Vichy had already forgotten how long ago it was that she had last journeyed with a companion.
Never had she imagined that she would be dominated by a man, swallowing humiliation to serve as a maid for months, gaining a master over her very soul.
Nor had she ever imagined that she would live like a mortal for months—no cultivation, no conspiracies, no deceitful schemes—spending each day teasing her master and the little sheep, and lately even gaining a little hedgehog. Life had become increasingly something to look forward to.
To protect this man, she had torn up her own rebirth plan and deduced the Hell secret poison, but doing so had put her on a countdown to death; even her soul phylactery had lost its purpose, and returning to reality would only hasten Hell's arrival.
And to protect this man, rather than running for her life right now, she was supporting him as they trudged forward with great difficulty. Through repeatedly braving life and death together, a deep bond had quietly formed between them.
"As long as I die, all of this will naturally come to an end."
Yaxiu froze upon hearing those words and turned to look at Vichy in disbelief, only to see her lean in with a smile playing in her eyes and gently peck the corner of his lips.
"Huh!?" Yaxiu was stunned. The Witch is right next to us, are you deliberately trying to pick a fight?
"Ah!?" Diya was stunned. I'm right next to you, are you deliberately trying to pick a fight?
Vichy gave a sweet smile. "However, if Master insists on protecting me out of fond feelings, then this maid can only obediently comply."
Indeed, she and Yaxiu truly had formed a deep bond... at least from Yaxiu's perspective!
Over these three months, she had long figured out Yaxiu's character: heavily burdened by responsibility, deeply valuing loyalty and affection, and incapable of cruelty. Vichy wasn't devoid of interest in him and even fancied having him wrapped around her little finger, but in the span of her long life, Yaxiu was at best an amusement, and emotion was nothing more than an entertaining game to play during idle hours.
Vichy's goal in life had only ever been one thing from start to finish—transcend everything and reach the pinnacle of supremacy! The Spectre Prophet sacrificing herself for Yaxiu? What kind of pillow did one have to sleep on to dream up such nonsense? For that goal, she would use anything, which naturally included the bond between Yaxiu and herself!
Yaxiu immediately realized that Vichy was deliberately playing on his sense of responsibility. Both exasperated and amused, he retorted, "Can't you be considerate of your master and obediently go throw your life away!?"
Vichy shook her head and said earnestly, "The only reason they're hell-bent on eliminating me is that I can seize the angel's inheritance—perhaps even the largest share of it. Therefore, as long as I survive this ordeal, the rewards will be boundless. So if you protect me, Master, I will definitely not forget your immense kindness."
"More like you won't forget your immense spite," Yaxiu sneered. "If you ever broke free of the chains, the very first thing you'd do is take revenge on us."
"Master, you have to believe in the bond between us!" Vichy said with complete sincerity. "I promise I won't retaliate against anyone around you!"
The corner of Yaxiu's mouth twitched. "Notice how you didn't say a single word about what happens to me?"
Vichy skirted the question. "In any case, this may be my closest opportunity to supreme heights, and I will never give it up. If Master chooses to help me, you might plunder the angel's inheritance from me. Even if Master doesn't want to risk your life, at least let me leave on my own and give me a chance to fight to the death—that way, you still have a chance to plunder my angel inheritance!"
Yaxiu quietly gazed at his maid, feeling a sense of helplessness. Vichy possessed the fiercest ambition and the most unyielding willpower of anyone he had ever met—a formidable overlord who, if she couldn't surpass the Kingdom of Heaven in life, would surely surpass Hell in death.
While it was possible he could plunder Vichy's spoils, there was also a chance he wouldn't get anything—which was precisely the possibility Vichy was gambling on. But that wasn't the main point. The real question was: was he truly going to stake his life on Vichy?
Risking one's life for the Spectre Prophet sounded utterly foolish—on par with "guaranteeing a deceiver's loan" or "living next door to a necromancer."
Not to mention that Vichy harbored malicious schemes, deliberately played the emotional card, and refused to go quietly to her death... And yet...
