's appearance immediately attracted an attack from the other Apostle, wouldn't all her efforts be in vain?
However, on the other hand, Naoko into a trap; she must have been confident in resolving the crisis before coming here.
Even for Yukina's sake, Naoko has never been a reckless person.
If she had to choose someone she could "trust and rely on," Yukina would choose Naoko without hesitation or reservation.
At this moment, Hatsukawa Fuka's figure broke through the dust again and rushed towards Yukina. Yukina gritted her teeth, enduring the excruciating pain that made her whole body feel like it was about to fall apart, and pulled out her pistol, firing the last three bullets. At the same time, she slid to the side, pulling Hatsukawa Fuka and her battlefield away from here, preventing Naoko from being discovered.
Out of the corner of her eye, Yukina saw Naoko disappear into the rising dust, her whereabouts unknown. But Yukina knew that Naoko must still be nearby, waiting for her to lure Hatsukawa Fuka into Naoko's trap.
His goal was to use a certain strategy to lure Hatsukawa Fuka to Naoko's location, then cooperate with Naoko to capture Hatsukawa Fuka, and take the opportunity to counterattack the Apostle.
It's not difficult to do this at all. She is at the center of the battle, surrounded by Apostle, but conversely, she is also influencing the actions of all the Apostle.
Yukina, however, was unaware of Naoko's plan and was unsure of what she should do or how to cooperate.
Or rather, no cooperation is required?
All thanks to tacit understanding?
Or perhaps Naoko is confident in handling any situation?
Yukina's heart pounded as she gripped the Sacred Relic between her fingers.
Naoko and Yukina were both in very poor condition. Even though Yukina trusted Naoko completely, it wouldn't be surprising if something unexpected happened at this time. If they encountered unforeseen danger, Yukina would risk her life to make sure Naoko got out of here.
While harboring her own thoughts, Yukina kept her nerves on edge, dodging Hatsukawa Fuka's attacks time and time again, bypassing the suppression of the other Apostle, and escaping by twisting and turning within the shrinking encirclement, luring Hatsukawa Fuka towards the direction of the collapsed building where Naoko was hiding.
Yukina's appearance clearly showed her decline to others, and Ayse and the others could only watch helplessly.
Saori had already torn apart an Apostle in a powerful assault, but she still couldn't break through the Apostle's defensive network. On the other side, the train was blocked outside the battle line by the collapsed ruins. As the encirclement tightened, the train's artillery could no longer support the battlefield, and the soldiers had to leave the train and join the battle from the streets and buildings.
The lack of powerful firepower greatly increased the pressure on Ayse and the others. Unlike the supporter Saori, who was in good condition, they had already experienced several battles and had exhausted a lot of strength in the battles. Apart from Ayse, who only had some minor injuries, Canary and Furan were covered in glaring blood from the lacerations.
Even so, they still launched a tenacious attack on the Apostle, and even suppressed Apostle to a certain extent, showing a faint tendency to break through their defenses.
The agents in Xijing City are no longer the same as they were when they first encountered the Apostle and were caught off guard. After the existence of the Apostle became known, the agents received targeted training and developed a series of strategies. Most of the information was based on the combat data of Sakurai Sachi and Ayse. The agents are no longer in a completely passive position when fighting the Apostle as they were a month ago.
In the ensuing fierce battle, people on both sides sustained injuries.
At that moment, Yukina's figure passed through the abandoned building, and Hatsukawa Fuka came close behind, followed by a fierce straight punch.
Yukina sidestepped Fuka's pursuit, her hands clasped together in front of her, tightly locking Hatsukawa Fuka's arm, and then used the momentum to deliver an elbow strike towards Hatsukawa Fuka's face.
But Hatsukawa Fuka used her elbow to hook Yukina's arm in the opposite direction at an even faster speed. As Yukina rushed towards her, she immediately took a step back to lock her lower body, and suddenly pulled her shoulder in and slammed into Yukina's chest, delivering a heavy over-the-shoulder throw that slammed Yukina to the ground.
The world spun around, the paving stones on the ground shattered inch by inch, and Yukina groaned as her already serious injuries worsened, blood gushing from her nose.
This was my first time experiencing something like this.
In battles against other Apostle and Erosion Entity, Yukina displayed combat prowess far exceeding that of ordinary rookies. However, Yukina's weakness was also very obvious: a lack of combat experience, especially in close combat. Yukina only truly felt this gap when sparring with Efnir during training, but facing an enemy was the first time Yukina felt her shortcomings so clearly.
Even when facing Codename H, she had never been so embarrassed. No matter what kind of attack she was attacked, it would be neutralized, and no matter what tactics she tried to counter, they would be immediately countered.
Unable to exert any strength, it was like punching a ball into cotton.
