The claws of Mutant Hunter slashed down, but Vylyss's chains imdiately ensnared them. However, as soon as she pushed Noan away, the chains were severed.
Whoosh!
A sound like a blade slicing through flesh rang out—Vylyss's arm was cut off by Mutant Hunter.
It didn't stop there. The creature grabbed one of Vylyss's wings and tore it from her back.
"AAA!!" Vylyss scread, her voice filled with pain and despair.
Noan, at that mont, went mad. He charged at Mutant Hunter, and the Abyss Cube suddenly transford into a sword in his grip.
The blade slashed downward, but Mutant Hunter was much faster than Noan and easily dodged the attack.
Noan didn't stop. The sword in his hand swiftly morphed into a bow.
He pulled the bowstring taut, energy forming into an arrow, and then…
Whoosh!
The wind howling through the air echoed as the arrow was loosed, shooting toward Mutant Hunter with the speed of a bullet.
Clang!
However, the arrow struck its body and instantly dissolved into countless light particles, leaving no mark on its flesh.
BAM!
Mutant Hunter's foot stomped on the ground, causing an explosion as its body launched forward like a cannonball, heading straight for Noan.
Noan raised his hand, and the Abyss Cube imdiately transford from a longbow into a shield.
He held the shield before him, but in the next mont, an imnse force slamd against it. Unable to withstand the impact, he was sent flying backward.
BAM!
His body crashed into a tree before finally coming to a halt. He fell to the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood, his face pale as if drained of all life.
At that mont, Noan felt utterly hopeless.
He never imagined that he would have to fight against a monster that had surpassed rank D-Peak in a place like this.
Even more unexpected was that, despite both him and Vylyss becoming significantly stronger than before, they still ended up defeated here.
Noan wanted to stand up, but Mutant Hunter had already appeared before him, and then…
BAM!
"Ack!" Noan spat out another mouthful of fresh blood after Mutant Hunter's foot struck his stomach.
The kick was so powerful that it sent him flying backward again, only stopping when he crashed into the protective do.
Noan lay motionless on the ground, feeling as if his stomach had just been shattered.
Right now, let alone standing up—even breathing was an excruciating task.
Blood stread from his nose, mouth, and ears like flowing rivers. He could even feel his life force flickering like a tiny candle in a raging storm, ready to be extinguished at any mont.
Mutant Hunter suddenly appeared before Noan again, its claws raised high, poised to strike down at his head.
Clang! Clang!
Just as his life was about to be cut short, countless chains suddenly materialized, wrapping tightly around Mutant Hunter's body.
Noan's eyes widened in shock as he turned toward Vylyss.
At this mont, her body was drenched in blood, especially the areas where her arm had been severed and where one of her wings had been torn from her back.
Vylyss gritted her teeth, her remaining hand glowing with an enigmatic purple light as if desperately trying to hold onto his life force.
Mutant Hunter struggled violently, but the chains were not so easily broken this ti.
"Pfff!" Vylyss coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood, her face deathly pale, yet her eyes still burned with unwavering determination.
Noan knew she was sacrificing her own life to buy him even a few more monts to live.
He tried to stand, but the unbearable pain wracked his body, rendering him incapable of movent.
Keng!
"Ack!" As the chains shattered, Vylyss spat out another mouthful of blood, her eyes filled with unwillingness as she looked toward Noan.
At that mont, ti seed to slow down.
Noan saw Vylyss's lips moving, muttering sothing. He saw Mutant Hunter's claws descending straight toward his head.
He could see everything clearly, yet his body refused to move.
A voice suddenly echoed in his mind in what he thought would be his final mont.
[Do you want to live?]
"Who?" Noan's consciousness asked, "Who just spoke?"
[That is not important. Just answer my question—do you want to live?]
The voice was like a chorus of countless people speaking at once, and it was impossible to distinguish whether it was male or female, young or old.
"Of course!" Noan answered without hesitation. "I want to live. I don't want my life to end like this."
[Very well! Hahahaha…] The voice burst into laughter. [Then, let's make a deal.]
[I will save you, but you must help escape from that place.]
"That place?" Noan asked in confusion, "What place?"
[You will know when the ti cos.]
When those words reached his mind, an overwhelming drowsiness washed over him. His eyelids grew heavy, and soon, his consciousness was swallowed by darkness.