Yaxiu signaled that they didn't need to support him anymore and turned to look at Diya. Diya reached out and wiped the corner of his mouth, glaring straight at him with pouted lips as if she wanted to bite him.
Seeing this, he didn't even bother asking, "Witch, do you want to run away by yourself?"—otherwise, the Witch really would bite him in a fury.
"Witch, the moment things look bad, we run," Yaxiu said. "Vichy, remember the promise you just made."
Vichy was startled, then smiled. "I promise, all my fury, hatred, and desires will only be vented upon you, my master."
"Glad you made your stance clear. Now..."
"It's time to tell the demons our stance."
Boom!
The three of them dodged forward just in time. First, they saw a battleaxe crash heavily into the spot where they had stood a moment ago; then, an orange-haired figure came sprinting along the building's exterior wall, as though the laws of gravity held no sway over him!
"Borrowing the axe for a sec!"
Lehuai let out a long yell, jumped straight onto the axe handle with a heavy stomp, grabbed the weapon, and hurled it toward Yaxiu and the others' backs—instantly leaping onto the flying battleaxe to ride it over!
Vichy deflected the battleaxe with her steel pipe, while Yaxiu and Diya spun around to attack Lehuai in midair. But with several resonant cracks of knuckle-snapping Fist Flashes, Lehuai smoothly flipped ahead of them and unleashed a tempestuous barrage of strikes aimed directly at Vichy!
At the same time, the death-knell gunshots of Yinzhi rang out once more, blanketing the positions of Yaxiu and Diya. Yaxiu had to focus entirely on deflecting the bullets meant for both of them—unless she used Fist Flash, Diya's bare hands couldn't block bullets!
By now, Longyuan had caught up as well. Diya swept low at Lehuai's legs to create an opening for Vichy, and the three scrambled desperately down the road.
Retreat, retreat, retreat!
They could only flee along the open streets. If they ran indoors, the buildings would inevitably be brought down by Longyuan, trapping them completely!
"Yinzhi!" Longyuan roared.
"Got it!" Yinzhi aimed at their retreating backs, her gunshots ringing out just as Longyuan hurled both battleaxes.
Yaxiu and Vichy could deflect Yinzhi's bullets, but the moment the bullets clashed against their weapons, Longyuan's twin axes were already hurtling silently toward them.
Fist Flash!
With all her might, Diya could only slap away one battleaxe, but faced with the other, they were forced to halt in their tracks to dodge!
Lehuai dropped silently like a shadow. His soft, slender hands curved into savage arcs, descending like instruments of torture clawing toward Vichy's skull.
Gunfire rattled incessantly. Yaxiu had to concentrate completely on parrying the bullets, leaving Diya and Vichy to face Lehuai, who easily parried their attacks once again and flipped forward to land right in their path.
Thud!
With a shudder of the earth, Longyuan caught his twin axes and leaped down from above, his axes crashing down like a guillotine!
Encircled by bullets, with Lehuai in front and Longyuan behind, the three were once again trapped in a dead end!
Without hesitation, Yaxiu hurled his longsword forward, yet the moment the blade left his hand, Lehuai caught it.
"No littering, now," Lehuai teased with a grin.
They had already seen Yaxiu use this movement miracle to escape once; how could they possibly grant him a second chance?
In that split second of mortal peril, it was as if a drop of ink fell beside Yaxiu. Ink marks splashed radially outward, splattering across space!
Miracle: Heart Pen Splashing Ink!
Standing mere inches away, Lehuai and Longyuan showed no panic. A Fist Flash and an Axe Flash forcefully deflected the trajectories of the ink marks, and a second later, the miracles were purified by the mysterious chains. But the move also ruptured a roadside fire hydrant. Obscured by the ink and mistaking the surging torrent for an attack, they hastily dodged aside, buying Yaxiu and the others time to flee.
However, Yaxiu had broken his final virtual wing. Soul agony far surpassing trigeminal neuralgia made every step nearly impossible, forcing him to clutch the Witch's hand tightly.
He squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "Witch..."
Diya pressed her lips tight and looked up at Vichy. Vichy immediately said, "We split up here."
