For You, for All of You

"This!" Chen Buer also froze for a moment. He didn't know specifically what that thing was either. But because he had witnessed all manner of peculiar and bizarre combat situations in his lifetime, he was not completely dumbfounded like the soldiers in the battle formation behind him. What he cared about was that Han Qingyu had actually erupted with all his might as well. "Why bother?! You brat. "Making my nose feel all sour..." Chen Buer did not yet know what price Han Qingyu had to pay for erupting his life source energy with full force (in truth, Han Qingyu himself did not know yet either). *What if he goes bald like Lü Moyi?* As the old man's heart ached, the thought suddenly crossed his mind. *What if he gradually turns forgetful like Old Jiang?* *What if he loses something else...* *You haven't even taken a wife yet.* Actually, Han Qingyu had not wanted to erupt like this either. He had originally thought that clashing for a bit to prove he could hold off Ivan alone for a period would be enough. Yet Ivan, this lunatic, had actually gone all out just like that. This madman was not only formidable, but even more resolute, devoid of any fear of death. Therefore, he truly might have been able to force the old man to erupt with all his might. And so, Han Qingyu resolved to endure this wave. As long as he weathered it, everything would be over; Butcher Ivan, having exhausted his full eruption, would no longer be able to pose such a threat. On the field, most people from the two battle formations only snapped out of their daze when they saw the path of the withering grass come to a halt before The King, leaving the ground starkly divided. By now, the clash on the battlefield had escalated to a degree where even top-tier combatants could barely make out what was happening. Except on rare occasions when Ivan's blade swung down in sweeping, broad arcs, leaving faint traces in the air like a hanging river of molten lava, the blade cleaving into the earth and gouging out long ravines. Meanwhile, Major Qing's figure darted through the space like a spiderweb, leaving only ripples in the air, moving so fast he was almost invisible. "Hey, did you guys see clearly just now?" He Tangtang came jogging over from the rear to ask. Accompanying him were Zhe Qiuhong and the Little Prince. He Tangtang meant to ask them what that phantom image looked like, because it was still essentially air, only briefly taking on a faint outline that was very hard to see clearly. "A snake, a massive snake, no doubt about it," Wen Jifei said decisively, cradling Elegy of the Square in his arms. "Right now, what I'm mainly wondering is: when he remembers how many snakes he used to catch and sell, how will he feel? And if Uncle and Auntie find out in the future, how will *they* feel?!" "No way." Rusty Sister shook her head and said disdainfully, "To me, it looked like a big bug." "Bug your head! It's a snake." "It's a bug! Wu Xu, back me up here, Wu Xu." Wu Xu turned his head. "Huh? It... it looked like..." "A dragon!" Zhu Jiaming chimed in decisively and firmly, and then stunned himself... *A dragon?!* *Holy crap, that bastard Han didn't do something to my dragon bone, did he?!* "Source Snake. Mutation," Zhe Qiuhong said coldly. She carried authority. On the spot, everyone except Wu Xu turned to look at her. "You figured it out?!" Wen Jifei asked excitedly. "No. It's just a name I casually thought up," Zhe Qiuhong said, averting her eyes like a scientist who was supposed to be rigorous. The crowd: "..." "Casually giving it a code name at least makes it more convenient to refer to. I gave one to Wu Xu as well," Zhe Qiuhong continued. "What is it?" Rusty Sister asked with keen interest. This time, even Wu Xu turned over with concern. "Gecko: Dark Night. What do you think?" Zhe Qiuhong said. "Uh... that's a kind of lizard, isn't it?" He Tangtang said. "Sorry, I'm uneducated." Zhe Qiuhong nodded. "Mm, it's a rather nice-looking little lizard." "Well, that's not bad, but a gecko... Xu'er, do you know what a gecko is?" Wen Jifei asked. Wu Xu had already looked away from them. Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Han Qingyu had already been bitterly holding his ground in this seemingly evenly matched pinnacle contest for over ten minutes. Finally—*rip!* A sound like a sheet of paper tearing. Except what was truly torn apart was the air. Major Qing's figure burst through the solid air wall tinged with molten red and slammed heavily backward onto the ground. Without the slightest pause, he rebounded backward, opening up distance as he sprang to his feet. He stood right before the Xiongzhanli Splinter Faction's battle formation, his back to them... Yet, in the entire Splinter Faction formation, not a single person dared draw their blade to try anything. Ivan had also paused, standing opposite him without attacking again. Thus, for the vast majority of people on the scene, they finally saw clearly for the first time the state of the two men after their all-out clash. The hand with which Ivan held his blade was bleeding, blood flowing down his arm and dripping off the edge to the ground with a hiss, like molten iron poured on the earth. He was wounded; besides his arm, there was a wound running behind his shoulder all the way down to his waist. Yet Major Qing... "Legion Commander!" The top-tiers at the front of the Huaxia battle formation cried out almost in unison. This time, their voices held not only urgency, but even a slight choke of grief. In Huaxia's colloquial expression, Major Qing was already beaten nearly out of human shape. At least six wounds covered his body. Although none of the strikes had landed squarely, two of them were still cut to the bone... Blood poured outward. He shook his head violently, struggling to keep his consciousness clear. He raised an arm to wipe his eyes, only to smear blood all over his face. There was still a gap between Han Qingyu and Ivan. Although this outcome had already exceeded Chen Buer's expectations. Back when they were all in Azure, even the person ranked third on the Dome Leaderboard had earnestly stated an unwillingness to clash with Ivan, because whenever that lunatic fought, he fought with complete disregard for his own life, ready to drag his opponent down with him at any moment. "Kill him! Kill him!" In the entire field, only Mosolygin was roaring madly and hideously. "Legion Commander!" the top-tiers on this side called out once more. A flurry of agitated murmurs swept across the entire ground. "All right, step down. You've already done well enough," Chen Buer finally spoke. Then, with a crisp *shing*, the Red-Slaying Saber cleared its scabbard. He took a step forward... Because of that single step, Mosolygin shut his mouth, and the entire field fell silent. Only Ivan tilted his head, looking at Chen Buer with a savage grin, and said, "Do I finally get the chance to witness that strike of yours? Even half a strike would do, hahahahaha..." "Probably not yet." A response came from opposite Ivan. Having spoken, Han Qingyu turned his head to look at Chen Buer as well, shaking his head. "Let me fight this battle to the end for you... and for all of you," he said. His tone remained devoid of emotion, yet he was finally willing to speak properly to the Legion Commander, or rather, finally willing to say a word in earnest. And so, at this moment, everyone in the field finally understood. Returning after more than two years on the run, Han Qingyu had resolutely refused to rejoin Azure, and because of that, he had also been forced to reject the Huaxia Front. From the moment they reunited until now, he had not called him Legion Commander once, nor offered a single salute. He had ultimately chosen to repay Chen Buer's kindness, repay the righteousness of the Huaxia Front, and honor the comradeship of all his brothers-in-arms in the Sole Witness Legion in this very way. Han Qingyu's voice when saying those words sounded somewhat frail. Yet—*shroom!* Surging source energy caused that phantom image to manifest in the air once again. On the Huaxia battle formation's side, it was relatively calm; they merely watched in solemn, anxious silence. Across from them, however, the Xiongzhanli Splinter Faction was suddenly seized by bewilderment and shock. *Clang-hum!* A dense crescendo of ringing blades converged into a single piercing sound that sent throbbing pain through the ears. The battle sabers on their backs leaped out inexplicably. Perhaps a hundred of them, or two hundred...