The impact to her head and neck caused Yukina's hair to become disheveled from the battle, and her body was also badly injured, with large bruises, abrasions, and bloodstains in addition to the bullet holes from before. Yukina immediately pulled back her arms to defend herself when she was thrown to the ground, but Hatsukawa Fuka used her large hands, formed by gathering energy, to hold both of Yukina's hands down.
With her hands clamped, Yukina let out a low growl, her hands tensing as she lifted her body backward. At the same time, she swept her foot out, striking Hatsukawa Fuka's face with tremendous force.
But Hatsukawa Fuka was only knocked away by the kick. When she looked at Yukina again, her gaze was still cold. Taking advantage of the moment when Yukina pulled back her strength, she suddenly raised her hand and then slammed it down. Yukina's hands were firmly restrained, and she could not move an inch. She was slammed into the ground once again.
Large debris flew everywhere, dust billowed, and the shockwave spread out beneath Yukina, creating a spiderweb-like network of Fracture.
Blood seeped from Yukina's nose and mouth, and she swept her leg across the ground. At the same time, the longbow reappeared, pulling her feet away from her clamped hands.
A light arrow of water-colored light vanished into thin air, leaving a long trail of light. However, this attack did not harm Hatsukawa Fuka at all. After her first sneak attack almost succeeded, Hatsukawa Fuka was already prepared for this move and had already dodged the direct hit by turning her body to the side.
Under Yukina's stubborn gaze, Hatsukawa Fuka raised her other hand, preparing to smash it down on Yukina's face.
However, amidst this decline, Yukina suddenly grinned, her face covered in blood, and gave a ferocious smile.
"Apostle... you're finished..."
With a sudden kick, gathering almost all of Yukina's strength, Hatsukawa Fuka raised her arm to block.
However, at this moment, the wind pressure suddenly increased.
The air was compressed by something, producing a piercing sonic boom. A terrifying sense of oppression suddenly rose from behind Hatsukawa Fuka, and an unprecedented crisis instantly enveloped her.
Warning signs sounded, Hatsukawa Fuka instinctively abandoned all her guard against Yukina, immediately twisting her body in an almost impossible movement and raising her arm at top speed, instantly conjuring and raising a wall of light.
However, before the barrier could rise, the silver light gun suddenly appeared before her eyes.
She stared wide-eyed at Efnir behind the light gun in disbelief, while Efnir coldly stared back at her. In the instant the gun tip pierced her body, Efnir slumped her shoulder and threw a punch, aiming for Hatsukawa Fuka's cheek.
With a deafening roar, the defensive barrier shattered, the walls collapsed, and dust several meters high rose from the ruins.
Meanwhile, Hatsukawa Fuka knelt at the foot of the collapsed wall, coughing up blood. At this moment, a bloody hole pierced through her chest, and her Battle Armament was disintegrating inch by inch.
She stared blankly at her hands; her entire Battle Armament and armor had vanished into stardust.
She couldn't believe it.
Their Battle Armament was forcibly disarmed?!
70. Join hands
"That's... Efnir!?"
The battle situation suddenly changed with the appearance of Efnir, and everyone's eyes turned to Yukina and Efnir.
Efnir's Battle Armament at this moment was slightly different from her previous "Ephnel" or Apostle Form, but her silver hair and childlike, delicate figure remained unchanged, and those who knew her could recognize her at a glance.
The change in the appearance of the Battle Armament is due to the alteration of the Sacred Relic used by Efnir.
The Sacred Relic that was taken from Saori has been given to Yukina. The Beacon that Efnir is currently using was taken from two people named "Yuko" and "Hui Jiu".
Having used it even once, Efnir could sense the vast difference between the Beacon by these Apostle and those used by Sakurai Sachi and Saori.
Simply put, it was like using the sharpest sword and then picking up a stamped imitation; a sense of incongruity washed over her. At the same time, Efnir also sensed the most fundamental difference between the two Beacon: unlike the Sacred Relic used by Sakurai Sachi and Saori, the Beacon used by these Apostle were simply unable to bear the high intensity of Apostle Power.
Simply put, it's like a narrow water pipe, restricting the flow of water and preventing Efnir from mobilizing more power at once. This is undoubtedly a huge limitation for Efnir, who relies on energy accumulation and compression techniques to enhance her combat power.
But Efnir still chose the former over the latter, the former, as an "Apostle" or "Agent".
Because she needs to rely on the special power that "Apostle Form" brings her—a strange phenomenon that was accidentally triggered when chasing Angel —through close, direct contact, Efnir can forcibly restrict the flow of "dust," that is, block the exchange and change of energy, and thus can directly disarm the Battle Armament of the object she touches.
To date, no one except Efnir herself has been able to resist this strange phenomenon.