The Abyss Cube suddenly changed form at that very instant, transforming into a massive hand that imdiately seized Mutant Hunter.
GRAOO!!
Mutant Hunter let out a deafening roar, but then—
BAM!
The enormous hand clenched tight, and in an instant, Mutant Hunter's body exploded into a shower of blood, scattering everywhere.
The hand then morphed into a small cube, which landed precisely in Noan's palm.
Monts later, it was reshaped into a bracelet wrapped around his wrist, lying there motionless, as if nothing had ever happened.
The space fell into silence—so silent that the only sounds left were the breaths of Noan and Vylyss.
…
'It hurts…'
'My body feels like it has been shattered into countless pieces.'
Noan jolted awake, realizing that he was standing in a pitch-black space.
Though utterly dark, he could sense a presence moving within the shadows.
An image gradually appeared before him as he struggled to comprehend what was happening.
It was a woman, but only from the waist up—below that, her form fractured like shattered glass, as if she were made of crystal.
Despite only having an upper body, she was massive, towering over a hundred ters high, resembling a skyscraper.
At the center of her chest was a gaping hole, and within it, a swirling black void spun endlessly.
Her arms were bound by strange chains on either side, suspending her in a colossal (Y) shape.
But what stood out the most was her face.
She was breathtakingly beautiful.
So beautiful that Noan found himself unable to breathe.
It was so beautiful that he felt such a thing could not exist in this world—only in myths and legends.
Yet beneath that beauty lay an overwhelming sorrow and pain so profound that Noan felt as if he might weep.
"Who… who are you?" Noan asked.
The woman slowly opened her eyes.
BAM!
When Noan gazed into them, it felt like his mind had been struck by lightning. A sharp pain exploded in his head, his thoughts spiraling into chaos, and his body trembled uncontrollably.
However, the sensation didn't last long. A few seconds later, he began to stabilize.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw that his body was surrounded by a swirling purple mist, as if it were shielding him.
Noan lifted his head and once again looked at the woman. This ti, the previous overwhelming sensation was gone.
The woman's lips moved as if she were trying to say sothing. Noan furrowed his brows, straining to hear, but no sound reached him.
Seeing his confusion, a hint of disappointnt flashed across the woman's face. Then—darkness engulfed everything.
Noan suddenly noticed a distant speck of light in the endless black void.
He ran toward it.
The closer he got, the larger the light beca.
It had grown to the size of a sun in re monts, engulfing him and the entire space in radiant brilliance.
…
Noan slowly opened his eyes, realizing that the light he had been chasing was a ray of sunlight shining directly onto his face.
He took a long breath and sat up, discovering his body no longer ached. Every wound he had sustained had completely healed.
"This…" Noan found it unbelievable. He clearly rembered being beaten to the brink of death by Mutant Hunter. How was he now fully recovered, as if nothing had happened?
"Ah! Vylyss!"
The mont her na flashed through his mind, Noan imdiately looked up and saw her lying in the distance, surrounded by a pool of blood. Without hesitation, he ran toward her.
"Vylyss!" Noan gently lifted her into his arms, cradling her against his lap. "You… you…"
Vylyss slowly opened her eyes. Her face was pale, drained of all color like a severely anemic patient, yet a satisfied smile still adorned her lips.
"Ah! Master, you're safe," she said, her voice weak and breathless.
"Stop talking! I'll find a way to help you," Noan said anxiously.
Even though she was in excruciating pain, Vylyss felt warmth fill her heart at his words.
"Master, don't worry. I only lost an arm and a wing," she said, exhaustion weighing down her voice. "It's just… a pity… that I might be useless to you from now on."
"Master, will you abandon ?"
Noan didn't answer. Instead, he pulled her tightly into his embrace, his heart aching so much that it made breathing hard.
"Master…" Vylyss could no longer hold back her emotions, letting tears stream down her face like flowing rivers.
"Don't even think about escaping from !" Noan frowned, his voice firm.
"Hahaha… Master, you still want to keep even after I've beco like this? You really are a pervert," she teased weakly.
"Shut up!" Noan scolded, but there was no anger in his voice.
[Ding! Congratulations on overcoming the 'Gatekeeper's Trial.' You have received a special treasure chest.]
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