Chapter Sixty-Five: Fierce Battle

"You little brat, I’ll chop you to pieces!"

Mu Qi, already seething with rage, didn't hesitate when the order to attack was given. He drew his massive greatsword and charged forward!

"Thump!"

He gripped the heavy, two-meter-long blade with both hands, wielding it like a door panel as he brought it crashing down toward Nangong Yuchen. At the same time, Xiao Quan followed closely, dual cyan blades in hand. He leaped into the air, swooping down to slash at Nangong Yuchen’s head.

"We’re moving in, too!"

Behind them, Tuoba Lin and Liu Ze targeted Angel. The two summoned their mechs and attacked from front and back. The remaining member, Mu Xue, wasted no time; she drew her dual pistols and opened fire on Nangong Kexin. The five of them acted as if they had pre-assigned roles, each engaging their respective opponents until the battlefield dissolved into a chaotic brawl.

"Heh, where did all that confidence go?"

Xiao Quan had manifested a pair of purple boots at some point, and with the enhancement of his mech, his speed surged once more. He began hacking at Nangong Yuchen from multiple angles.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Nangong Yuchen parried with his shield while dodging simultaneously. The two opponents before him were insufferably troublesome; not only did they possess perfect synergy, but their combat experience was also incredibly deep. Fearing for the injured Angel, he couldn't afford to drag the fight out, so he began to shift toward a counterattack.

"Bang!" After blocking another strike with his shield, Nangong Yuchen vaulted up, kicked off Mu Qi’s greatsword to knock him back, and then swept his right hand, wielding the Thunder Sword Veil, horizontally toward the trailing Xiao Quan.

Xiao Quan crossed his blades to block the blow, his form retreating under the impact. Just then, Nangong Yuchen closed the gap, charging forward behind his shield.

"Trying to take me out first? Naive!"

Seeing the shield rushing toward him, Xiao Quan suddenly side-stepped, his blades unfurling. Like a spinning wind wheel, he hacked repeatedly at the shield before landing behind Nangong Yuchen. Landing and rising in one fluid motion, Xiao Quan sneered and thrust his blades toward Nangong Yuchen’s back.

"Go to hell!"

In that moment, his 20-point nerve reflex stat kicked in.

Nangong Yuchen didn't bother to defend. Just as the blades were inches from his back, he twisted his body, mimicking Xiao Quan’s earlier move to give him a taste of his own medicine. The only difference was that as he reached Xiao Quan’s head, Nangong Yuchen’s purple blade lashed out with blinding speed, aiming straight for the center of Xiao Quan’s brow.

"What!"

Xiao Quan was stunned. He had practiced that maneuver for a long time to use as a desperate counterattack, yet Nangong Yuchen had learned it in an instant and used it to back him into a corner!

In a panic, he hurriedly raised his blades to block, but the force behind the purple sword was far superior to his own. He was knocked aside, and the strike continued downward.

"Boss!"

At the critical moment, Mu Qi charged in. His greatsword swept out in a fierce horizontal arc, aiming for Nangong Yuchen’s waist. Given the terrifying force and the thick blade, if it connected, Nangong Yuchen would likely be cut in two!

"Too bad!"

Nangong Yuchen sighed inwardly and quickly retreated; he had no intention of trading his life for Xiao Quan’s!

"Boss, are you alright?" Mu Qi drew his own shield, standing beside Xiao Quan with a worried expression.

"Next time, we all attack together!" Xiao Quan’s face was dark as he stared at Nangong Yuchen, who had retreated several meters away. His murderous gaze suggested he wanted nothing more than to execute him on the spot. After all, what had just happened was a profound humiliation. If his teammate hadn't saved him, he would have been eliminated in seconds—and since the school was watching from the outside, how could he ever face Cheng Shiyu again? With this thought, he turned to shout at the brawling Tuoba Lin: "Tuoba Lin, you two are ganging up on an injured girl—just how long do you intend to drag this out?"

He knew full well the petty schemes the two held in their hearts; if not for a common enemy, he would have eliminated them first.

