The advertising screen outside the mall was still filled with static, and now the second and third screens were failing one after another.
The crystal chandelier overhead finally crashed to the ground, sending shards of glass spraying in every direction.
More and more four-legged monsters squeezed through the rift. Their densely packed, jointed limbs crawled over the broken glass, producing a scraping sound that made people’s scalps crawl.
Jiang Ce slammed his black heavy shield into the floor.
He stood like an impassable wall, firmly blocking Jiang Nuan from the monsters.
Jiang Nuan did not retreat. In an enclosed space like this, facing a tide of monsters, Jiang Ce would eventually be worn down if he relied on defense alone.
The ultimate defense had to be paired with absolute slaughter.
The river of energy within her was boiling.
Above her palm, pure energy compressed furiously. A second crescent blade, then a third, took shape in succession.
Several enormous monsters darted in from the left.
Jiang Ce suddenly exerted his strength. The taut muscles of his forearm instantly tightened beneath his combat uniform as he swept the heavy shield sideways.
A tremendous impact rang out.
The two monsters attempting to flank them from the left were sent flying by the terrifying force. Their bodies twisted as they crashed through the wall.
Jiang Nuan swung her crescent blade almost flush against his arm.
The silver edge sliced through the third monster’s carapace. The creature let out a shriek and toppled over.
Between the two of them, there was not even any need for eye contact.
Jiang Ce took the defensive role, using his body and heavy shield to withstand every frontal assault and carve out a clear line of attack for her.
Jiang Nuan took the offensive role, weaving between the shield and the monsters. Each crescent blade harvested the lives of any creature attempting a sneak attack.
It was a tacit understanding that surpassed all words.
They were the kind of partners who could entrust their backs to each other without the slightest hesitation.
That trust was more unbreakable than any words like “brother” or “sister.”
“Roar—!”
A deafening bellow erupted from deep within the rift.
Even the shards of glass on the floor trembled violently under the sound wave.
A mutated elite monster, several times the size of the creatures that had come before, finally forced its way through the spatial rift.
Its carapace was dark red, and the four jointed limbs were lined with barbs that gleamed with a razor-sharp chill.
It locked directly onto the two greatest threats in the area.
Its hind legs suddenly pushed off.
Jiang Ce roared. The veins on his forehead bulged as he thrust his shield forward against the gale of force that seemed capable of tearing the air apart.
The black heavy shield was driven into the side of the monster at an almost unbelievable angle.
“Bang!”
A dull impact rang out.
Jiang Ce’s boots carved two deep furrows into the floor. Not only did he withstand the assault, he used the terrifying momentum to jerk his wrist upward.
The edge of the heavy shield caught firmly in the joint of the monster’s limb.
The monster lost its balance, forcing its upper body to arch backward.
The soft, unprotected abdomen that had always been shielded by its hard carapace was completely exposed.
“Now!” Jiang Ce bellowed from the depths of his throat.
Jiang Nuan moved in perfect sync with his shout.
All the energy within her was drained in an instant. A gigantic crescent blade, twice the size of the ones before it, took shape in her hands.
Gripping the silver radiance with both hands, she brought it down hard upon the monster’s abdomen!
The silver blade pierced through the black carapace.
The monster let out a shrill, mournful cry. Its enormous body convulsed violently in midair before finally crashing to the ground like a heap of mud, utterly motionless.
Jiang Nuan staggered back two steps, drained of strength.
Jiang Ce released his shield as well and exhaled in relief.
The two stood back-to-back amid the wreckage, breathing heavily.
Jiang Ce’s breathing was deep and labored, his chest rising and falling violently.
Even through their clothing, Jiang Nuan could clearly feel the heat radiating from his body after exerting himself so intensely.
He was burning hot.
Yet, strangely enough, it made her feel safe.
“Beautifully done.” Jiang Ce’s voice was filled with barely suppressed exhilaration.
Jiang Nuan wiped the sweat from her brow, unable to keep the corners of her lips from lifting. “You too. Your defense is unbeatable!”
Not far away, Su Yang was crouched behind an overturned barbecue table. He hugged two cups of milk tea that he had moved from the tabletop beneath the table to keep monster blood from splashing onto them.
He stared at the monster remains covering the floor, then at the two people standing back-to-back, as though surrounded by an invisible defensive barrier.
His eyes widened like brass bells.
He sucked in a sharp breath and muttered, “Holy crap…”
“Big sister, big brother, you’re killing me!”
“What kind of god-tier duo is this? I actually thought about getting between them just now? I deserve to die!”
But the crisis was far from over.
The fallen elite monster had only been an appetizer.
The spatial rift began to shake violently once more. This time, it was forcibly torn even wider.
Low growls rose and fell in succession. At least a dozen mutated monsters were struggling at the edge of the rift, trying to pour through.
Jiang Nuan’s breathing faltered for a moment.
