Chapter 195

I don't like nonsense.

Fujisaki Ryoka interrupted Fuuka's voice, paused, and then spoke again.

"Are you still unable to enter Synchronization?"

Fuuka, clinging to her back, felt helpless at Fujisaki Ryoka's evasive attitude. She could only sigh softly, shake her head, and say weakly, "I still feel that 'barrier'... I can touch it, but I can't connect. It feels just like back in the lab..."

Does it hurt?

"No... the difference is that you won't feel pain, it's just that you can't awaken Synchronization..."

"Tsk... why is this happening..."

Fujisaki Ryoka pursed her lips, her heart growing heavier.

This was the first time they had encountered such a situation since becoming Apostle.

After Hatsukawa Fuka was forcibly pulled out of the Apostle Synchronization during her battle with Efnir, she attempted to Synchronization more than once, but all attempts failed.

She could clearly feel the Apostle Power existing somewhere in her body, but strangely, the energy that should have been free-floating had all mysteriously fallen into silence at this moment, no longer active, just quietly existing there. Hatsukawa Fuka could only sense their presence, but no matter what she did, she could not connect with them through Synchronization as before.

Therefore, this energy cannot be used.

"Perhaps the Enhancement Agent has expired... It's possible that it was used up too much in the previous battle..."

"Since you can sense the energy, that can't be the reason."

"Perhaps..."

No matter what, I must take you with me.

Feeling agitated, Fujisaki Ryoka interrupted Fuuka's voice.

Feng Hua smiled faintly and said nothing more.

Hatsukawa Fuka's chest injury made her breathing increasingly weak.

The back of Liang Xiang was already soaked in blood, and the slippery, icy touch made her want to stop again and again.

Unlike the agents, they don't have such formidable physical abilities. Moreover, Feng Hua is currently unable to use the Apostle Power of the Apostle Power, so she can't use it to suppress her injuries and buy time.

Just then, an unusual tremor suddenly rose between the walls on both sides, followed by a deafening roar that echoed through the narrow underground passage, almost piercing eardrums. Countless Fracture exploded on the concrete wall above, bricks shattered, and light tubes installed on the walls and ceiling burst one by one, blinding white light piercing down from the Fracture above.

Fujisaki Ryoka reacted instantly, abruptly stopping in her tracks and simultaneously raising her hand to construct a defensive barrier. The next moment, the tunnel in front of her collapsed with a deafening roar, a spear piercing through a small hole, bringing in a wisp of rain and a cool breeze. The faint light from the ground had barely penetrated the tunnel when a large amount of soil and rubble poured down, quickly blocking the tunnel and obstructing their path.

"Hateful!!"

Fujisaki Ryoka roared.

"How does she always know where I am! Damn it!!"

"Liang Xiang... we must run... now that she knows where we are, we have no choice but to keep running..."

Fujisaki Ryoka gritted her teeth, resentment and anger fermenting in her heart. She wanted to rush out and fight Efnir to the death.

But as darkness spread through her heart, Hatsukawa Fuka's voice suddenly entered her mind.

"Liang Xiang... we can't turn back... Liang Xiang, you said you would take me away, didn't you...?"

"..."

The glimmer of light in her eyes returned, Fujisaki Ryoka was suddenly jolted awake from her momentary daze.

"Tsk... the Enhancement Agent is such a troublesome thing, just as troublesome as that guy on the ground, no, that guy is even more troublesome."

Compared to Fuuka, Fujisaki Ryoka, affected by the Enhancement Agent, was not overly fearful; on the contrary, she was easily impulsive—or rather, that was how the Enhancement Agent was supposed to be used.

Fujisaki Ryoka was chosen as captain partly because of her own strength, but the most important factor was her loyalty to the Apostle Organization and her ability to restrain and control her emotions under the influence of the Enhancement Agent. This directly affects the degree to which the Enhancement Agent user retains logical thinking ability, so that they do not lose themselves after being injected with the Enhancement Agent.

This is a talent, but also an ability developed through training.

Those who fail this test will be "eliminated" and will not be qualified to become "Apostle".

"Liang Xiang, are there any other routes we can take?"

"No, but I'll figure something out. I know some routes and the layout of this place, so maybe it'll work... But we need to get out of here as quickly as possible, otherwise the agent might also think of going there."

Liang Xiang gave a soft hum and ran off in another direction.

The two quickly changed direction inside the tunnel, but of course, this did not escape Efnir's eyes.

Generally speaking, the only two things that humans can access that can shield against the fluctuations of Corruption Energy and the Order Force are the technology within the Ruins and the Boundary Stele System that arose from it. In other words, apart from these two things, there is nothing else that can prevent the spread and transmission of energy.

In other words, Fujisaki Ryoka cannot conceal the "dust" caused by her energy fluctuations. As long as she is in the same area as Efnir, whether inside or outside the barrier, and uses the Apostle Power, she will have nowhere to hide in Efnir's eyes.

