When Natasha rushed out, her body was already wrapped in a thick layer of solid ice. As she charged out of the cave, rolling for more than ten meters on the narrow mountain path, arrows from the other side of the abyss came flying at her. With a clinking sound, they were all deflected by the solid ice!
Natasha's body rolled forward like an ice hockey puck, about to roll nearly fifty meters ahead. Suddenly, a strong gust of wind came from the opposite side. In the Dark Camp, there was a cry of alarm, and they saw a spear coming through the air. It directly nailed Natasha's ice ball to the ground!
Luckily, the ice was very thick, and the spear pierced through the ice but didn't hit any vital parts of Natasha. It passed through her armpit, injuring her arm and a small part of her ribcage's edge. Blood flowed, not fatal, but it trapped Natasha firmly on the mountain path.
More and more arrows were shot at Natasha.
Natasha had clearly suffered heavy injuries, her consciousness was somewhat hazy, and she had interrupted her skill release. Seeing the ice on her body getting thinner, a few more arrows would likely end her life on the spot.
Tian Lie watched this from behind, frowned, glanced at the others, and suddenly rushed out without saying a word!
As soon as Tian Lie exposed himself, an arrow came flying at him! The people from the Meine camp on the opposite side were obviously highly skilled with cold weapons and had precise archery. However, this arrow was aimed at Tian Lie's head, but he suddenly tilted his head, avoiding the crucial hit, and allowed the arrow to pierce his shoulder instead!
Seeing the arrows piercing his shoulder, Nicole in the cave behind couldn't help but let out a low exclamation. However, she saw Tian Lie grunt and continued to run forward.
Swish! Swish...
Several more arrows flew towards Tian Lie. He ran more than ten steps, but then he was hit by several more arrows, in the shoulder, arm, waist, and even one in his thigh. He looked like a hedgehog with arrows sticking out all over his body. Blood was flowing, but he seemed completely unaffected, still briskly running to Natasha's side.
He shouted loudly, "Diamond Barbie, are you dead?"
With that, he kicked Natasha hard in the body, and Natasha, clutching her injured shoulder, replied, "Not dead!"
"Then get ready! I'm giving you a ride!"
With that, Tian Lie suddenly performed a move like a soccer player taking a shot. He raised his leg and fiercely kicked the ice ball on Natasha's body!
Natasha was sent flying, and the ice ball soared into the air like a missile, turning into a parabola and miraculously landing accurately at the end of the mountain path, inside the cave!
Tian Lie laughed heartily twice, then picked up the spear on the ground, weighed it a couple of times, and turned to look across the abyss.
On the other side, Meine stared fiercely at Tian Lie. Tian Lie grinned at him, then made a javelin-throwing motion!
A swooshing sound!
Tian Lie forcefully threw the spear into the air!
As they watched across the abyss, one of Meine's henchmen was riding a unicorn, galloping effortlessly along the mountain wall, about to charge into the cave on this side. However, he was directly pierced by the spear!
The knight let out a miserable cry, fell off the unicorn, and crashed into the mountain wall, creating an arc before plummeting into the abyss below...
Meine was furious. She suddenly tore off her helmet, grabbed a spear from her companion, and let out a roar. Surprisingly, she leaped into the air, heading towards this side of the abyss!
Tian Lie sneered, standing still and watching Meine.
Meine's leap displayed astonishing strength! The abyss, more than a hundred meters wide, was crossed by her in an instant.
It seemed like she was about to land directly on this side. But Tian Lie suddenly burst into laughter.
With Tian Lie's laughter, a bolt of lightning suddenly appeared in the air in front of Meine, sending her flying back forcefully!
Meine's body came like an arrow, but it crashed like a projectile. After smashing into the mountain wall, she struggled to stand up and yelled in the direction of Tian Lie.
"The Instance hasn't reached the point where we meet, Meine!" Tian Lie laughed heartily, then muttered under his breath, "Religious fanatics have no brains."
