Chapter 336: The Price of Deception
However, the crisis was far from over. Following closely on the heels of the Ethereal swarm came the relentless pursuing mercenaries, backed by several massive, heavily armored combat mechs belonging to the rebel faction. These were Heavy Infiltrators.
These steel behemoths lumbered forward, the ground trembling beneath their immense weight. Their rotary machine gun turrets began to spin, emitting a dangerous, high-pitched whine as the barrels warmed up for a lethal barrage.
"Watch out! We have Heavy Infiltrators on the field!" Wise called out from behind, his voice laced with sharp tension as he analyzed the threat.
"Stay behind me." Miyabi spoke with an eerie, absolute calm. A chilling battle intent rose in her crimson eyes, freezing the very air around her.
Her figure flickered, disappearing like a phantom from her original spot. A fraction of a second later, she materialized directly beside the nearest Heavy Infiltrator.
The blade of Tailless gleamed once more. This time, she abandoned the wide-area clearing strikes she used against the swarm. Instead, her focus narrowed to a single, devastating point, her blade precisely piercing the exposed energy conduits at the mechanical joints of the behemoth.
A harsh screech of rending metal tore through the cavern.
Showers of blinding sparks erupted into the air as one of the Heavy Infiltrator's mechanical legs instantly suffered a catastrophic malfunction, sending the massive machine crashing heavily to its knees.
Miyabi did not pause for even a breath. Using the momentum from her previous strike, she flipped gracefully through the air. Her blade moved like a striking viper, darting flawlessly into the narrow gap of the observation port on a second mech. She wove a deadly dance through the mechanical horde, her crimson silhouette intertwining with the cold, lethal gleam of her sword. Each blinding flash was accompanied by the agonizing shriek of tearing steel and the concussive shockwaves of internal explosions.
The mercenaries fired wildly in a desperate attempt to suppress her, but their bullets only managed to pierce her lingering afterimages, or were effortlessly deflected by the casual swing of her blade.
With Tailless in hand, her true combat effectiveness was fully unleashed. These supposedly formidable enemies appeared entirely vulnerable before her overwhelming martial prowess.
In less than a minute, the chaotic battlefield fell dead silent, leaving behind nothing but smoking mechanical wreckage and a scattering of unconscious mercenaries.
Miyabi sheathed her blade, the motion fluid and perfectly natural. Her crimson eyes swept carefully across the ruined battlefield, confirming the complete neutralization of all threats, before she finally turned to look at Wise, her chest heaving with slight pants.
"It is handled," she said, her tone perfectly level, as if dismantling a squad of heavy mechs was merely a trivial morning exercise.
The two wasted no more time, quickly retreating toward the Hollow exit by strictly following the secure evacuation route Wise had calculated earlier.
The passage ahead was deep and suffocatingly silent, with only the rhythmic, echoing sound of their hurried footsteps breaking the quiet.
After traveling a considerable distance and confirming they were temporarily safe from pursuit, Miyabi slowed her rapid pace, falling into step beside Wise.
She turned her head, her crimson eyes locking earnestly onto his face.
"Wise," she called him directly by his given name, dropping all formal titles and polite distance. "Thank you. And not just for this one instance."
Wise paused his steps for a moment, then offered a warm smile. "You are very welcome, Miyabi. These are all things I should do."
"If you had not helped me sheathe my blade, the consequences of that energy backlash would have been unimaginable. If it were not for you..." She let the sentence trail off, her gaze dropping to the Tailless secured at her waist. Although she did not explicitly mention the emergency reinforcement of the scabbard, her meaning was perfectly conveyed. "I am deeply grateful for your assistance."
Wise looked at her earnest, unguarded expression. His heart stirred slightly, and his tone shifted into something far more sincere. "You really do not need to thank me. We are traveling companions now, and more, comrades who have faced life and death together. Since we are comrades, we must abide by the most basic, fundamental principle..."
His voice was steady, carrying a quiet but obvious power. "Never abandon, never give up."
"Never abandon... never give up..." Miyabi repeated those words softly under her breath, a complex, unreadable glint flashing through her crimson eyes as she processed the weight of the sentiment.
However, as she looked back up, she noticed that after Wise finished speaking, his voice had grown noticeably weaker, and his steady steps began to falter and drag.
"Wise?" Miyabi called out, a flicker of genuine puzzle and concern breaking her stoic facade.
The very next moment, Wise's body swayed violently, and he unexpectedly collapsed toward the side of the cavern wall.
