Chapter 48: When in Doubt, Self-Destruct
“Ah?”
It felt like something had just thumped against Harker’s back. He turned around to see Yake, who had just shot an arrow at him. If he guessed correctly, that little punk had actually hit him.
“This has nothing to do with you, random passerby. Get lost! If you keep meddling, I promise you won’t like the consequences.”
Harker didn’t immediately retaliate against Yake. Instead, he warned him to stay out of this. His goal was to beat the arrogant Little Princess and drag her back to report, completing his mission.
“Not happening! I don’t know why you’re targeting Aier, but as her servant, I can’t just stand by and watch you bully her!”
Yake pulled back his bowstring again and shot a magic arrow at Harker.
“Servant? Ah… Now that you mention it, your aura was so weak earlier that I barely noticed. But now I see, you two have shared life forces, huh?”
Harker squinted at Yake, sensing the faint, familiar aura of Aierjisi around him. It was likely they had formed a soul contract. If they were too far apart, they would weaken and could even die. What a hassle! It seemed he would have to take Yake back too.
“That’s right, which is why I can’t let you keep bullying her.”
“But do you think you can stop me? With those weak attacks of yours?”
Harker scoffed. He had never taken Yake’s attacks seriously; they were nothing more than a tickle.
“Then let’s see you try! Ha!”
Following Aierjisi’s teachings, Yake infused magic power into his legs, speeding up his movements. In front of Harker, he snatched Aierjisi back from beneath Harker’s feet.
“Mm?”
By the time Harker realized what had happened, Yake had already retrieved Aierjisi.
“You dare to snatch her from under my nose?”
Yake’s actions directly infuriated Harker. A character so beneath him had the audacity to take someone back right in front of him? It was like a slap in the face!
“Aier, are you okay? Need some potion?”
After placing Aierjisi in a concealed spot in the woods, Yake pulled out the potion she had made for him, ready to feed it to her.
“I’m fine, don’t worry about me! Don’t underestimate the Blood Clan’s recovery abilities. But what’s going on with him? Harker should have been completely defeated, so why is he like this? Is this the work of the Adrian People?”
Aierjisi peeked out to see Harker, still rampaging and attacking aimlessly now that he had lost his target. If they didn’t think of a way to deal with him soon, it was only a matter of time before he spotted them.
“What’s our next move, Aier?”
Yake had never fought such a bizarre enemy before. Not only was this guy freakishly strong—one slap had sent him flying—but his defenses were robust. He had barely taken damage from Aierjisi’s Triple Explosive Impact.
“Let me think… Yake, you distract him for a bit. I need to charge up for a big move.”
Aierjisi contemplated for a moment; it seemed they had no choice but to see if her ultimate move would take down Harker.
“Got it!”
Yake readied his bow and dashed out from the trees at high speed, firing arrows at Harker. After each shot, he would quickly change positions to dodge Harker’s attacks, taunting him.
Harker, however, wasn’t about to let Yake have his fun. He let out a piercing howl, releasing lightning from all over his body for an indiscriminate AoE attack. Yake unfortunately got zapped on the arm and fell to the ground.
Seizing the opportunity, Harker lifted his foot to stomp on Yake.
“Ugh…”
Yake quickly adjusted the flow of his magic, channeling strength into his arm, and just before Harker’s foot came down, he managed to grab Harker’s face. Even so, he could barely hold his ground against the now formidable Harker. His arm was still injured, unable to exert its full power, and he could only withstand for a bit longer.
“Ha…”
As Yake struggled for survival against Harker, Aierjisi poured every ounce of her being into igniting her cells, preparing to unleash her ace—Blood Clan Great Explosion.
This move was the most powerful of all her skills. It required no magic power from her to use, but the price was steep: she would lose five years of her life and be unable to move for a short time afterward. It was a last resort, and her need to resort to it showed just how dire their situation was.
“Blood Clan Great Explosion!”
With every cell ignited, Aierjisi charged at Harker and wrapped her arms around him from behind.
“Yake, get away! This attack is powerful; I don’t want to accidentally hurt you!”
Before she detonated herself, Aierjisi reminded Yake to escape quickly.
“Oh!”
Seeing Aierjisi engulfed in flames, even without her warning, Yake’s instincts kicked in, and he dove to the side.
“Blood Clan Great Explosion, huh? Interesting. Let’s see who comes out laughing in the end.”
Feeling the heat at his back, Harker began to laugh maniacally. He was invincible now! The Blood Clan Great Explosion wouldn’t harm him!
With a furious roar, Aierjisi detonated herself, the explosion engulfing Harker. The shockwave sent Yake, who had already dodged, flying as well.
In the next moment, the fragments of Blood Clan energy, floating in the air due to the explosion, reassembled to recreate Aierjisi’s body.
“Ah…”
Aierjisi collapsed to the ground in a heap, utterly drained. This time she really had emptied herself out.
“Ah ha ha! I told you! I’m in top form! The measly Blood Clan Great Explosion can’t hurt me at all. Hahahaha!!!”
Through the smoke, Harker reemerged, revealing himself with a victorious laugh, looking down at Aierjisi sprawled on the ground.
“Ugh… How could this happen…”
Aierjisi could only grit her teeth and accept reality. Her trump card, the Blood Clan Great Explosion, hadn’t even been enough to deal with Harker. Was this really where it ended for her…?
“Never give up until the last moment! Aierjisi!”
Just as she closed her eyes in despair, she heard a familiar voice—a voice she had known long ago.