"I will kill you! I will definitely kill you!! Who are you?!" Meine screamed with all her might.
"Who is she, after all?" This was the question on the minds of everyone in the four-person team.
The lone wanderer's face also turned pale. "Who is she after all?"
Nicole, on the other hand, remained in silence, biting her lip hard and gazing at Tian Lie with a complex expression, especially at the places on Tian Lie's body where the arrows had pierced through. It was evident that the wounds were rapidly healing, and the arrows had all fallen to the ground.
"She... is..."
A thought flashed through Nicole's mind.
...
Meine forcefully removed the rubble from her body and then strode forward along the mountain path.
On this side, the Dark Camp was still firing, but Meine suddenly roared and began tearing at her own body with her hands!
There was a grating sound as the heavy knight's armor on her body was torn apart by her bare hands!
After tearing the chest plate into two halves with her fingers, she held it above her head and sprinted forward!
Tian Lie squinted his eyes and quickly ran down as well.
The two of them almost simultaneously rushed into their respective caves. Meine stood at the edge of his cave... her armor was riddled with bullet holes, and without hesitation, she tossed it into the abyss.
Her clothes were stained with blood, and bullets had grazed her arm. She simply tore off the sleeve and stared coldly at Tian Lie from a hundred meters away.
"See you later!"
After both sides entered their respective caves, there was a few seconds of silence, as if it was a tacit agreement, and everyone stopped shooting at the opposite bank... because it no longer made sense.
Tian Lie stood at the cave entrance, watching the knights from the Light camp entering the cave on the other side, and then he looked around.
Nicole was the last one to walk over. She faced Tian Lie and, with a smile that seemed almost playful, grabbed his wrist with one hand.
"What kind of skill is that? Invincibility? Or some kind of martial art?" Nicole asked with a smirk. "Self-healing? But it doesn't really look like it."
"Didn't we agree not to pry into each other anymore? Women really can't keep their word," Tian Lie replied.
...
The Dark Camp continued forward, passing through another cave, taking a full two minutes.
System Prompt: Activation and operation time of the magic array remaining: 20 minutes and 26 seconds.
Tian Lie glanced at the system's time.
Seeing Tian Lie's unusual expression, Nicole asked, "What's wrong?"
"The time hasn't shortened," Tian Lie shook his head. "The system indicated that if we kill one of them, the mission's required time would be reduced by ten seconds. It seems... the knight I just knocked into the abyss didn't die."
"These Jerusalem lunatics seem to have some kind of special survival method," Tian Lie remarked.
Tian Lie sneered, "It's not that simple. This game wouldn't make it so easy for people to avoid death or resurrection."
He suddenly leaned in closer and whispered in Nicole's ear, "That Meine has a trick up her sleeve. I've heard that the crazy knights' order possesses some kind of magical power, where every team member's life is tied to a totem controlled by Meine alone. So, as long as Meine doesn't die, everyone else can be resurrected. Even if they fight to the last person, and everyone else dies, as long as Meine doesn't die, the dead can all come back. But if..."
Nicole's eyes brightened, "If, at this moment, we manage to take out Meine, then..."
"Boom! Total annihilation!" Tian Lie clapped his hands and then shook his head. "But Meine is not an easy guy to deal with. She's a long-lived old monster."
Nicole frowned, "Really? Why do I feel like you're eager to give it a try?"
"I do want to give it a try," Tian Lie chuckled.
The cave reached its end once again.
A bright light appeared ahead, and after the cave, there was a dark abyss in front of them. Above the abyss, a rope bridge connected both sides.
On the opposite side, Meine's knightly order also emerged from a cave, and both sides stood at the ends of the bridge.
In the middle of the bridge, there was a circular platform with a transparent glass wind cover. Inside the cover, a row of candles was arranged!
The abyss was windy, and the bridge swayed in the strong gusts.
After both sides stood at the ends of the bridge in a tense standoff for a few seconds, everyone simultaneously received a message in their personal systems.