This was a phenomenon that Efnir only discovered today. She hasn't had time to figure out where this power comes from or how it works, but there's no doubt that this strange ability is enough to be a trump card in the battle against the Apostle.
Hatsukawa Fuka had a bloody hole ripped into her chest. The silver spear turned into a flame and slowly disappeared. She slammed against the wall, coughing up blood. After her punch, Efnir followed up with a backflip kick, which swiftly passed through her elbow as she tried to parry, mercilessly gripping her waist.
The violent impact exploded inside her body, almost breaking her spine. She was kicked away and crashed into the rubble, barely alive.
They were completely powerless to fight back.
If the Apostle Form is removed, then she is just an ordinary person with relatively good martial arts skills. Even though Efnir is still seriously injured and has lost one-tenth of her strength, she can be easily defeated.
This is a difference in "power level" itself, which greatly diminishes the role of technique, not to mention that Efnir is in no way inferior to her in terms of "technique".
Therefore, Hatsukawa Fuka suffered a very rapid defeat.
This is the strange ability of Efnir as a "trump card," and the source of her confidence in being here—as long as the Apostle's Battle Armament can be disarmed, victory is almost certain.
At this moment, Fujisaki Ryoka finally snapped out of her surprise.
"Wind and Flower!!"
She called out urgently, but when she saw Efnir looking at her, she instinctively stopped in her tracks.
Never approach Efnir recklessly!
She looked at Hatsukawa Fuka, but Hatsukawa Fuka was lying weakly in the corner of the ruins, no longer having the strength to respond to her former friend.
A shocking, penetrating wound remained on her chest. Although her heart hadn't been pierced, her lungs had been punctured. Furthermore, the Apostle Power sustained her physical enhancements was instantly sealed off, leaving Hatsukawa Fuka completely an ordinary person.
She coughed up large amounts of blood, each breath bringing excruciating pain; she was already doing her best just to stay conscious.
Fujisaki Ryoka gritted her teeth, feeling overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events. She had been keeping a close eye on the battle between Yukina and Hatsukawa Fuka, but now the situation had long since spiraled out of her control.
But what surprised her most was the strength that Efnir displayed during this sneak attack.
The fact that even the strongest among them Hatsukawa Fuka, couldn't withstand a single move from that Efnir not only stirred up waves in Fujisaki Ryoka's heart, but also caused the other Apostle to waver.
"Even Fuuka couldn't stop Efnir... No, she couldn't even withstand a single blow from her... Damn it, how does she still possess such formidable fighting power!?"
Despite suffering severe injuries, how could he recover in such a short time? Even an agent shouldn't have such strong regenerative abilities!
No, that's not how it works...
Something was missed.
Fujisaki Ryoka carefully recalled the scene she had just witnessed.
The details she had overlooked in her shock quickly resurfaced in her mind, and she suddenly felt something was off. It was unusual that Hatsukawa Fuka had been subdued without any resistance.
During the Angel' evacuation, their team engaged in battle with Efnir. Every member who came into direct contact with Efnir was subdued in an instant. Fujisaki Ryoka still vividly remembers the situation, but due to the chaos of the battle, she ultimately failed to figure out Efnir's hidden "methods".
At the same time, the battle situation immediately changed. Efnir's appearance was like a shot in the arm. The other soldiers and agents present immediately took advantage of the brief chaos caused by the Apostle's shock and wavering to launch a counterattack. The Apostle were also thrown into disarray by the sudden turn of events and were suppressed.
Fujisaki Ryoka immediately changed the order, "Maintain the Defense Line! The rest of you, prepare to engage! We'll kill that guy together!"
She took the initiative to spread her palms out, creating a protective barrier for the fallen Hatsukawa Fuka, preventing Efnir from taking the opportunity to finish off Fuka and also preventing Hatsukawa Fuka from being accidentally injured by the upcoming attack. After knocking down Hatsukawa Fuka Efnir picked up Yukina was lying on the ground and rushed out of the dust storm of the ruins, almost touching the explosion that was coming.
"Yukina! Can you still fight?"
"Absolutely no problem..."
Yukina hooked her arms around Efnir's neck and leaned weakly into Efnir embrace. Although her whole body was in excruciating pain, Yukina felt safe and peaceful in Efnir's arms.
She tilted her head back and forced a smile.
71. Turnback
Physical injury can significantly hinder the use of the Order Force, but the Apostle Power will not. This is similar to the difference between keyboard input and voice input. The former requires one's own body to draw energy and use weapons, while the latter only needs to reprogram and output energy and construct it to unleash most of its power.
Therefore, in a severely injured state, the "Apostle Power" is more useful than the "Order Force," which is another reason why Efnir did not choose to use the power of the "Agent."