The repeated, high-intensity release of her ability had caused a throbbing pain to spread through her temples.
Jiang Ce tightened his grip on the shield and readjusted his stance, once again placing himself between her and the monsters.
At this critical moment—
A tall, slender figure appeared silently in front of the distorted spatial rift.
It was as if he had emerged from thin air.
The man stood ramrod straight, both hands held out before him, his palms facing the warped rift.
Then he brought his hands together.
Jiang Nuan saw only the rift, which even Jiang Ce’s heavy shield had been unable to shake, suddenly look as though it had been seized by an enormous hand.
Then it was erased in an instant.
The monsters still struggling at the edge of the rift did not even have time to scream before the closing space sliced them into nothingness.
Not a single drop of blood remained.
Inside the mall, a monster that had slipped through the net was climbing up the wall, preparing to pounce on the screaming onlookers above.
The man turned his head. He raised his right hand slightly, pointed at the monster suspended in midair, and gently hooked his finger backward.
Time… reversed.
Jiang Nuan’s eyes flew wide.
She watched in disbelief as time around the monster rewound.
The monster moved backward through the air, returning to the position it had occupied two seconds earlier, just as it had begun its leap.
The enormous creature seemed completely unaware of what had happened. Its compound eyes were filled with confusion.
The man raised his hand and chopped downward.
“Bang.”
A muffled sound rang out.
The monster seemed to be sliced apart by countless invisible threads, transforming into a pile of shredded remains.
Instantly killed.
It was an overwhelming power so absolute that it left no room for resistance.
Control over space.
Reversal of time.
Jiang Nuan felt as though her breathing had stopped.
Two legendary abilities had appeared in the same person?
The battle seemed to be over.
Jiang Nuan had just begun to relax when another mutation occurred!
The corpse of the elite monster whose abdomen she had cut open suddenly exploded.
Jiang Ce reacted with lightning speed, immediately pulling Jiang Nuan behind him and shielding her from the blast.
But in the next instant, a pitch-black spatial rift no larger than a palm silently took shape behind Jiang Nuan.
“Big sister, watch out!” Su Yang shouted at the same moment.
It expanded so quickly that it surpassed the limits of human vision.
Like the gaping maw of an abyss ready to devour its prey, it carried enough force to sever anything in its path—and was about to cut Jiang Nuan in half.
Its position was far too cunning.
Jiang Ce was directly in front of her. No matter how fast he was, he could not reach her before the space split open.
Jiang Nuan felt a chill across her back as the cold touch of death spread throughout her body.
“Tap.”
The sound of a footstep, so faint it was almost imperceptible.
The man who had been standing dozens of meters away took only a single step.
He completely disregarded the laws of physical distance, appearing beside Jiang Nuan as if he had stepped through the air itself.
One arm slipped around her shoulders.
He lifted her bodily from the spot, her toes leaving the ground as he carried her several meters to the side.
The wind swept past her ears, carrying with it the faint, clean scent of the man beside her.
At the same time, his other hand turned toward the pitch-black rift behind her, which was expanding at terrifying speed.
His five fingers spread wide.
Then closed.
The instant his palm came together, the rift sealed shut.
His feet touched down.
The arm around her shoulders released her. He even courteously offered a hand beneath her forearm, helping her regain her balance.
“Are you all right?” a low, gentle voice asked from above her.
Jiang Nuan instinctively looked up.
Then she froze.
At last, she saw the face of the man who possessed almost absolute power.
Deep-set brows. A high, straight nose. Thin, hard lips.
That face…
Lu Shiyan?
No.
Although his features were nearly identical, his aura was completely different.
There was none of Lu Shiyan’s usual cold severity in this man’s expression.
Instead, his features held the composure and warmth that came with the passage of years. His gaze was clear and peaceful, carrying even a hint of a senior’s indulgent kindness.
Jiang Ce froze as well.
His lips moved twice, as though he wanted to call out “Captain,” but he forcibly swallowed the word.
They looked too much alike. And yet they were not the same person.
Jiang Ce shielded Jiang Nuan behind his broad back, staring at the unbelievably powerful man before them with both wariness and astonishment.
“Who are you?”
The man did not become angry at Jiang Ce’s defensive posture.
He straightened and first turned his attention to the heavy shield in Jiang Ce’s hands.
“That’s an exceptional defensive ability,” he said gently. “You remained calm in the face of danger, and your timing was flawless.”
Then his gaze passed over Jiang Ce’s broad shoulder and settled on Jiang Nuan. He smiled warmly.
“Your control over your ability is exceptionally rare.”
“That moon blade—condensed without dispersing, decisive the moment you struck.”
“Very impressive.”
He calmly straightened his cuff.
“Forgive me for neglecting to introduce myself. My name is Lu Zhaoming, Captain of the Lighthouse Squad.”
