Beside the street, in the small forest, it was pitch-black with strong winds blowing. Yet, several figures were quickly darting around inside.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
The sound of gunfire intensified, and the battle grew fiercer.
Sheele and Mine were shocked by this crazy girl. Seryu's unique way of fighting left them struggling to defend. During the fight, Seryu could unexpectedly pull out weapons from various parts of her body.
Taking them by surprise.
"This Imperial Arms is a bit strange."
Mine, panting, had her previously clean pink dress now dirty. A part of her sleeve was even slashed off.
To dodge Seryu's attack earlier, she almost lost an arm. Thankfully, Sheele helped in the nick of time, only resulting in a severed sleeve.
"This creature-type Imperial Arms has regenerative abilities. We must locate its core; otherwise, if we continue like this, we'll eventually fall into this madwoman's hands."
Sheele also realized something was amiss and voiced out.
"Watch out!"
Mine suddenly shouted. Before Sheele could react, the giant figure of the Hekatonkheires appeared behind her, its enormous fist about to strike.
"Get down!"
Both acted in perfect sync.
Without any hesitation, Sheele quickly crouched. The Pumpkin's muzzle emitted a radiant light, firing a terrifying beam. It grazed past Sheele's hair, instantly piercing through the Hekatonkheires's chest.
The latter flew backwards, collapsing on the ground. Yet, in just a few breaths, the muscles of the Hekatonkheires started twitching, visibly healing the wound on its chest.
"Such an attack can't kill Koro."
Seryu didn't seem to care, speaking with a triumphant tone.
"If we can't deal with the Imperial Arms for now, then I'll deal with you!" Sheele's eyes narrowed. Usually dull, they now sparkled with vigor as she charged forward.
Wielding a massive scissor that could slice through everything.
"Don't underestimate me!"
It must be said, Seryu and the Hekatonkheires, this creature-type Imperial Arms, had a high level of compatibility.
Typical users of such Teigu would stay hidden, fearing detection. But Seryu had transformed herself into a mechanical human, her combat capability nearly equaled regular tool users.
It would be tough to subdue her in a short time.
As Seryu spoke, she pulled out the gun attached to her wrist, then stuffed her right hand into Koro's mouth. After a moment of chewing by Koro, when she pulled it out again, a blade extended from her wrist.
Then she charged directly at Sheele.
"Koro, subdue her first."
Seryu instructed.
Without Sheele's protection, Mine was left isolated.
Recently, Mine has made significant progress in her physical techniques, but when facing the Hekatonkheires, she still falls far short in terms of power. She could only dodge clumsily.
In a moment of inattention, she was directly punched by the Hekatonkheires, causing her to be thrown back and crashing into an ancient tree. The impact was so strong that it broke the center of the tree's branches.
"Ah…"
Mine spat out a mouthful of dark blood. The Hekatonkheires rushed towards her, a look of despair in her eyes.
Mine gave a mournful smile.
Since she became a Night Raid, how many killers could end well? Mine had indeed envisioned such a scene, but to be honest, she was still young and didn't want to die.
"Mine!"
Panic flashed in Sheele's eyes. She forcefully pushed back Seryu and ran towards Mine.
But it seemed already too late. Sheele could only spread her arms to shield Mine.
"No!"
Mine yelled.
At the critical moment, a fiery sword aura burst forth, instantly knocking the Hekatonkheires away. From its shoulder to its waist, the sword aura pierced through, causing it to lie on the ground, writhing in pain with flames burning its wound.
Before Sheele could react, someone pulled her down, and she found herself in the familiar and gentle embrace of a man.
"Don't do such foolish things next time."
A slightly angered voice of Lin Yi sounded.
Sheele was taken aback, then looked up at Lin Yi's face, her happiness evident.
"Don't worry, now that I'm here, you have nothing to fear."
"Mhm."
Sheele nodded blankly, once again becoming the naive girl she once was.
With Lin Yi's arrival, the turmoil in her heart settled down instantly. Her eyes shimmered with surprise and affection.
The trope of a hero saving a damsel in distress always seemed to be the most direct and effective way to increase affection...
Lin Yi reluctantly let go of Sheele's soft waist, bent down to look at Mine's aggrieved expression, and gently tousled her hair.
"Why are you in such a mess?"
In front of others, Mine always appeared strong and brave. But upon seeing Lin Yi, her eyes instantly turned red, as if she was pouting or acting spoiled. She lightly patted Lin Yi's shoulder.
"Why did you come so late?"
"Jerk, don't touch my hair, you messed up my hairstyle."
"My bad, my bad."
Lin Yi patiently tolerated Mine's temper.
He understood that she had just experienced despair and suddenly gained a new lease on life. The emotional roller coaster made her very agitated.
However, Seryu's expression was quite different, even forgoing the opportunity to launch an attack just now. Instead, he looked extremely cautious, with cold sweat streaming down his forehead.
She had never encountered such a situation before.
The Hekatonkheires lay on the ground, quite some time having passed since its fall. Its injuries hadn't fully healed; its muscles twitched. Just as some wounds started to mend, they were immediately scorched by the lingering flames.
Simply put, she was frightened by Lin Yi's attack earlier.
After what seemed like an eternity, the Hekatonkheires finally stood up again, roaring at Lin Yi as its injuries completely healed.
"No matter who you are, if you stand against justice, you will die."
Taking a deep breath to suppress the fear in his chest, Seryu spoke fiercely.
Lin Yi shook his head regretfully. The woman looked good on the outside, but she was psychotically obsessive and seemed to have some issues in her head.
Getting her to betray her country was virtually an impossible task.
Following Seryu's command, the Hekatonkheires charged directly at Lin Yi. At the same time, Seryu himself attacked from the flank, trying to besiege Lin Yi from both sides.
"What a pity."
Lin Yi shook his head regretfully, as if speaking to himself.
He slowly raised Jörmungandr, a fiery red long knife that sliced through the air. Its terrifying temperature caused the surrounding air to distort, and a visible white mist rose as large amounts of water vapor evaporated.
Both Sheele and Mine were protected behind him.