Moreover, she knew nothing about Efnir's ability, and couldn't guess how Efnir found her, so she had no way to seek corresponding countermeasures.

"Dust" will relay all of her movements to Efnir.

Unless Fujisaki Ryoka relinquishes the Apostle Power, but from Fujisaki Ryoka's perspective, she naturally wouldn't do that.

Aside from Efnir, Nishizaki Yuki, and Masaki Hina, no one else knows anything about the special power Efnir possesses. This information gap regarding the unrecorded anomaly makes her right eye Efnir's trump card.

Efnir frowned slightly, the deep blue-purple light in her right eye reflecting the shimmering "dust," revealing Fujisaki Ryoka's Efnir in her vision without missing a single detail, leaving a conspicuous Trace on the ground.

She raised her hand in one direction, holding a signal flare.

A signal flare rose into the air.

At the same time, Fujisaki Ryoka, inside the tunnel, suddenly stopped in her tracks—although it was dark, she could clearly see the dark figure at the other end of the tunnel.

Agent, Canary (Canary).

"As expected!"

Fujisaki Ryoka clenched her fists tightly, staring intently at Canary with a terrifying look in her eyes.

She had anticipated this scene, but it was still unexpected.

In fact, if she were to make the battle plan from Efnir's perspective, given her ability to constantly detect the enemy's location, she wouldn't be able to carry out the operation alone, even though Efnir possesses the absolute trump card of "Apostle Form Cancellation".

Simply put, even if she possesses the means to win, she will gather all her strength to completely block any possibility of the enemy's escape.

Clearly, Efnir had already placed Canary here as a "roadblock" from the very beginning.

Moreover, it's clear that the people Efnir brought in had more than just Canary; it just so happened that Fujisaki Ryoka encountered the most troublesome one.

"Oh, you really came."

Two beams of silver light flashed in the darkness, the blade solidifying inch by inch, held in Canary's hand. She raised her hand and gently brushed the damp red hair from her temple, sliding it behind her ear. With her other hand, she raised her weapon, pointed it at Fujisaki Ryoka, and gave her a flirtatious smile.

Her crimson eyes were fixed on Fujisaki Ryoka, who looked as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Can you still keep running?"

79. Narrow

In fact, Fujisaki Ryoka's plan was not hard to guess. The key reason why she was able to bypass Canary and the others' blockade was that Fujisaki Ryoka had access to a series of hidden underground passages that were not recorded on the map.

Many of these relics from the Old Era have omissions and gaps in their records. Maesakagawa was built on the ruins of the Old Era, and even if there was anything there, most of it has been demolished and destroyed. This is a common practice when building new cities.

Therefore, omissions are inevitable, and it is normal for maps not to record them.

However, Efnir had already deduced the possible locations of some routes based on Fujisaki Ryoka's escape route, and through trial and error, it was easy to confirm some of these areas.

Simply put, it's like trapping a small animal trying to escape inside a twisted, circular glass tube. By judging Fujisaki Ryoka's reactions to her probing attacks and bombardments, Efnir can determine which places are definitely connected to the tunnel where Fujisaki Ryoka is, and also determine the direction Fujisaki Ryoka originally wanted to escape in.

In short, all Efnir needs to do is observe and test Fujisaki Ryoka's repeated changes and replacements of the circuit to accurately hit the "target," which is not difficult for Efnir, who can see the "dust."

Once this information became transparent to Efnir, the rest was easy.

It was no coincidence that Canary was waiting here to intercept them; soldiers were also waiting on other routes, but this side was "more likely."

Fujisaki Ryoka stared intently at the red-haired girl in front of her, her mind racing as she considered a solution.

Behind Canary was a fork in the road. If they could get through there, the tunnel would no longer be so narrow, but rather an emergency area buried deep underground. The fortifications there were much more complete, and the distance from the ground increased accordingly. Simply put, Efnir's attacks would no longer be able to easily penetrate the top. As long as Efnir's attacks were stopped, things would be much easier afterward.

However, Canary would never let her pass so easily. Clearly, Fujisaki Ryoka is a very important source of intelligence for Xijing City, which is why Efnir and Canary went to such great lengths to intercept her.

She instinctively took a step back, but at that moment, a violent cloud of dust suddenly rose behind her, and the ground shook and trembled. It was clear that Efnir's attack from the ground had struck. Once Efnir broke through the wall here, she and Canary could form a pincer movement against Fujisaki Ryoka.

Fujisaki Ryoka immediately guessed Efnir's plan; she frowned and gritted her teeth.

"Hateful..."

At the same time, taking advantage of Fujisaki Ryoka's attention being diverted to what was behind her, Canary suddenly slashed out with a blade, swiftly stabbing towards Fujisaki Ryoka.

The distance between Canary and Liang Xiang closed rapidly. Light curtains rose simultaneously in front of and behind Fujisaki Ryoka. The back reinforced the top floor that was about to be breached, while the front was filled with tunnels to block Canary's surprise attack.