They had just reached a crossroads. Diya nodded and pulled Yaxiu toward the right, while Vichy fled alone to the left.
At that moment, however, battleaxes shattered the buildings on either side, turning the street into rubble, while bullets converged from all directions to seal off every route of retreat. Diya's hands couldn't block bullets, and Yaxiu nearly bit through his lip to focus his mind enough to barely deflect them.
"Yinzhi!" Diya cried out in fury.
"Sorry, but they have questions for the Observer," Yinzhi said. "I don't really care much myself, but if I'm around, I can guarantee your safety. If you leave it to them, they might not spare you."
By then, Vichy had already been entangled by Lehuai. She was no match for him to begin with, and with Lehuai bent on pinning her down, she couldn't shake him off at all. Longyuan had caught up as well, first hurling a spinning axe to constrict her dodging room, before boxing her in alongside Lehuai!
Clang!
Vichy blocked Lehuai, Yaxiu blocked Longyuan, and Diya seized the chance to grab Longyuan's axe and fling it far away.
"You've thrown away your last path to survival," Longyuan said coldly.
"There was never any such thing from the start," Yaxiu gasped, his body trembling faintly. "I won't answer a single question."
"Correct attitude."
Longyuan raised his battleaxe high, Lehuai let out a sigh, and Yinzhi's bullets closed in from behind.
Yaxiu's mind became serene as a still lake, the Witch's hair shifted in vibrant, frantic colors, and Vichy's eyes blazed with indignant ambition!
Sword Flash! Fist Flash!
Spear Flash!
Peak martial skill clashed against peak martial skill, a divine might approaching the realm of miracles blazing in brilliant glory!
For the first time in direct combat, they fought the demons to a standstill! And the only time. Boom! When the demons launched their second offensive, the sorcerers could no longer unleash such divine might.
Catching the blown-back Diya in his arms, Yaxiu crashed into a streetfront flower shop alongside Vichy. Longyuan instantly cleaved through the load-bearing pillars with his battleaxe, bringing the entire building down in a thunderous collapse!
By the time they clawed their way out of the rubble, Longyuan, Lehuai, and Yinzhi had already surrounded them. Leaning against the dilapidated remnants of the flower shop's wall, a battered and bruised Yaxiu exhaled a long breath. "So tired..."
With all his virtual wings broken and having used Sword Flash so many times, Yaxiu was so exhausted his entire body felt filled with lead, wishing he could just drop dead on the spot.
"I'll give you a massage when we get back," Vichy said, her breathing shallow and rapid. "Though only after I've rested."
"Not allowed," Diya said. "Observer, let me do it."
The Witch's virtual wings were completely undamaged. She still had four chances to strike, which could hold off at least four attacks from the demons. But Yaxiu shook his head. "I can still push a little more."
"It should be soon. They said time was running short—as long as we hold out until then—"
Longyuan shook his head. "Sorcerers ought to believe in miracles, but a sorcerer must never rely on them."
"Otherwise, one day," he raised his battleaxe, forming a pincer with Lehuai, "miracles will abandon you."
Bang! Thud! Boom!
Yaxiu forced himself to concentrate, only to discover that in this instant, the roar of gunfire, the howl of axes, and the slide of slippers—every sound had woven together into a sonic web. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't have been affected at all, but now, utterly drained and severely wounded, this sonic web was enough to temporarily sever the connection between their consciousness and physical bodies.
The demons had long realized the Witch still had the strength to resist and had waited specifically for this moment to strike. Now, all three of them were lambs to the slaughter!
Demons had no need for miracles; demons forged their own miracles!
Yaxiu couldn't even move, watching helplessly as the battleaxe descended. Then, a flash of crimson caught his eye—
Clang!
An elegant blade intercepted the brutal battleaxe. Astonishment crossed Longyuan's face, and Lehuai, turning with his hands in his pockets, froze mid-motion.
Vichy was stunned. Diya pouted.
Yaxiu stared blankly at the red-haired figure standing before him. His entire body involuntarily relaxed, sinking limply against the wall, an unconscious smile surfacing in his eyes.
Miracles might abandon him, but the Sword Princess never would.
Chapter 931