Catch Up!

We can win! Even though her left scapula was nearly crushed to powder and her body was riddled with wounds without an uninjured spot left, none of this dampened Feili's spirits. Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, she beamed more radiantly than ever, joy crinkling the corners of her eyes and brows. *Yaxiu, I did it! I really could do it!* *I can save All Stars, I can save Sister Rose, I can save everyone!* *This time, we won!* Feili exhaled a long breath. Just as she straightened up, she suddenly staggered. Her vision flooded with crimson, the sound of the wind by her ears abruptly receded into the distance, and the thumping of her heartbeat exploded in her mind. Her scorching-hot body from the intense exertion turned so bitterly cold that her very bones shivered. "Your soul can't bear it anymore, can it?" Yinzhi reattached her severed hand. Though it was impossible to restore it completely, she could at least recover seventy percent of her combat prowess. Looking at Feili, she smiled. "Though I don't know how you pulled it off..." "Knowledge of the divine realm is not something a mortal soul can withstand. To wear the crown, one must bear its weight." "For demons like us, the moment we awaken from ignorance, our souls have less than half a year left to live. Every second you stand on this battlefield, your soul is burning away." "Even if the Divine Lord of Stars suddenly has a burst of benevolence and spares this world," Yinzhi glanced at the sky curtain where countless halos overlapped, "you won't live much longer." Feili stared blankly at her. The bloody tears on her face were quickly washed away by the wind and rain, only for fresh ones to stream down immediately. Yaxiu had once held introductory sorcery lessons for her, Niya, and Rose. He called it an advance preparatory class, but Feili knew he was just terrified that something might happen to him, so he wanted them prepared beforehand—that way, even if they ended up in that unfamiliar world, they wouldn't be swindled by people like Igola. For a sorcerer, the most crucial thing was the synchronized development of soul and body. Soul and body complemented each other: a mighty soul inevitably strengthened the body, and conversely, the soul's exhaustion would trigger the body's breakdown. So Feili knew Yinzhi wasn't lying. The Joy Sword could stop her from bleeding from all seven orifices, but it could not save her remnant soul, which flickered like a candle in the wind. This was really... "That's wonderful." Feili wiped her bloody nose. A goofy smile spread across her dirty little face, as if she had just struck a tremendous bargain. "Good thing it was me who used this miracle," she said with a happy laugh. "Good thing it was me who gets to save the world." "Good thing no one..." Sniffling, her smile looked more wretched than crying, tears and rain indistinguishable upon her cheeks. "...saw me looking this ugly." Toward the end, she couldn't hold it back any longer. A trace of aggrieved sobbing crept into her voice, forcing her to bite hard on her lower lip to keep from crying out loud. Even though she had long prepared herself for sacrifice, she was still just a girl not yet twenty; she couldn't face her own death with complete composure. *Am I not human? Ah right, I'm a demon.* Looking at this unyielding girl, Yinzhi didn't voice her inner retort; instead, a sliver of respect arose in her heart. Though she had failed to eliminate this volatile factor earlier due to a momentary slip, Yinzhi felt no regret—the cardinal principle of a prophecy sorcerer was never to regret. Besides, even with Feili stirring up the board, it wouldn't change the final outcome. The mangled demons clashed once again. Even the blinded Longyuan did not shy away. In truth, at their level, sight was far from the only means of perception. While it certainly impaired his combat prowess, the margin for error granted by infinite teleportation still made Longyuan terrifyingly lethal! At this point in the battle, the distinct natures of the three were laid bare. Yinzhi viewed this fight as placidly as the countless battles of her past. Feili merely gritted her teeth and persevered with everything she had. Longyuan, however, grew increasingly exhilarated. If he had previously resembled a lifeless old man, he now seemed like a youth in the prime of his life. Losing his eyes seemed to have had zero impact on him; if anything, it had stirred up the wild, untamable defiance buried deep in his soul! If Yinzhi was the sort of scoundrel who couldn't bear to see anyone else prosper, then Longyuan was a mad dog that would sink its teeth into its opponent even in defeat! In truth, they were cut from the same