The second wave of the mechanical officers' joint offensive arrived.
Akabane Tsubaki had just raised her hand to block the youth's attack when a knee kick struck her abdomen, making her stomach churn and her vision swim with stars.
Before she could counter, she was hit by a series of heavy punches.
Each punch carried enough force to shatter her bones, yet she couldn't even see who was hitting her; perhaps all four were.
Someone pushed down on Akabane Tsubaki's shoulders, forcing her to stumble back as she desperately fired Incineration Cannon shots that were all dodged, leaving charred marks on the walls.
She tried to straighten her body, but her shoulders were pinned by two officers together.
A punch caught her in the chest and sent her flying, and she rolled several times on the ground before stopping.
Her body felt as if it were falling apart, and the intense pain almost instantly scattered her consciousness.
She tried to crawl up from the ground, but her limbs were limp and refused to obey her.
It hurts... everything hurts.... Akabane Tsubaki finally experienced the feeling of being overwhelmed by numbers, the classic sense of a master defeated by a chaotic flurry of blows.
Although she wasn't exactly a master, four against one was simply cheating.
They should have the guts to fight her one-on-one.
No, wait, why was she thinking about this now?
Expecting the electronic brains of these mechanical officers to follow martial ethics and face her in a fair duel... speaking of which, tofu pudding really has to be sweet to be delicious.
When she realized she was thinking about nonsense at a time like this, Akabane Tsubaki knew she was finished.
The Hyper-Flow state caused her thoughts to wander uncontrollably, making her feel light-headed.
The moment she tried to focus, a piercing pain would stab into her, making it impossible to think clearly.
Akabane Tsubaki shook her head, mobilizing all her mental energy to overcome the pain and chaos as she struggled to her feet and let out a cold sneer.
"Did you think you were the only ones with a second phase?"
While the four mechanical officers watched her with grim expressions, staring at her and waiting to see her final trump card, she took advantage of their wariness to crush several interference bombs.
Electronic mist quickly spread through the entire carriage, with electric arcs flashing in the air from time to time.
That's right, they were the only ones who had it.
Taking advantage of the interference bombs stalling the mechanical officers, Akabane Tsubaki turned and fled to the next carriage.
Heavy footsteps echoed as Akabane Tsubaki's body swayed, her consciousness drifting in the corridor where lights flickered, threatening to slip away at any moment.
Even though she had deactivated Hyper-Flow, the wounds all over her body still made her hiss in pain from time to time.
Her health was also in the red, with only 47 points remaining.
Perhaps a stray attack from anywhere could wipe out her account level.
As the hormone levels in this body dropped, a series of negative effects began to manifest.
Her legs felt as heavy as lead, and the floor ahead suddenly turned into a quagmire; with every step, her legs sank, making progress increasingly difficult.
The cold voices of the passengers around her buzzed in her ears, and their expressions turned into mocking, ghostly faces while black hands reached out from the mud, grabbing her waist to drag her down completely.
Akabane Tsubaki turned back, exhausted, and threw the last of her interference bombs at the four pursuing mechanical officers.
When she tried to raise her Incineration Cannon, she caught a glimpse of two children's faces, shrunken and terrified.
She instinctively lowered the muzzle, and when she tried to raise it again, her heavy body would no longer obey.
She fell, as if plunging into a bottomless dark abyss.
Intense numbness flooded her consciousness, and the loneliness and cold of the abyss made her stop trying to think, wanting only to close her eyes and sleep.
In her memories, there was always a warm morning light and a gentle voice whispering in her ear.
Whenever she was unhappy, she just needed to sleep.
When she woke up, everything would be full of sunshine.
Since leaving that hell, this was the first time Angelina felt such powerlessness.
There were four people in the team: three were at critical health and unconscious, and the train was still two minutes from the station.
Jason, like a nightmare, was still hot on their heels, possessing seemingly endless stamina.
Angelina's health wasn't in the red, but her stamina was nearly depleted after maintaining high-speed movement.
Moreover, she had to carry Xu Xiaoyou, who had claimed she would wake up in thirty or forty seconds, but nearly three minutes had passed without a sign of her regaining consciousness.
Angelina wasn't as smart as her teammate; she couldn't calculate the cooldown of the enemy's Blood Savage Charge.
She had dodged all those waves entirely through instinct.
Even the slightest deviation would have been fatal for the team; in the end, didn't they still have to rely on her instincts?
Proud as she was, Angelina couldn't see a single spark of hope for victory.
She couldn't imagine how they could win this game with two teammates unconscious and separated from the group and their commander out of commission.
Even if they successfully held out until the next station, could they turn things around in those brief ten minutes?
Even if she and Xu Xiaoyou restored their status to full, then what?
Their team's total score had dropped to 163, which was practically the same as having nothing left.
At the next station, four more mechanical officers would board, and the Label Catcher's behavioral restrictions would be completely lifted.
After being placed on Hera's highest wanted level, their score would plummet like a rocket even if they did nothing but run for their lives.
Although she was still slightly faster than Jason now, it was only because his actions were still being restricted by Hera.
Once the train to the Skyline terminal departed, the fully authorized Jason could tear them apart instantly.
Four grade 3 fixers couldn't even serve as a snack for a grade 5, let alone one empowered as a Label Catcher.
Besides, Jason wouldn't even need to lift a finger; the eight mechanical officers could turn them into a sieve in an instant.
Just then, a powerful whistling sound of wind came from behind.
In a flash, a giant hook-shaped blood-red crystal anchor pierced through Angelina's chest.
Blood surged out like waves when an iron anchor hits the sea, only to be rapidly absorbed by the crystals on the anchor.
Angelina spat out blood as the effect of Desiring the Heart of a Knight triggered.
The instant-death effect was negated, her health was preserved at the minimum, her crystals shattered, and all negative effects were cleared.
Now it was perfect.
All four people in the team had their health in the red, totaling less than two hundred points together.
If literally anyone came by and landed another blow, their league journey would be over and they could say goodbye to the Sovereign Key.
Angelina actually wanted to see what kind of desperate expression Xu Xiaoyou, that money-grubber, would make upon learning the Sovereign Key had grown wings and flown away.
There were very few objects in the world more valuable than an Oasis Sovereign Key.
Angelina moved rapidly, weaving through the flying storm of crystals with extreme danger, but she failed to notice Jason's legs tensing for a leap.
By the time her instincts screamed another warning, it was too late.
Jason launched his fifth Blood Savage Charge, his body surging like a wild beast as his speed accelerated further and further, tearing through everything in his path as he transformed into a violent red shadow charging toward her.
Instinct couldn't help her forever.
She couldn't dodge in time.
Alarm bells rang wildly in Angelina's mind.
Suddenly, a brilliant golden light erupted from her body.
At the critical moment, the figure of a black-haired girl appeared out of thin air in front of her.
With a determined look, she shouted and swung a heavy hammer, blocking the lethal attack for her and Xu Xiaoyou.
Angelina's eyes widened as she recognized the effect of Paladin's Protection, which allowed the user to select an ally to shield and teleport to—one of the most critical class skills for a paladin.
The price for blocking the attack was that after her health bar was emptied, Bai Youyou's figure began to dissipate....
No, she wasn't dissipating!
Accompanied by the high-pitched, ancient cry of a bird, Bai Youyou exploded with fiery red flames.
Crossing rings of fire rippled outward, and her ethereal figure solidified instantly, her status returning to its peak.
This effect was— "The Phoenix Shield Badge!"
In the official broadcast room, Ince shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Player Bai Youyou is equipped with a Phoenix Shield Badge!!"
Rate on N.U.
