"An Overlord-Class Tacet Discord!"
"It's Crownless!"
Yangyang cried out in alarm.
Chixia and Baizhi reacted as well, facing Ling An's imposing presence head-on.
Ling An regarded the protagonist's party coldly.
Aside from Tide Sis, none of the other three was a match for him.
"In that case, I'll deal with the weakest first."
He stamped down with one foot and shot forward like an arrow loosed from its string, lunging straight at Yangyang.
Across from him, the Resonance Mark on Yangyang's forehead shone brilliantly. She gripped her sword's hilt and swiftly drew her blade.
Yet a moment later, Ling An appeared right before her.
He pressed a finger against her sword's hilt and, with irresistible force, pushed the blade back into its sheath.
Click!
A crisp sound rang out.
The blade returned to its sheath.
Yangyang stared at Ling An in disbelief.
"You're too slow. Maybe we can plant rice together sometime," Ling An said quietly, sending her flying with a measured kick.
On the other side, Chixia drew her twin pistols, pouring out bullets like rain.
A dense web of gunfire swept toward Ling An.
With one hand behind his back, Ling An blocked with the other, utterly graceful.
When the gunfire stopped, Ling An opened his palm.
Not a single bullet from that dense barrage had escaped his grasp.
He turned his hand over, and the bullets scattered across the ground.
"Impossible!" Chixia exclaimed.
"Boring." Ling An flashed in front of her and brought his palm down in a chopping strike, knocking her unconscious.
The next second, he teleported in front of Baizhi, making the You'tan she controlled lunge at empty air.
He raised his leg and drove his knee upward in one fluid motion.
A soft sensation met his knee. Reflecting on how ruthlessly he was treating these beauties, Ling An held back a little.
In the blink of an eye, all three girls lay unconscious on the ground.
He turned his head and met Tide Sis's golden eyes.
"Perhaps you can give me something to get excited about?" Ling An stepped forward, fierce winds swirling around him.
Even knowing he would lose, as the master of this place, as Crownless, how could he let himself look weak?
Something inscrutable flickered in Tide Sis's gaze. She slowly drew her blade, diffraction light wrapping around it in a shimmering glow.
A moment later, he and Tide Sis clashed once more.
Fist met sword, scattering flecks of golden light.
The two separated as soon as they made contact.
Ling An shook his fist, feeling the sting in his hand.
He laughed aloud. "It's hardly fair if you're the only one with a weapon."
His figure blurred. His black cloak vanished, transforming into a pair of pitch-black wings that lifted him into the air.
He reached out, and a spear instantly appeared.
Ling An twirled the spear and descended from the sky, furious and ferocious.
Tide Sis darted backward, narrowly avoiding him.
The ground of the Tacet Field shattered inch by inch, cracks chasing after her.
Tide Sis leaped into the air to evade them.
Ling An flashed to her side and touched his fingertips to her abdomen, instantly curling them into a fist.
The force exploded with a thunderous bang, sending Tide Sis flying backward.
She landed and reacted swiftly, bracing one hand against her waist and abdomen as she rose, while reaching toward Ling An with the other.
A powerful pulling force instantly enveloped Ling An, making it difficult for him to move.
She clenched her fist, threatening to shatter even space itself.
So this is her strength? Ling An couldn't help feeling horrified.
If he could see his own health bar, that move alone would probably have cost him at least a third of his health.
An inexplicable fury burned in Ling An's heart.
Bearing the name of Crownless, he could not surrender!
His experience with countless action games over the first twenty years of his life flashed through his mind.
Spear in hand, he charged in and out of combat. With immense strength backing him up, all manner of techniques came effortlessly.
Ten minutes later, Ling An knelt on one knee.
He had done his best.
This overpowered protagonist really wasn't someone an ordinary person could beat.
No matter how many tricks he tried, his opponent overcame them all with sheer strength.
His head drooped slightly, and Ling An's heart filled with emotion.
What awaited him next was probably execution.
