Chapter 180

Chapter 48: I’ve Got Your Back

　The battlefield of Spiritual Energy Manipulators feels chaotic from the inside, enemies everywhere. Sure, allies are all over the place too, but everyone’s fighting their own battles with zero coordination.

　But from a slightly farther and panoramic viewpoint, the battlefield is surprisingly well-structured.

　A Blonde-Haired Maiden rides a bright blue giant lion, rampaging through what looks like a residential area, scattering hordes of decayed wooden monsters wherever she goes.

　Of course, sometimes the lion’s power isn’t enough, so other animal pals and a super-sized Water Dragon swoop in for righteous group beatings and overwhelming numbers.

　In the sky, a few helicopters hover noisily, filming the battle scenes from every angle. That’s their mission, and since everyone has some sort of high-altitude survival trick—be it wind-element users or lightweight Enhancement-types—they dare to fly right above the dangerous battlefield.

　Under high-definition, high-speed cameras, the Blonde-Haired Maiden’s stunningly beautiful face, her unparalleled aura on the battlefield, and her awe-inspiring figure are crystal clear. Any random frame could pass as a CG scene from a top-tier anime game.

　”Little Cheng, what’s up with you?” says the commander in the helicopter. “Why are you constantly zooming in on Miss Yuan?”

　Photographer Little Cheng blinks in surprise: “Huh? Aren’t we supposed to film her?”

　But Miss Water Dragon’s combat scenes are truly breathtaking, leaving one in awe.

　”Filming her… isn’t forbidden, but finish your main job first,” the commander replies. “Miss Yuan’s exact words were: clearly capture those tree-covered monsters, their ugliness, ferocity, discomfort, and danger. That’s our primary task.”

　”Got it.”

　Reluctantly, Little Cheng shifts the camera, replacing the Blonde Busty Girl with creatures called Rotwood Beasts.

　On screen, their faces look like they’ve been soaked in formaldehyde then sun-dried for three days—pale, wrinkled, grotesque. Their bodies bristle with half-dead branches, using skeletal limbs and tree branches sprouting from them to crawl forward at alarming speeds, resembling attack spiders slithering on the ground.

　Ugly, ferocious, and uncomfortable feelings are all there. As for dangerous…

　Roar!!

　The Blonde Busty Girl charges on her lion, facing three Rotwood Beasts that form a shield with their branches. They withstand the impact, but then comes a dragon roar, and a colossal Water Dragon bursts forth, shattering their defenses. The animal friends leap onto the fray, tearing into the beasts with wild abandon.

　The lion charge is just a basic move; the real damage comes from the coordinated attacks of the Water Dragon and animal friends.

　Watching wood splinters fly under the high-precision lens, Photographer Little Cheng wipes his hands and adjusts to another part of the battlefield.

　To showcase the danger of the Rotwood Beasts, let’s check out someone else nearby, folks.

　Sure enough, others aren’t as composed as Yuan Xiaoling when facing these beasts. At first, the army was eager, some charging recklessly until casualties occurred, forcing them to adopt Yuan Xiaoling’s tactics.

　Cut the battlefield into sections and overwhelm the Rotwood Beasts with superior numbers. Group sizes vary, but ensure at least double the number of Rotwood Beasts.

　Even so, their battles are tough. In the lens, a four-person squad gets injured, facing two Rotwood Beasts, just as gnarled trunks are about to pierce through them…

　Rip!

　”Huh?”

　The photographer in the helicopter rubs his eyes, taking a closer look. The Rotwood Beast is decapitated, its body split like torn paper.

　But… who did it?

　”Just keep filming, don’t worry too much,” the commander behind him says. “With so many people on the battlefield, how can you know everyone’s abilities?”

　True.

　They wouldn’t know that it was Bai Ling who struck, only she could cleanly sever a Rotwood Beast’s body.

　Amidst the chaos, the White-haired Maiden strides leisurely forward, casually slicing through any monster that catches her eye from afar.

　It still feels sluggish, like ripping old cardboard. Tearing this kind of thing might ruin a good mood but sure helps vent frustration when you’re already upset.

　And she’s definitely upset now.

　You keep popping out uninvited, ruining my plans. I planned to deal with you after grabbing the Inner Stone of the Mind and leveling up to Sixth-tier, but here you are, rushing in to die prematurely.

　Then kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill!

　Across a vast battlefield, where many groups are locked in fierce combat, they suddenly see Rotwood Beasts being bisected in an instant, hearing only the whoosh of wind.

　Though unsure what happened, they assume a teammate helped out somewhere among the many warriors on the battlefield.

　Yuan Xiaoling fights fiercely, the Blonde Busty Girl remembers the humiliation of her first encounter with these creatures, nearly failing despite the odds. Now with the enemy outnumbered, it’s payback time!

　After exhausting herself for a while, finally subduing a few with the Water Dragon and having her animal friends rip apart a couple more, she turns around to find countless decapitated Rotwood Beast corpses lying around—more than she killed herself.

　Clean cuts, smooth surfaces—definitely Bai Ling’s work.

　…Putting in so much effort today?

　Just as Lemon is ready to step up her game, there’s a sudden boom within the neighborhood, the earth shaking violently.

　”What’s happening?”

　”What’s going on?”

　”Group up! Cover each other!”

　No one knows what’s happening, everyone grows cautious, forming dozens of small clusters nearby.

　”Hold tight! Tighter!” Yuan Xiaoling shouts loudly.

　Her voice quickly gets drowned out by the rumbling, and soon the previously loosened soil flips over completely, concrete blocks and bricks shuffle like building blocks, slowly forming several narrow paths and partition walls.

　The terrain has changed.

　Yuan Xiaoling presses her earpiece: “What’s the situation?”

　”Miss Yuan, from above, your area seems to have turned into a maze, everyone separated. But before separation, most had tightened formations, maintaining numerical superiority in each local battlefield—except you.” Comes the report from the helicopter commander.

　Yuan Xiaoling wants to ask more, but notices a flash of silver in the sky, followed by black smoke billowing from the helicopters’ rotors.

　”Jump! Everyone jump!”

　”Abandon ship!”

　The helicopter crew uses various skills, jumping down and floating away with the wind, seemingly able to land safely.

　Yuan Xiaoling leans against the wall on her left, listening carefully. On the other side, there’s a group trapped with a few Rotwood Beasts, but sounds indicate they’re handling it fine with their numerical advantage.

　Bai Ling had slaughtered so many earlier that the remaining Rotwood Beasts can no longer form a large-scale threat.

　She listens to the wall on the other side—it’s similar.

　But what about her side?

　No Rotwood Beasts, no other enemies, just a newly formed path leading deep into the residential area.

　”Maze…”

　The person in the helicopter said the terrain below resembles a maze. If every area were identical, it’d be a grid, not a maze.

　Meaning, this path is specifically prepared for her.

　Currently, her side holds a numerical advantage, but they’re indeed trapped by the opponent’s trickery. A prolonged war of attrition might favor her side, but maybe not, considering Rotwood Beasts aren’t human—they just burrow into the ground for supplies.

　So… should she go or not?

　”Don’t worry,” comes Bai Ling’s cool voice in her ear, “I’m here.”

　Fifth-tier Spiritual Power can penetrate these walls imbued with high-level Spiritual Energy.

　”Alright,” Yuan Xiaoling immediately feels reassured. “Then I’ll head down this path and meet them head-on!”

　The White-haired Maiden behind the wall tightens her expression, unable to speak for a while.

　Not that, she was just worried about Lemon being scared alone, claustrophobia and all that—not encouraging such bravery.

　Fine, I’ll follow along and see.