In this confined terrain, the agents and Apostle each have their advantages.

Agents primarily engage in close-quarters combat using melee weapons, while Apostle fight using energy construction and dispersion. The differences between the two in terms of Beacon are amplified here once again.

In terms of physical strength and weaponry, the agent has the upper hand.

In terms of tactical diversity and ability to contain, the Apostle are superior.

This determines the absolute advantage of agents in close combat, while Apostle need to maintain a certain distance to ensure their safety.

The biggest obstacle is the terrain.

In the confined space, the Apostle had no room to maneuver, and faced with the agent's surprise attack Fujisaki Ryoka could only choose to defend herself head-on.

The light curtain rose inch by inch, but Canary was even faster. Her blade flashed horizontally, leaving luminous creases on the black curtain, shattering the still-forming barrier in one stroke.

The blade continued its momentum, leaving deep cuts on the wall, and large sparks left burn Trace on Fujisaki Ryoka's retina.

Canary charged forward, her movements as fluid as water, her blade as swift as the wind. Her fiery red hair danced wildly under the force of the pressure, and her crimson eyes followed Fujisaki Ryoka 'Canary retreating figure.

"Liang Xiang, be careful..."

Hatsukawa Fuka screamed, but she was powerless to help and could only watch helplessly as Canary broke through the first line of Defense Line.

She could only watch helplessly.

Let alone Fujisaki Ryoka, even she herself, or even their branch's most powerful Apostle Sakurai Sachi herself, would absolutely not be able to defeat Canary head-on in such a narrow space.

Unless... we find another way.

But a direct confrontation would obviously result in certain defeat.

At this moment, facing Canary's attack, Fujisaki Ryoka frowned tightly. Another barrier rose between them, and at the same time, a long sword appeared in her hand, with arm armor climbing up the sword inch by inch.

This scene surprised Hatsukawa Fuka somewhat.

Clearly, Fujisaki Ryoka had borrowed her fighting style. It was the first time she had ever seen Fujisaki Ryoka fight in this way—although this imitation was somewhat crude, it was obviously the most suitable for the moment.

"Don't leave my side! I will protect you!"

Instead of continuing to carry Hatsukawa Fuka on her back, Fujisaki Ryoka used a chain of beams to tightly hold Fuuka and her right hand together, preventing her from being unable to provide timely support during the battle, and using her own body as a last line of defense.

Feng Hua remained silent.

The next moment, Canary's twin blades pierced through the barrier, twisting and pulling like scissors, causing the barrier to crumble inch by inch, turning into flying stardust.

Canary also saw the weapon in Fujisaki Ryoka's hand—a long sword connected to her arm armor.

Liang Xiang used her other hand to protect Fenghua; this type of weapon, designed for one-handed use, was well-suited for the current battle with Canary.

Canary pursed her lips, lowered her center of gravity, and the ground shattered the next moment. She suddenly met Liang Xiang's downward slash with her sword. Fujisaki Ryoka crossed her arm and used the Apostle Power to lift it upward with all her might. At the same time, the blade extended and suddenly stabbed Canary from the side.

While Fujisaki Ryoka weaker than Fuuka in terms of the application and control of Apostle Power, as the squad leader carefully selected from "that place," her strength is absolutely worthy of her status.

There were no sparks, no metallic clanging. A fierce gust of wind swept between them. Canary parried Liang Xiang's sneak attack from the side with one blade, while her other blade sliced straight into the blade of Liang Xiang's arm armor longsword— Order Weapon used by the Agent. Its energy density was far greater than the equipment that the Apostle created through energy condensation and transformation. Therefore, under Canary's absolute power, Liang Xiang's weapon was almost destroyed in their first exchange.

Canary had suffered serious injuries in the previous battles.

However, as the First-Generation Agent in Xijing City, second only to Efnir, her strength remains beyond doubt.

With a single blow, the difference in skill between the two became obvious, and Liang Xiang immediately found herself in a difficult defensive battle.

However, Liang Xiang did not back down. Instead, she attacked Canary with even greater ferocity. At the same time, a large number of tiny energy blocks rose up around her, each of which rushed towards her weapon to replenish its wear and tear.

Meanwhile, in the passage behind Canary, specks of starlight were slowly gathering and combining to form a barrier blocking the passage. Most Apostle could not construct energy at a certain distance from their own bodies like Efnir could, and even though Liang Xiang was already highly skilled in energy control, she was still struggling to construct this barrier.

She needed time, and she needed to do everything she could to attract Canary's attention, using the floating white light to obstruct Canary's vision, lest Canary realize her purpose and escape.

Liang Xiang had long known that she had no chance of defeating Canary.

Therefore, she can only save herself through other means.

Just as Canary used the terrain to put Liang Xiang at a complete disadvantage, Liang Xiang was also trying to use the terrain to create an advantage for herself.