Chapter Sixty-Seven: The Final Battle

"Finally... we won!" Nangong Kexin closed her eyes wearily, then said, "Quick, check on Angel and see how she is!"

"Don't worry, she's just unconscious. Once we get out of the Illusion Island together, she'll be fine!" Nangong Yuchen had already checked Angel's injuries. Fortunately, they were still inside the Illusion Island; once they left, the wounds would vanish. Otherwise, seeing the two women so severely injured would have truly pained him.

However, as time ticked by, Nangong Kexin eventually succumbed to exhaustion and drifted into unconsciousness as well. The three of them remained within the Illusion Island, with no sign of being teleported out.

The sunset on the horizon dipped below the earth, and it gradually grew dark.

It was then that Nangong Yuchen sensed something was wrong. Logically, since the battle had ended half an hour ago, they should have returned to the outside world. Why was there no reaction?

Could it be that there was a problem with the Illusion Island?

Just as this thought crossed his mind, the map instrument in his space ring finished its cooldown. Nangong Yuchen hurriedly opened it to check. He didn't find any issues, as the map clearly showed that only the three of them remained.

"30, 29..."

After looking it over and over, he still couldn't find anything wrong. Just as Nangong Yuchen began to believe there was a glitch in the Illusion Island, the number of people shown on the map suddenly changed from three to four!

"What! How could there suddenly be an extra person?" Nangong Yuchen was shocked. How could there be anyone else inside the Illusion Island at a time like this?

In his shock, the person's avatar and name appeared, and they were less than a hundred meters away!

"Gao Xingyu? It’s her! Was she lurking in the nearby river area?"

Watching Gao Xingyu approach, a massive storm surged in Nangong Yuchen's heart. How had she survived? More importantly, how did she manage to evade detection by the map instrument?

These questions had barely formed in his mind when a figure appeared on the other side of the grassland, sprinting toward them.

"Gao Xingyu is coming!"

Nangong Yuchen did not dare to delay. He summoned his mecha once more and stood in front of Angel and Nangong Kexin, maintaining a constant guard. He was actually quite nervous; due to his physical exhaustion and injuries, he could only exert half of his peak strength. If Gao Xingyu were to fight him directly, it would be fine, but if she were to turn and attack the unconscious women, he feared...

Amidst his anxiety, Gao Xingyu finally arrived. She was drenched from head to toe, her hair dripping with water, and her form-fitting school uniform clung to her body, creating a strange, alluring sight.

Gao Xingyu held a dagger, her speed undiminished, and charged straight at Nangong Yuchen.

"Clang!"

Nangong Yuchen raised his shield to block, then exerted force, intending to shove her back. Instead, Gao Xingyu twisted her body, leaped to the side, and lunged violently toward the two women on the ground.

"You dare!"

The very thing he feared had happened. Enraged, Nangong Yuchen swung his blade at Gao Xingyu’s back.

Gao Xingyu, however, was completely fearless. Using the speed-boosting boots on her feet, she dodged the attack and turned once more to strike at the two women, ignoring Nangong Yuchen entirely. In her heart, she thought only of this: if she killed one of them, she would be the one to qualify!

The reason she had been able to avoid the map instrument's detection was thanks to the first day, when Nangong Yuchen had defeated her, leading her to hide at the bottom of a river. She had discovered by accident that the map instrument could not detect her there, so she had stayed in the water. Every time the space ring signaled that the map instrument had finished its cooldown, she would quickly submerge herself to evade detection.

Using this method over the past two days, she had ambushed and killed several students from different grades. When she saw Nangong Yuchen locked in a fierce battle with Xiao Quan and the others, she had devised a plan to let the snipe and the clam fight, so the fisherman could reap the benefits.

"You woman!" Nangong Yuchen was red with fury. The three of them had gone through so much hardship to finally achieve victory, and now this woman who had suddenly appeared wanted to snatch a spot—how could he ever agree to that?

Never mind his relationship with the two women; even if they were just ordinary teammates, he would never allow it!

Seeing the dagger about to pierce Angel’s body, Nangong Yuchen threw his shield, hoping to block the attack.

Driven by terrifying force, the shield flew as fast as a bullet, hurtling toward Gao Xingyu’s chest.

Gao Xingyu naturally didn't dare to take the hit head-on. Her goal was to kill one person and survive herself to qualify as an elite student, not just to commit murder. She had no choice but to jump up and dodge the attack.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Nangong Yuchen rushed forward, wielding his Lightning Sword Screen. He launched an active assault, unwilling to give this woman even the slightest opening.

"Clang!" The dagger met the longsword. The two battled, but Gao Xingyu had no interest in Nangong Yuchen. Every chance she got, she would rush to assassinate Nangong Kexin or Angel, only to be blocked by him time and again. Over time, even the most patient person would be driven to desperation. For Gao Xingyu, the goal was so close—the two women were unconscious on the ground, and if she could just kill one, her mother would be saved. This dream, within her grasp, was constantly thwarted by Nangong Yuchen, and she grew furious!

Realizing she couldn't succeed without teaching this boy a lesson, she turned all her aggression toward Nangong Yuchen.

"Clang, clang, clang!"

Gao Xingyu was not only incredibly fast, but the way she wielded her twin daggers was fluid and flawless, a far cry from the clumsiness she had shown when fighting Nangong Yuchen on the first day. The two traded blows, caught in a bitter struggle.

Without his shield, Nangong Yuchen could not attack recklessly without defending, and combined with his depleted physical strength, he could not end the fight.

As the sky grew darker, Gao Xingyu became increasingly anxious. If this dragged on and the two women woke up, she would not only be unable to assassinate them but might even be besieged herself. She couldn't wait any longer!

"Clang!" After another collision, Gao Xingyu kicked Nangong Yuchen away and turned to strike at the two women.

But Nangong Yuchen, with his heightened reflexes, was always on guard. Seeing her move toward them, he acted with lightning speed, grabbing her ankle and yanking her back!

"You!"

Her attack thwarted again, Gao Xingyu’s face flushed with rage, and she backhanded her dagger toward his head.

Nangong Yuchen quickly released her and raised his sword to block. But he hadn't expected her attack to be a feint; she immediately dashed toward the two women again.

"Damn it, you foul woman!" Nangong Yuchen panicked. His speed couldn't match Gao Xingyu’s, who was equipped with mecha boots. Now that she had broken free, what could he do?

Seeing Gao Xingyu about to succeed, Nangong Yuchen grew desperate and pulled out his third piece of equipment: a sniper cannon!

"You wretched woman, take one more step and see if I don't drag you down with me!" Nangong Yuchen aimed the cannon, threatening her.

As he spoke, Gao Xingyu stopped, looked back at the muzzle aimed at her, and ignored it completely, lunging once more toward Angel.

She didn't believe Nangong Yuchen would dare to fire. With a shot of that magnitude, even if she were hit, the two unconscious women nearby would surely be killed in the blast. For the sake of the elite student spot, for her mother, she had no choice but to gamble!

"Damn you!" Nangong Yuchen watched helplessly as the dagger in Gao Xingyu's hand descended toward the still-unconscious Angel.

In his rage, he stopped caring about everything. To hell with being an elite student! If he had to, he would forfeit his own spot. As long as he saved his parents, he didn't care about the qualification!

Otherwise, how could he live with himself if Angel, who had been so severely wounded while protecting him and Kexin, was eliminated like this? And if he somehow qualified alongside this wretched woman, he’d rather not qualify at all!

With that thought, he pulled the trigger. A yellow shell, as thick as an arm, roared instantly toward Gao Xingyu—but also directly toward the spot where Angel and Nangong Kexin lay...