Fang Wen gripped his spear tightly as more than a dozen Ethereals gradually emerged from the mist ahead.
The moment they stepped into his sensory range, Fang Wen counted thirteen enemies.
Twelve of them were hunched, humanoid lower-tier Ethereals called Tyrlfings, while one was a far sturdier upper-tier Goblin, swinging fists as large as human heads.
This classification only roughly reflected the threat posed by an Ethereal. The actual system used by the Hollow Investigation Association was much more complicated, with a full ten threat levels.
The moment the group of Ethereals spotted them, they let out roars and charged.
Anby and Nekomata exchanged a glance, then rushed forward as well.
They had to protect the Proxy.
And for them, a number like this was not too much of a problem. As long as it was not dozens rushing them at once—or a constant tide of new Ethereals—Billy's twin guns could handle it easily.
Though what he would later report to Nicole as ammunition expenses was another story.
Fang Wen sharply noticed that the Ethereal species registered by the Hollow Investigation Association as Tyrlfings all shared similar traits: their left arms were twisted into etherized blades, while their right arms looked shriveled, causing them to stagger when they walked.
But when they spotted the group, the sudden burst of speed they showed still made Fang Wen jump.
It was like those newspaper zombies in Plants vs. Zombies after someone tore up their paper—instantly enraged and absurdly fired up.
Fang Wen's eyes narrowed.
If one of those things landed a slash on him, he was in for a world of pain.
"The Proxy and the others are in your hands too, Billy."
"Oh~ it's showtime!!"
With the flair of a Wild West gunslinger, Billy drew a pair of revolvers about a palm and a half in length from his waist, spinning them several times over his fingers with dazzling dexterity.
His presence changed in an instant. Even Fang Wen, who had been holding his spear and watching the surroundings, could not help turning to look at him.
Gone was the usual clownish air. What remained was only coldness and iron resolve.
Dangerous. Billy was dangerous right now.
The hairs on Fang Wen's arms stood on end.
Before this, within the range of his senses, Anby had seemed the strongest member of Cunning Hares, with the sturdiest aura as well.
Billy, on the other hand, had practically no aura at all. If Fang Wen had to name anything, it would only have been the smell of machine oil from his joints.
Fang Wen had originally assumed that this robot was just another Agent piled up with firepower modules. But now, in his eyes, murderous intent exploded from Billy's body like a pillar soaring thirty feet into the air, instantly overshadowing Anby and Nekomata, who were weaving through the battle ahead.
"Starlight Knight, full firepower!"
Billy shouted the absurdly chuuni line without the slightest embarrassment.
The twin guns in his hands opened fire at a speed Fang Wen had never seen before.
Brass casings flew from both sides of the guns in bright yellow arcs, while Billy's smooth, practiced motions reloaded them from his waist in a blink.
Fang Wen could not even see where the new rounds came from before the gunshots rang out again beside his ears.
Wherever the muzzles pointed, the Tyrlfings still charging forward with their blade-arms had their ether cores in their heads smashed apart without the slightest chance to resist.
With a sweeping barrage from both guns, the first wave of Tyrlfings was cut down like brittle straw dummies, collapsing to the ground and dissolving into drifting ether.
As shell casings continued to scatter across the floor, the number of Tyrlfings shrank at a terrifying rate. In less than ten seconds, the Ethereal pack that had just surged toward them was reduced to a single Goblin, left roaring all by itself.
It probably had not even figured out where all its underlings had gone in such a short time.
What the hell?
Watching the battlefield as a whole, Fang Wen could not help sucking in a breath.
So this was Billy's real strength?
Damn, that was insane. Brother, is your idol Starlight Knight even as strong as you are?
"There's only one Goblin left. Billy, Nekomata—same old routine."
"Meow~"
Nekomata answered, then dropped into a crouch. Supporting herself on all fours with her petite frame, she arched her back and launched like a spring, darting onto the Goblin's body despite it being twice her height.
Her sharp claws dug into the Goblin like hooked anchors, and she began streaking all over its body, ripping open wounds several inches deep whenever she passed.
The Goblin roared in fury, but with its massive hammer-like fists, it had no chance of catching the agile Nekomata. All it could do was swing wildly and pray that one of those blind strikes might somehow hit.
