Chapter 56: The Confrontation

“Who?”

Tuoba Feng’s laughter froze instantly as he stared in shock at the three arrows piercing through the sky. Without hesitation, he retreated swiftly.

“Arrows?”

Mo Qing was equally startled. He quickly drew his long blade and dodged toward the open ground nearby.

But at that moment, the three half-meter-long arrows suddenly changed their trajectory, all shooting directly toward the dodging Tuoba Feng.

“Watch out!”

Seeing this, Mo Qing shouted loudly and rushed to assist. Yet the arrows moved faster than him; before his foot even landed, the three arrows shifted direction, catching up with Tuoba Feng.

“Swish, swish!”

“How is this possible…” Trapped with nowhere to run, Tuoba Feng stared in disbelief at the arrows growing larger in his vision. Arrows that could change direction?

“Ah…”

Before he could think further, the three arrows pierced through his body in an instant. A loud boom echoed as the area around him was shrouded in a faint blue light shield…

“You, a worthless piece of trash, think you can eliminate Nangong Yuchen?”

Only then did a young girl with a single ponytail step out from the shadows, murmuring as she watched the dissipating light shield.

“Angel!” Nangong Kexin called out joyfully. She hadn’t expected the girl before her to be so formidable, instantly killing Tuoba Feng! She had seen Angel’s name on the map device earlier, which had given her hope, but not this outcome.

“Phew, chased for so long and finally caught up!” Angel approached, lightly patting her chest with a smile. Then, turning gracefully, she glanced at Mo Qing with a slightly cold expression and added, “I’ll explain later. First, I’ll deal with this fly!”

Mo Qing’s face paled. Knowing he was no match for the girl, he quickly retreated. He had no desire to be pierced by three arrows like Tuoba Feng.

“Trying to run?” Angel leapt up, a half-meter-long pale blue arrow appearing in her right hand. She nocked the arrow with the bow and pulled it back fluidly, already locking onto Mo Qing.

The arrow was on the string, ready to fire.

At that moment, three figures suddenly rushed forward. Leading them was Tuoba Lin, with short black hair. Seeing the scene, he was furious and immediately activated his mech, charging forward.

Clusters of earthy yellow crystal fragments burst forth, converging and entwining until forming a fierce golden gauntlet on his right forearm.

“Boss!” Mo Qing called out excitedly upon seeing him.

Before he could finish, the half-meter pale blue arrow streaked forward like lightning, slicing through the air with a sharp hiss, and struck directly before Tuoba Lin.

“So fast!” Tuoba Lin was startled. Bow-and-arrow mechs were extremely rare because the pilots needed both speed and excellent neural reflexes. Given such strict conditions, their power was naturally formidable.

“Block it for me!”

At such terrifying speed, dodging was impossible. He quickly raised his right arm to shield his chest.

“Bang!”

The arrow hit the gauntlet, shattering explosively and blasting Tuoba Lin backward.

“Big brother Tuoba!”

“Boss!”

Lu Ling and another trainee caught up and hurriedly helped Tuoba Lin to his feet, concern etched on their faces.

Tuoba Lin stood up with a dark expression, staring intently at the smiling Angel across from him. He hadn’t expected to underestimate the arrow’s power. Just one encounter, and he had taken a heavy hit. This was bad news for what lay ahead. His voice turned cold as he demanded, “Mo Qing, what’s going on? Where’s Xiao Feng?”

Mo Qing lowered his head, silent and dejected.

Seeing this, the three’s hearts sank.

Then Mo Qing raised his head and pointed toward the roadside not far off. “Sorry, boss, I failed to protect him…”

Following his gesture, they saw only a pool of blood beside a slowly fading cannon-shaped sniper rifle and an energy rifle.

“Eliminated?” Tuoba Lin’s eyes widened in disbelief. Minutes ago, the map device still showed his brother alive; now, he had been eliminated!

His anger erupted as he glared at Angel and Nangong Kexin, shouting fiercely, “All of you, attack and kill them!”

This assessment’s biggest rivals for him were Nangong Yuchen and Xiao Quan. Eliminating both meant the three spots would be filled by himself and Tuoba Feng. But now that his brother was out right after they regrouped, his fury was uncontrollable.

Lu Ling and the others obeyed immediately, drawing their mechs and charging toward Angel and Nangong Kexin.

“Angel, maybe we should retreat and wait for Yuchen to arrive?” Nangong Kexin looked at the four rushing opponents, fear flickering in her eyes.

She wasn’t worried about Angel’s strength but that they were outnumbered four to barely half of one.

“Fall back first!” Angel was fearless. Her lithe figure leapt into the air, and three pale blue arrows appeared simultaneously in her right hand. This time the blue glow was even brighter, sparkling like crystals against the night sky.

“Go! Ice Soul Triple Strike!”

When the three enemy fighters closed within twenty meters, Angel’s body soared to its highest point. Her bow was drawn fully like a crescent moon, and she shot an explosive volley into the night sky.

“Swish, swish!”

The three arrows seemed alive as they altered their course above, trailing long glimmers like shooting stars as they descended upon the four below.

“That’s the move! The woman used it to eliminate Tuoba Feng!”

“A skill?” Tuoba Lin was shocked. His first thought was mech skills, but he quickly shouted, “Lu Ling, deploy your shield! Mo Qing, take Liu Ze and retreat! Find a spot to snipe from!”

As he spoke, Mo Qing grabbed a stunned Liu Ze and fled. Tuoba Lin and Lu Ling drew their shields, kneeling with them raised overhead.

“Swish, swish!”

“Bang, bang, bang!”

The arrows tore through the night, striking the shields and exploding. Despite their power, they caused no injury to Tuoba Lin or Lu Ling.

Angel’s expression shifted slightly. She had been gambling that if even one of them didn’t choose shields, victory would be easy. The result was proving trickier than expected.

No choice — this was the power-defense type renowned for their strength!

“Blocked!” Mo Qing, watching from afar and seeing his comrades unharmed, ordered Liu Ze to stay put and snipe. Then he activated his second mech: Battle Boots.

The boots gleamed silver, with sharp blades lining the toes and long shafts. Armed with his long blade and boosted by speed, Mo Qing charged at Nangong Kexin.

“Kexin, looks like we have to retreat quickly!” Angel turned with a serious look.

At that moment, Lu Ling and Tuoba Lin raised their shields and charged forward. Angel quickly sheathed her bow and drew her second mech:

The Galewind Blade.

Clusters of azure crystals coalesced into a long blue sword, intricate patterns etched along the blade connecting to a red crystal at the hilt, giving the sword an elegant, ethereal grace.