cloth. Without a demonic side, one could never hope to lay a hand upon the throne. Yet no matter how long they had worn their crowns, in their bones they remained the same pack of fanatics who had carved their way out of the Knowledge Sea and torn through the Void Realm. Yinzhi never entertained the thought of trading blow for blow with Longyuan down to the last drop of sorcery mana and blood. That was no different from a human biting a dog, and it wasn't her style. "Have either of you heard the sound of heartbreak?" Amidst the clash of iron and blood, Yinzhi suddenly broke away from the fray and said, "It's the sound of something you've held tight in your palm, yet still cannot stop from shattering." A tremendous dread surged through Feili's heart. She looked down at the sword in her hand and realized that crisscrossing fractures had crept across the blade without her noticing. *No.* *No!* *Crack! Crack! Crack!* Feili's sword and Longyuan's twin battleaxes shattered simultaneously into countless iron shards. It wasn't just the weapons that broke—the shadow sorcery spirits residing in them to cast miracles shattered as well. This was the true application of Break All Arts, though perhaps only Yinzhi possessed the mastery to pull it off to this degree. From the very beginning of the fight, she had been using Break All Arts to chip away at their weapons bit by bit. Through the resonance connecting weapons and sorcery spirits, Break All Arts could even erupt fully at the moment of fracturing, bypassing the wielders to strike directly at the sorcery spirits within their souls. From start to finish, this demon war had remained firmly in her grasp. Feili gripped the bare hilt, watching the Sword Retainer phantom that had accompanied her fade away. Nothing could be salvaged. Without a sword, without sorcery spirits, she could not unleash the Sword Retainer miracle a second time. She had reverted once again to that helpless girl. Feili's bloody tears dripped onto the hilt. She exhaled a bloody breath and whispered hoarsely to whoever was listening: "Thank you." When she looked up, beneath her dripping wet golden hair was a stubborn face with tightly pressed lips. *"Don't touch the holy grail."* An illusory whisper from some unknown voice sounded in her ear. Feili almost felt like laughing. Did she even have a chance of winning now? How could she possibly touch the holy grail? Even if she won, she would have handed the holy grail over to Yaxiu anyway. But now... Now... there was no chance left. *I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm truly, truly sorry...* *From the day we met until now, I haven't accomplished a single thing. I've only ever caused trouble for everyone... We finally found hope, and now I've lost it again...* *I can't save myself. I can't save anyone... I don't even have a weapon!* Bloody tears blurred her vision. Feili bit down so hard on her lip that it almost bled, because otherwise the overwhelming grief would crush her mental defenses and make her break down crying before these detestable demons. Her death was already going to be hideous; she didn't want to bring shame to the Country of All Stars on top of that. *Yet All Stars will still be destroyed... Sister Rose will die... Niya will die too... All our efforts were in vain...* *What should I do? What should I do, Yaxiu...?* *Help me, Yaxiu!* "Feili, catch!" Feili turned her head and saw an Oracle Comet hurtling along the tracks, catching up to the Canaan. The figure inside smashed through the windshield with a fist, raised the sword in his hand, and hurled it toward her with enough force to dislocate his arm! Feili caught the sword, still in disbelief. Even Yinzhi raised an eyebrow, surprised that a second volatile factor had appeared. *But so what if she got a weapon? The sorcery spirits capable of manifesting miracles are already—* Yet the moment Feili gripped the hilt, astonishment surfaced in Yinzhi's eyes. Even Longyuan sensed the change in Feili's aura. Joining the broken shafts of his battleaxes together into a long staff, he coughed and mocked, "Yinzhi, fate does not favor demons." There was still a chance. Feili could feel it: the phantom's combat techniques still lingered within her. She could still stand on this battlefield, still fight these demons to the very last moment! Though the price was her life, she still had the privilege to pay that price—what right did she have to complain? What was more... She looked back at Yaxiu speeding up from behind, seeing the frantic look on his face and the battered, bruised state of his body. It wrenched Feili's heart with both anguish and warmth. She knew anything she said would be pointless. She could never persuade