Heedless of the danger, Li Luo charged into the sea of Others, their arms hungry and welcoming.
The torrent of whispering voices came gunning for his mind.
He was immune. He was on the brink of death, on a strange, feverish high that closed off his mind to everything else.
He charged on, a lamb bounding into the tiger’s den. There was no escape there, but he chose to go anyway.
He was enough of a tactician to understand that the stalemate could not be allowed to continue. The plan could not be allowed to fail here.
He had to push the plan along.
Only he could do it. Only he was in the right place.
Up to this point, he had come to the same conclusion as the rest of the students. But unlike them, he believed that there was a thread of hope.
A desperate hope that the three-tailed beast would not sit idly by and watch him be taken by the Others.
Li Luo knew that the three-tailed beast wanted his power. That was why it had chased him for so long.
Would it let its target be eaten by someone else? Probably not.
And once it moved, the grinning demon would move too.
Stalemate broken.
As for Li Luo? With chaos came opportunity.
But this was all a long shot. If the three-tailed beast hesitated just a moment too long, chances were that Li Luo might be eaten alive.
That would be a tragedy.
A humongous bet.
The stakes? Li Luo’s life.
There was no other choice though.
He was pale but determined. Soon enough, he was in the thick of it, weaving and ducking through the mad horde. The one plus-side was that he didn’t have to care about who was friendly or not. Everyone was unfriendly.
The grinning demon did not move a muscle.
But his minions were not as disciplined. They leaped up like frogs, maws wide open as they snapped at the silver fly.
Giant bodies flew left and right as he continued to dodge and pray.
They passed by so close that he could even see the spittle in their mouths.
Li Luo was purposely cutting it close with his dodges. Each one made his heart squeeze with fright. He had to keep up the danger to tantalize the beast.
BOOM!
Just as Li Luo felt like he was going to be overwhelmed, he sensed a huge movement from behind. Aha!
It charged the Others that were swarming over him.
Crackle!
A whole bunch of Others were incinerated with one angrily hot breath.
Li Luo’s own skin was scorched badly, but he could move through the pain. A little giggle escaped his lips.
The three-tailed beast was attacking his attackers.
Warning them to stay away from its prey.
Li Luo waved to it energetically.
I love you, baby.
The three-tailed beast’s answer was a gigantic tail swipe towards Li Luo, aiming to snag him.
Li Luo dodged nimbly, and the wide-area attack swept a few more Others away.
Painful howling.
The grinning demon could hold back no longer. It seemed clear enough that the three-tailed beast was not only saving Li Luo, but challenging it as well.
Guardian beast, confirmed.
In that case, it would fight to the bitter end!
The grinning demon snarled, its black energy surging forth in a roiling wave.
Pss!
Black sludge sprayed from its mouth. Each pile of sludge formed a pale arm in mid-air, which snaked out swiftly towards the three-tailed beast.
The sight of the grinning demon spitting a hail of disembodied arms was enough to make everyone’s skin crawl.
“Roar!”
The three-tailed beast turned to face the grinning demon’s attack. With a wild bellow, it released more burning energy in response. A giant claw raked out, smashing the Eroding Class Others into pathetic smears on the sides of the deep gouges it left in the ground.
Boom!
Both sides clashed in a titanic struggle.
Li Luo was sent flying by the epic aftershock.
He whooped like a madman as he sailed through the air. Mission accomplished!
Once their primal instincts took over, they wouldn’t stop fighting until one side was dead.
He had done it.
He felt a hot lump in his throat. He wanted to cry from relief and elation. For all these days, he had been strung up tight, and now the tension was finally gone.
Ssshh shhhh!
He was numb from fatigue, ready to keel over and collapse into a dead sleep. But when he closed his eyes, the whispering sounds of more Others came for him. As his vision dimmed, he saw a dozen of them loping his way.
Shit.
But once he relaxed, he found that he could not summon strength again. He had lost control of his body and was lying there helplessly.
“Foiled… after all that?” he thought in frustration.
Weng!
A beam of golden light cut through the enemies.
BOOM!
A blade followed behind, beheading those that remained in a single clean stroke.
Jiang Qing’e landed beside him.
Behind her, Duze Honglian, her squad, and some other Three Star Hall students. They had come to retrieve their hero.
Li Luo closed his eyes in relief and let his body go limp.
Jiang Qing’e quickly scooped him up and then leaned his head tenderly against her shoulder. His breath was hot against her neck.
She blushed a little, but this was not enough to make her let go. She reached out to pat his head, then she lowered her own to his ear.
“Li Luo, this time, you’re my hero.”