novelraw Chapter 352: The Forbidden Power; Unexpected Reinforcements!
Chapter 352: The Forbidden Power; Unexpected Reinforcements!
Crack! Crack!
The layers of bulletproof glass might as well have been paper before the Black Knight. With the chaos unfolding below, hardly anyone paid attention to this area.
The shockwaves from explosions outside frequently shattered windows anyway—what did a few more broken panes matter?
The Black Knight began systematically searching floor by floor, scanning walls and structures for possible hidden chambers or secret rooms.
"Tch... Where did she go? Wait, that woman should be here, right?"
"What a pain. Don't tell me she got kidnapped? Hmm... It's an engagement party after all—probably just under house arrest at worst."
"Fuck me, there are so many damn rooms! Where am I supposed to look?!"
Even without anyone to converse with, the Black Knight maintained its grumbling demeanor.
After an extended fruitless search, it decided to check the most central rooms on each floor first.
Upon reaching the top floor and stepping inside, it immediately spotted someone."Tch... Miscalculation! Should've searched from the top down!" The Black Knight instantly facepalmed, feeling utterly burdened by its own incompetence.
The metal sphere suddenly expanded rapidly in the wind, transforming into a black motorcycle within the room.
"Hey hey hey, surprise! That guy sent me."
"He would never give such explicit orders. You came on your own." Xie Antong stated calmly, her gaze fixed on the empty space before her. Without hesitation, she injected herself with something the moment the Black Knight appeared.
"With that attitude, no wonder tsundere types never get laid," the Black Knight teased without denying the accusation.
"What nonsense are you..."
Xie Antong had already changed clothes by now.
The high heels were long discarded—she now wore reinforced hiking boots with flat soles.
The evening gown and skirt lay discarded nearby. She currently wore a bulletproof vest lining and special ops combat gear.
She knew such protection meant little against Players, barely able to stop pistol rounds at best, but something was better than nothing.
Moreover, these clothes allowed far greater mobility.
"I expected you earlier."
"But this will do. Let's go."
Black Knight: ?
If it had facial expressions, its eyebrows would've shot up in surprise.
Its greatest fear coming here had been this woman spouting nonsense about "the bigger picture" and stubbornly refusing to leave—that would've been a real headache.
To its relief, she seemed fully prepared and showed no hesitation...
"Alright then. But ma'am, your helmet...?"
Xie Antong's current appearance differed completely from her in-game avatar.
The half-face-concealing helmet was nowhere to be seen, her entire face exposed without even a mask for cover.
Her slightly pale face showed the drug-induced calm of dead fish eyes, emotions frozen at absolute zero.
Her long black hair flowed freely behind her—a stark contrast to her usual helmeted appearance, as if she were a different person.
"Didn't bring it." Xie Antong said curtly. "No guarantee it would remain mine if extracted from the game."
She then gave a bitter laugh, observing the chaotic battle below through the window before addressing the Black Knight:
"I wondered why I had so much freedom with no one monitoring me."
"Seems today's key figure isn't me after all."
"After being away from home so long... I never imagined it would become like this..."
The Black Knight executed a screeching turn, roaring up beside her.
"No time to explain! Get on!"
Xie Antong vaulted onto the bike with one hand on the handlebars. Liquid metal flowed with her movement, reshaping into an external protective shell.
She wasn't Lu Ce after all—her physical constitution couldn't handle riding the Black Knight unprotected.
"Hmm... Let me think." Just as the Black Knight pondered their next destination, Xie Antong spoke up from behind.
"Follow my directions!"
"Huh?" The Black Knight froze—it hadn't anticipated this. Her giving orders?
She actually had a plan?
"After he dared come here despite everything... I can't be that ungrateful."
"I don't have the All-Seeing Eye—my memory might not be perfect, but it should suffice. Just follow my lead."
"What exactly are you planning?" The Black Knight asked, thoroughly confused.
"I know one of their trump cards! If 'Sin' could possibly lose, this might be their confidence—something called the Forbidden Power."
Black Knight: ?
"Holy shit!"
"No way? That's so considerate."
"Truly a case of 'the daughter's heart belongs to another'—already switching sides..."
"This place... Something's off! Too many unfamiliar faces!" Xie Antong frowned before slapping the bike's headlight housing.
"Stop dawdling! Move!"
"Right, right."
On the skyscraper's rooftop, engine thunder erupted as a black beast charged straight at the wall with terrifying roar!
BOOM!
The devastating impact created an explosive shockwave, instantly demolishing the wall. Though protected within the metal shell, Xie Antong still instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.
She wasn't quite accustomed to such raw displays of violent aesthetics.
And she had one burning question—why couldn't they just crash through a window?!
......
Outside, tensions had reached their peak amidst the raging battle.
The Heaven and Earth Society members fought with wild abandon like war maniacs, focused solely on combat without deeper consideration.
But the Illuminati forces fought far more cautiously.
After all, the current situation differed drastically from their expectations.
China's Dragon Group proved utterly unreasonable—they showed no intention of intervening, as if merely spectating.
As the fighting escalated and objectives shifted, warships began docking along the coast, disembarking numerous personnel!
Even that black-robed figure with golden patterns came ashore!
This wasn't right!
The situation made them suspect the Heaven and Earth Society might be Dragon Group's external black ops unit.