Now that he had become Crownless, this was a fate he could not escape.
Yet the next moment, he saw Tide Sis bend slightly and lean close to his ear, whispering:
"I see you've still got your charms. Interested in coming along with me?"
Ling An looked up in utter shock. Her delicate face was flushed, her eyes brimming with temptation.
Wait, bro... no, sis.
Why does this plot seem to be heading in the wrong direction?
A cold breeze swept past, and Ling An shivered.
He, Crownless, had caught someone's fancy!
Taking Ling An's silence for hesitation, Tide Sis simply continued tempting him. "I hear Tacet Discords can devour one another to grow stronger. Want to reach the Tacet Discord class? You might even have a shot at becoming a Threnodian."
Ling An froze at her words and murmured, "You don't want my body?"
"I do!" Tide Sis said candidly.
"No, I mean my Echo!"
"Ahem." Tide Sis scratched her cheek, looking a little embarrassed. "I don't know why I can absorb Echoes into my body either, and there's a voice inside me constantly complaining that it's hungry and telling me to eat you, but..."
"But?" Ling An shuddered. He did know that something terrifying lurked inside Tide Sis's body.
Tide Sis smiled brightly, her hand brushing his shoulder, whether deliberately or not. "I think you're more appealing alive."
"What if you can't hold back one day?" Ling An blurted out.
Tide Sis's gaze sharpened as she threatened him. "Then would you rather I eat you now, or keep you as emergency rations?"
Ling An surrendered.
Being kept as emergency rations was better than dying right now.
He retracted his wings and slowly stood, flicking a finger against the spear's shaft. The spear shattered into nothingness.
"How about coming back to Jinzhou with me?" Tide Sis asked.
Ling An shook his head. "The Central Resonance Beacon covers all of Jinzhou. I can't get in."
Then he ventured, "How about you let me go, and I wait for you outside the city?"
Ever since he had appeared, the Tacet Field's restraints on him had lifted. He no longer needed to worry about being trapped here.
Tide Sis shook her head. "What if you run away?"
"Uh." Ling An looked embarrassed. "I won't run... probably..."
"Probably? I bet you'd bolt! Besides, it's so dangerous out here."
Tide Sis coaxed him patiently, apparently overlooking the fact that, with Crownless out in the wilderness, everyone else ought to be the ones feeling threatened.
"Let an Overlord-Class Tacet Discord into the city? Are you insane?" Ling An asked incredulously.
"No, you're different from other Tacet Discords. I can feel it."
Tide Sis stood before Ling An, looking up at him admiringly.
"Can you make yourself smaller?" Tide Sis suddenly asked.
"I'll try." With that, Ling An harnessed his power to begin reshaping himself.
Before long, an elegant gray cat appeared before Tide Sis.
"Will this do?" Ling An asked in his gray cat form.
Before he could finish, Tide Sis cried, "Kitty!" and lunged at him. Ling An suddenly felt himself lifted into the air.
A soft sensation stimulated his nerves.
Ling An lifted his head, narrowing his eyes as he basked in the warmth, his head swimming with bliss.
Maybe... this isn't so bad?
Meanwhile, Yangyang and the other two slowly woke up, unable to help staring blankly at the scene before them.
"The Tacet Discord..." Yangyang patted her head.
"I've already dealt with it," Tide Sis said decisively, holding Ling An.
Baizhi, however, eyed Ling An suspiciously, her intentions unknown.
"Rover, what's this?" Baizhi asked slowly, looking at Ling An.
"A kitty!" Yangyang's eyes lit up, and she hurried over to Tide Sis.
She reached out and took Ling An.
As he watched that part of her body draw closer and closer, Ling An's heart pounded nonstop.
The next moment, he couldn't help letting out a heartfelt exclamation of admiration.
"Huh?" Looking at the gray cat rubbing against her in her arms, Yangyang couldn't help asking curiously:
"Rover, this kitten's meow sounds so strange."
"Me too, me too!" Chixia bounced up and down, holding out both hands.
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