Yaxiu to leave, just as Yaxiu could never persuade her to give up. A soft luster shone in the girl's eyes. She wiped vigorously at the bloody tears on her face, and an incomparably sweet, breathtaking smile blossomed across her grimy cheeks. She could die without regrets. Turning her back on the road behind her, Feili gripped her sword tightly and charged toward the demons as if she led an army of ten thousand. "If it must come down to dog-eat-dog..." The smile vanished completely from Yinzhi's face. "I happen to be very good at that too." "Regardless of what means you used to stand here," Longyuan said calmly, "you have earned my respect." As the curtain of rain was torn apart once more, the three demons unleashed a storm of blood atop the train speeding at 350 kilometers per hour. This time, it was a battle to the bitter end! Yaxiu watched the Canaan draw closer and closer, paying no heed to the rain whipping through the shattered windshield and striking his face. He kept his eyes fixed on Rose, glowing with radiant light inside the carriage, and on Feili and the others on the roof, their silhouettes moving so fast they were practically a blur. He decisively retracted the soft top, converting the car to convertible mode. The Oracle Comet had a top speed of 500 kilometers per hour; only by redlining it all the way had he managed to catch up to the Canaan. But reaching the battlefield was merely the first step. Next, he would have to throw his mortal body into a war of demons! He couldn't fathom any chance of winning, but he knew he had to go—even if it was just to take a single blow for Feili. He knew this way of thinking was so stupid that not even Igola would bother mocking it, but by now everyone had gone mad. He couldn't afford to think that much, nor was he allowed to. He feared that thinking too much would make him cowardly, and he could not afford to be a coward, because he was that girl's one and only backer. Feili was putting her life on the line right before his eyes. How could he just stand by and watch her die? *Four Pillar Gods, Sorcerer's Manual, feelers, fate—whatever you are, let me gamble my life this once and see if you're truly willing to favor me!* The engine roared like thunder. The sports car was moving so fast it felt on the verge of taking flight. No one had ever used a sports car to chase a high-speed train along its tracks, and no one had ever jumped from a car traveling at 500 kilometers per hour onto a train doing 350. Yaxiu might be the first, and he might well be the last. *Come on.* Yaxiu planted one foot on the seat, preparing to unbuckle his seatbelt and leap across. Just at that moment, amidst her ferocious battle with the demons, Feili stomped down hard on the carriage roof, her face filled with reluctance yet absolute resolve! Matching her action was Yinzhi. "One last time," Yinzhi whispered softly. The brutal force unleashed by the demons caused the Canaan to shudder and hitch for an instant. Although it surged forward accelerating again immediately, that fleeting hitch was enough for the Oracle Comet to slam directly into its rear! *Thud!* The tremendous momentum of the collision almost threw Yaxiu forward, but his battle-honed survival instincts were enough for him to instinctively wrench the heavy steering wheel with all his might. The Oracle Comet spun two full rotations on the tracks, the screech of rubber tearing against iron rails piercing the air as scorching hot vapor hissed from the tires. Yaxiu, who had barely driven for a few days, was struck by a stroke of divine inspiration. The Oracle Comet somehow didn't derail at all; it even whipped back straight and continued charging forward, pursuing the Canaan without losing an ounce of speed. Yet Yaxiu realized the Oracle Comet was not catching up to the Canaan. On the contrary, he saw the distance between the two vehicles steadily widening, and the figures of Feili and Rose were shrinking bit by bit. Blood from who knew where was swept by the wind into his eyes, dyeing his eyelashes crimson. He didn't wipe the blood away, only staring dumbly down at the dashboard. The engine malfunction indicator was glowing bright, and the Oracle Comet's speed was dropping: 400 km/h, 380 km/h, 360 km/h, 350 km/h... Even as he mashed the gas pedal to the floor with all his might, he couldn't bring the Oracle Comet back to its peak. "No!" Yaxiu's fingers dug into the steering wheel, nearly leaving gouges in it, his voice trembling. "No..." If the first "No" was refusal, then his second "No" was a plea. Pleading for the engine not to fail. Pleading for the Oracle Comet to catch up. Pleading for the Canaan to slow down. Pleading with fate... ...not to turn him into an Observer.