At that moment, an explosive boom echoed from above.
Xie Antong astride the Black Knight burst through the building's wall, capturing everyone's attention.
Without her helmet, she bore little resemblance to the familiar "Blank" persona.
Not that she cared anymore—under these circumstances, hiding her identity became pointless. Besides, her disguise had never been as thorough as Lu Ce's.
Though no one recognized her bare face, the sight of a girl riding a flying motorcycle immediately conjured one thought in every witness' mind:
—That must be the female lead!
The one who compelled the world's strongest Player to defy all odds and come alone!
The Illuminati members initially seemed confused by the sudden aerial appearance, but soon realized who it was.
Their leader's eyes widened momentarily before glancing at "Sin," instantly formulating a plan.
Of course! How could he have forgotten!
Though merely bait, this person's effectiveness proved substantial!
Wasn't this an opportunity?
"Stop her!"
After bellowing the order, he quickly fabricated justification:
"How dare you attempt kidnapping during our young lady's engagement banquet!"
"Quite unscrupulous for the so-called 'strongest Player,' don't you think?"
His ability to twist facts shone brilliantly in this moment.
Since the Black Knight was Lu Ce's signature mount, the accusation held superficial plausibility.
As he raised his hand toward the airborne duo, his movements suddenly slowed drastically—a black hand gripped his wrist.
"Elder, your strength is formidable."
"Isn't distracting yourself during battle rather inappropriate?"
Perfect Life smiled, but everyone present recognized him as a smiling tiger these past few minutes.
The cheerful expression never hindered his lethal intent!
While the black hand restrained, his white hand formed a fist below, channeling his full power into a devastating abdominal strike!
THUD!
The muffled impact resonated like a drumbeat, white light rippling outward like spilled milk at visible speeds.
"Cough!"
The Illuminati member hacked up blood.
Though previously dominating Perfect Life in combat, this momentary lapse resulted in serious injury!
Horrified, he saw Perfect Life immediately press the advantage, already winding up for a second strike.
Forced to focus on the immediate threat, he temporarily abandoned intercepting Xie Antong.
However, the Illuminati had numbers.
A spear materialized midair with thunderous momentum, thrusting toward its target—the same technique previously used against Lu Ce!
While it had merely grazed Lu Ce, few could withstand this strike head-on!
The Black Knight twisted violently midair, barely deflecting the shaft—only for a figure to materialize behind it!
A black right hand emerged from robe sleeves, gripping the spear shaft—its owner appeared to be African-American.
His expression suddenly changed as he assumed a defensive posture—just as the unmistakable roar of Hell's Roar erupted before him.
The man's pupils contracted—a figure already stood before him.
Instinctively thrusting, his spear was caught single-handedly before an axe came swinging at his neck!
He released the weapon and retreated without hesitation—anything less would mean death.
That this killing star could instantly disengage from all ground opponents to appear here...
Truly terrifying.
Yet paradoxically, a conspiratorial smile crept across his face.
"Heh, seems you care deeply about her."
"Not as flawless as rumored, this so-called 'Sin'..."
"Oh?" The enraged mask contorted grotesquely. "I care about her immensely!"
He declared this loudly without attempting concealment.
The words simultaneously reached Xie Antong and the Black Knight's ears, making both shudder involuntarily.
Why did that sound so wrong...
The Black Knight recalled his earlier statement: "Then let's go kill her."
Though unaware of this, Xie Antong sensed nothing good in those words—were this not Lu Ce, she'd be fleeing already!
But the Illuminati misinterpreted, believing they'd found the man's weakness—
A means to control him!
The black war machine finally landed, its powerful suspension absorbing the impact before immediately accelerating forward!
After all, the War Path demanded extreme physical prowess from its rider—a requirement Xie Antong simply couldn't meet.
The black motorcycle plowed violently through combatants, following Xie Antong's navigation toward the sea!
"You're not planning to drown us, are you?"
"Shut up and drive!" Xie Antong snapped.
More assailants kept closing in from all sides, launching powerful attacks against this "critical weak point" vehicle.
But most were new Illuminati recruits rather than veteran Players—hardly capable of breaching the Black Knight's defenses.
Just then, a blazing figure plummeted from the sky, landing directly before the Black Knight!
The Sun's descent instantly put the Black Knight on high alert—it knew full well it couldn't overcome the Sun's strength...
Yet soon realized the Sun wasn't blocking their path—instead firing a searing projectile that barely missed Xie Antong's head!
The blast struck a completely concealed, invisible assailant midair, sending them flying.
Xie Antong: ?
Black Knight: ?
Both were stunned—never in their wildest dreams did they expect the Sun to assist them!
Of all possible allies, the Sun ranked absolute last!
"Just get the hell out already!" The Sun waved impatiently.
He then muttered under his breath: "Damn Love God's Chosen side effects..."
"Whatever, consider this repayment. Weakness for women... pathetic."
Having absorbed the most Love God's Chosen divine energy last time, he suffered from "indigestion."
The backlash required him to gradually fulfill certain conditions to fully digest the power.
While romance proved impossible, playing pure love warrior bodyguard sufficed.
Several consecutive fireballs battered the invisible attacker into retreat.
He then shouted to the Heaven and Earth Society fighters:
"Let them through! Stop being obstacles!"
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