Miyabi was startled. She took a lightning-fast step forward, catching him securely in her arms before his body could hit the cold, hard ground.
His eyes were tightly closed, his face deathly pale, and his breathing dangerously weak. He was clearly in a state of deep unconsciousness.
Or so it appeared. This sudden collapse was not a decision made on a whim, but a highly necessary tactical move executed after careful, rapid consideration.
His companions over at the Cunning Hares, Nicole and Anby, were well aware of the unusual physical weakness he and Belle shared. They simply lacked the constitution to remain inside a Hollow for extended periods without suffering severe ether corruption.
If he not only accompanied Miyabi deep into the Hollow for this long but also personally absorbed the terrifying energy impact of the rampaging Tailless, only to stroll out completely unharmed and full of energy, how on earth could he possibly explain it?
Should he just casually mention that, much like a cliché novel protagonist, he was fortunate enough to receive a magical jade pendant from a retired god named Zhongli, which perfectly resisted all forms of Hollow corruption?
That excuse was far too vague and absurd. Not only would it be incredibly difficult to make anyone believe, but it would also instantly shove him and Belle directly into the blinding spotlight. It would attract unnecessary, and highly dangerous, scrutiny from the various powerful factions operating in the shadows of New Eridu.
Now that Miyabi's scabbard had been urgently reinforced and the safe evacuation route had been clearly mapped out, his role as a Proxy had reached its logical limit for this mission.
At this precise moment, fainting due to excessive ether corruption was the most reasonable, airtight outcome he could manufacture.
It perfectly explained why he was able to hold on until this exact moment by sheer willpower, and it logically shielded him from any potential, highly detailed questioning and medical observation later on. It was the absolute perfect time to execute a golden cicada shedding its shell maneuver.
However, while Wise had carefully planned exactly when to faint, he had utterly failed to anticipate the brutal reality of how he would be carried out.
In his optimistic imagination, at the very worst, he assumed he would be carried gently on someone's back or supported by the shoulder, maintaining a relatively stable and dignified posture.
But reality is often far harsher than fiction, delivering a swift dose of physical torture.
Miyabi quickly checked Wise's vital signs. Although they felt weak, they were stable, indicating he was not in any immediate, life-threatening danger.
There was no time for delays. The evacuation route had already been calculated, and they needed to move.
Without a second of hesitation, Miyabi secured Tailless tightly at her waist. She bent down, skillfully grabbing Wise's arm and hauling it over her shoulder. With a slight, practiced exertion of force, she hoisted Wise, who was significantly taller and heavier than her, directly over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
His soft abdomen slammed violently against Miyabi's firm, combat-hardened shoulder. The instantaneous, brutal impact nearly made him cough out the breath he had painstakingly held in, almost breaking his carefully crafted act on the spot.
And that was merely the beginning. Before he could even finish his internal string of desperate complaints, the true test of endurance began.
Miyabi clearly had zero intention of taking a leisurely stroll. After confirming she had a rock-solid grip on his legs, her own legs, tightly encased in her tactical combat suit, tensed with explosive power.
The next moment, her entire being transformed into a blurring afterimage that the naked eye could barely track. She began to sprint like a hurricane along the safe evacuation path.
Speed. Absolute, extreme speed.
Wise had never in his life experienced the full-speed tactical movement of a Hollow Hunter from this particular, agonizing posture.
It felt exactly like being hit by a speeding truck, with the added caveat that the truck had not bothered to stop and was now dragging him along the highway.
Every single time Miyabi pushed off the ground with her toes, the explosive force brought a violent, upward throwing sensation that rattled his brain.
And with every single landing she made, even though her actual movements were incredibly light and graceful, the kinetic vibrations transmitted directly into his braced abdomen and waist were as clear and devastating as taking a series of fierce elbow strikes from a heavyweight champion.
His internal organs felt completely displaced by this jarring, chaotic ride. His stomach churned violently, and his lower back endured constant, excruciating pressure. He genuinely suspected his spine would simply give up, groan under the immense strain, and snap in half at any given second.
Yet, to avoid exposing his grand deception, he had to force every inch of his screaming muscles to fully relax, playing the part of a truly unconscious, dead-weight body. This meant he absolutely could not make any instinctive curling motions or physical adjustments to alleviate the mounting discomfort.
He could only frantically count the seconds in his mind, praying to whatever gods were listening for this torturous speed trip to end quickly. At the same time, he deeply, deeply regretted choosing such a physically damaging method to go offline.
This was simply the painful, agonizing price one had to pay for absolute realism.
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