But for a thick-skinned Ethereal, those wounds would gradually heal inside a Hollow. That meant the real finishers here were still Anby and Billy, the ones capable of striking directly at the ether core.
While Nekomata distracted it, Anby also drew her blade and charged.
Earlier, Fang Wen had not had much chance to observe Anby's fighting style. His attention had been completely captured by Billy beside him. Now, finally, he could properly watch this monster-strength beauty in action.
As she advanced, Anby sheathed her sword. Then, the instant she closed to striking range, she drew again—and her blade was already crackling with arcs of electricity.
"Hah."
With one slash, the Goblin's proud defense was torn open as though it were paper before the violent current.
Then came several quick, unadorned follow-up cuts—but with almost no interval between them.
Each strike bit deep into flesh, though they still did not seriously cripple the Goblin.
But within that tiny span of time, azure lightning spread all over its body, forcing even the agile Nekomata to leap off.
The Goblin instantly began moving like something with faulty gears, far more sluggish and stiff than before.
And that was when Billy, who had been charging up all this time, moved in to finish it.
Fang Wen was impressed by how well the three of them coordinated, but a sudden warning from his sensory clarity made him whip his head around.
From deep in the dense fog behind the battlefield, two more Tyrlfings had appeared and were charging straight at Fang Wen and Belle.
Calling Anby and the others back now was obviously impossible.
Besides, the roaring Goblin was already about to shake off the paralysis from the electrical current.
Billy's dual guns were also right on the verge of completing their charge.
They could certainly repeat the sequence, but they had explored less than one-tenth of the entire tower. No one knew what other dangers might be waiting deeper inside.
As the Tyrlfings rushed close, Fang Wen's body moved before his mind could catch up.
"You guys focus on the Goblin. Leave these two to me!"
With a shout, Fang Wen swung his spear and charged.
What he felt was not fear at suddenly facing danger, but excitement.
So far he had been stuck watching Anby and the others put on a show without ever getting a chance to join in.
The two Tyrlfings lunged at him almost simultaneously. Fang Wen had no chance to isolate one, so he raised his spear to defend first.
Clang! Clang!
The two metallic impacts came almost at the same time.
A violent shock ran through his hands, and Fang Wen nearly lost his grip on the spear.
What the hell? Weren't Tyrlfings supposed to be trash mobs?
Why were they this strong?
He planted his feet, shoved forward with force, and drove both Tyrlfings back two staggering steps.
"Need help, Proxy?" Anby asked while still controlling the stunned Goblin, splitting off just enough focus to call out.
"Thanks, but I can handle it."
He was not just showing off. He had simply underestimated them after watching Billy mow through enemies like vegetables.
Once he reset his stance, Fang Wen's gaze changed.
The two Tyrlfings, their balance broken, jabbed their left-arm blades awkwardly into the ground, trying to steady themselves.
Naturally, Fang Wen was not about to waste such a perfect opening. He drove off the floor and surged forward with unstoppable momentum.
In his eyes, the two Tyrlfings seemed to have fallen into slow motion.
Fang Wen did not even realize something was off. At that moment, his mind held only one thought:
How do I kill both of them in one go without wasting any unnecessary effort?
Qingyi's instruction still seemed to echo by his ear. Fang Wen took a deep breath, then stepped forward again.
Like a mounted general barring the way!
The spear, swung in a full arc, cut cleanly across the torsos of both Tyrlfings.
By the time he exhaled, their upper and lower bodies had already separated.
He was not particularly satisfied, because what he had wanted was a single decisive kill.
He stepped forward and coldly used the tip of his spear to shatter both ether cores. Then the weapon spun twice in his hand before he drove it straight into the ground, denting the floor.
At the same time, Anby's team also ended their fight. The Goblin, its ether core shattered by Billy's charged finishing shot, collapsed with a heavy thud.
The dense slashes and claw marks covering its body spoke clearly of just how tenacious its life force had been.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! What was that move? So cool!"
Billy had somehow already holstered his guns and run over to Fang Wen, staring at him in astonishment.
"Cut it out, Billy."
Anby stopped the excitable robot, then gave Fang Wen a long, measured look.
She had initially assumed Fang Wen was only a Proxy with slightly above-average physical ability.
But the moment he swung that spear, she realized she had been wrong.
He was a warrior worthy of respect.
Even if he was still weak for now.
-------
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