"System Prompt: At the end of the Abyss Roulette leading to the Demon Abyss, after removing a candle from the roulette, you will be transported into the magic array within ten seconds. After taking the candle, it must not be extinguished under any circumstances. If the candle is extinguished for any reason, the holder will be instantly eliminated!"
Upon receiving this message, both sides, who had already charged onto the bridge, suddenly halted their steps!
These damn rules!
But after taking the candle, they still had to wait for ten seconds for the teleportation!
Ten seconds!
During these ten seconds, the candle in their hands must not go out! How the hell were they supposed to do this?
The bridge above the abyss swayed precariously, and the howling wind tousled their hair.
Taking the candle and keeping it from going out, even if they did nothing else, required complete concentration and was a very challenging task!
Moreover, there were so many enemies lurking around, ready to attack. At this moment, even someone like Tian Lie or Meine had no guarantee that they could hold a candle in the fierce wind and simultaneously defend against enemy attacks to prevent it from going out.
Once it goes out, it means death!
Who dared to make the first move to snatch the candle?
Whoever took the candle would immediately become the target of the other side's attack! And... it was just too dangerous!
Tian Lie took a deep breath and looked at Meine across the bridge.
Meine's expression was equally grim.
"Let's discuss this," Tian Lie said coldly. "You want to kill me, and I want to take you down as well. But this isn't the right place for a decisive battle. Once we're inside, there will be plenty of opportunities for a proper fight. Fighting here, if by any chance the wind blows out the candle, it would be a wrongful death."
"What's your proposal?" Meine asked coldly.
"It's simple. Each side sends one person up alternately to take a candle. We take turns entering the magic array, and once inside, we can have a fair fight. If we die at the hands of the enemy due to inferior skills, so be it. But if the candle is extinguished by the wind and we die, it's just a fucked up way to go, right? What do you think? Anyway, this standoff isn't getting us anywhere."
Meine was a decisive woman, and after only three seconds of hesitation, she immediately said loudly, "Agreed!"
After a pause, she glanced at Tian Lie. "I'll go last, and you have to be the last too!"
"Deal," Tian Lie replied with a relaxed smile.
"So, who goes first to get the candle?" Meine looked at Tian Lie. "I'll let your side go first."
Tian Lie chuckled, "No need to be polite, who's going first?"
But when Tian Lie's gaze turned towards their own camp, everyone hesitated. The four-person team remained silent, the lone wanderer lowered his head, and Natasha seemed eager but inexplicably didn't speak up.
Everyone shared the same concern: while the idea sounded good, what if they really went to take the candle, and the other side suddenly attacked? Even if they could accuse the other side of breaking the agreement afterwards, they would be the ones dead!
"I'll go," Nicole suddenly smiled and stepped forward.
Tian Lie glanced at her and nodded, "Alright, you go first."
After that, Tian Lie lightly patted Nicole's shoulder, "Remember to conceal your identity once inside. You wouldn't want Chen Xiaolian to recognize you, would you?"
Nicole frowned slightly, looking at Tian Lie, "Your tone... seems like you're not planning to go in?"
"Me and Meine are both going last... When all of you have entered, only he and I will be left, and at that time, neither of us will take the candle."
Nicole immediately understood and gave Tian Lie a glance, "Be careful."
With that, Nicole walked over to the middle of the bridge amidst the attention of both sides.
Despite the strong winds, the candle flame on the glass wind cover in the center of the circular platform remained stable. Nicole took off her coat, draped it over her arm, and was about to reach for the candle when she suddenly looked over and her expression changed!
"There's a missing candle!"
As soon as this sentence was spoken, both sides were shocked!
Tian Lie and Meine took a few steps forward, and from a distance of ten meters, they both looked into the wind cover...
Inside the wind cover, there was originally a circle of candles, neatly arranged in metal candleholders. However, within this circle of candles, there was one metal candleholder...
Empty!!
A candle was missing!
"Someone got in before us?!"
"Who?!"