Tuoba Lin and Liu Ze turned pale at the remark and could only vent their frustration through their attacks. In truth, they were already giving it their all. Even though Angel was injured, she was a monster not inferior to Nangong Yuchen—how could she be so easily defeated?

Finally, Xiao Quan looked toward Mu Xue, who was leaping and firing her dual pistols. "Finish it quickly and come help!"

After issuing the command, he and Mu Qi charged at Nangong Yuchen once more.

Due to their caution, both sides fell into a stalemate, and it seemed unlikely that the battle would conclude anytime soon.

As for Angel, she had been on the defensive due to her injuries, but Tuoba Lin and Liu Ze were constantly wary of her third mech component, the heavy machine gun, which kept the situation at a standstill.

"Heehee, little beauty, Brother Xiao has spoken. It seems I’d better finish you off quickly!"

Mu Xue fired a rapid volley to widen the distance before drawing her second mech component!

It was another pitch-black handgun, but unlike the dual pistols, it was significantly larger, exceeding thirty centimeters in length. The A-MN9E2-33 Energy Pistol!

"Heehee, this is a treasure I spent a long time finding. I hope you can hold on!"

With that, Mu Xue dropped her smile and pulled the trigger. A beam of blue light erupted from the muzzle like a lightning bolt, reaching Nangong Kexin, over ten meters away, in an instant.

"Hiss!"

The blue light was too fast. Nangong Kexin barely managed a reaction before the projectile struck her right arm.

"Ah!" She shrieked, dropping her spear, but she couldn't afford to retrieve it. Clutching her arm, she scrambled to dodge, as Mu Xue had already pulled the trigger again.

"Hiss!"

The blue bullets were too fast. Nangong Kexin could only dodge frantically; had she not been in constant motion, she would have been hit in a vital spot and eliminated. Even with her terrifying speed, she took two more hits, and blood soon soaked through her clothes.

"What do I do?"

Nangong Kexin’s face was pale, and she was devoid of strategy. What worried her even more was that the pain from her wounds was slowing her down. At this rate, she would be shot dead before long.

Mu Xue, conversely, was in no rush. She had immense confidence in her pistol. Most people didn't know that among sniper rifles, assault rifles, heavy machine guns, light machine guns, and pistols, the pistol had the highest muzzle velocity and was the most agile. Although it had the lowest power, it was her favorite.

Moreover, this was the A-MN9E2-33 Energy Pistol—a rare Grade-A energy weapon for a first-tier user!

"Hiss!"

Another beam of blue light erupted. Nangong Kexin dodged, the shot grazing her chest. But the waves of fatigue washing over her made her movements increasingly sluggish. Several bullets had already whizzed past her vital points. As for whether she could dodge the next one, she felt she was at the mercy of fate. She persisted only through sheer willpower, refusing to drag her brother and Angel down.

"Kexin!"

Nangong Yuchen had long since noticed the commotion. Seeing his sister in peril, a surge of ferocity flared within him. Ignoring the strain on his stamina, he launched a desperate assault on Xiao Quan and Mu Qi!

The two knew they were at a critical juncture and could only grit their teeth against Nangong Yuchen’s storm of attacks.

"Get out of my way!"

Nangong Yuchen was frantic. Disregarding his own defense and the wounds Xiao Quan inflicted upon him, he turned, stepped off Mu Qi’s shield, and vaulted into the air.

*Hiss.* The Thunder Sword Veil on his right hand twisted, fractured, and dispersed.

Following that, black crystalline shards condensed, coiled, and took form: the S-M82A1-75 Cannon-type Sniper!

"Hmph, this trick again?" Xiao Quan sneered, watching the yellow light intensify in the cannon’s muzzle. He remained calm, hiding behind Mu Qi’s shield! The five of them had discussed Nangong Yuchen’s attacks and mechs on their way here, so all of this was within their expectations.

"Hiss!"

Just as the shell was fired, Nangong Yuchen suddenly flicked his wrist. The cannon barrel swiveled, aiming at Tuoba Lin and Liu Ze! At the same time, he shouted:

"Angel!"

As the words fell, a yellow shell as thick as an arm blasted forth, trailing a long afterglow as it thundered toward Tuoba Lin and Liu Ze!