Chapter 106: A Temporary Substitute Battlefield

Faced with the shadow attack erupting from the girl-god's shadow, Wang Mingyue decisively abandoned her offensive and vanished from her spot. The shadow pierced through the air, returning empty-handed to the girl-god's shadow once more.

"Go to hell? Heh, I have no intention of joining a monster like you." Amidst the explosive flames, Hua Ze charged out, his giant flaming sword swinging with ferocious momentum toward the girl-god.

"Boom." The girl-god crossed her mantis-like forelimbs before her, blocking Hua Ze’s greatsword. The fine, lingering flames scattered from the blade caused her no real trouble, as her crystal armor protected her body perfectly. "That is not for you to decide." She raised a thick, powerful right leg and kicked toward Hua Ze.

Pressing down with both hands, Hua Ze used the force of her counter-attack to retreat, nimbly dodging her leg and landing in front of Zhuang Xiaoyuan. "Well done. Leave this to us; go and check on Yu Tong and Wen Hui."

"...Understood." Lifting her head to glance at Hua Ze’s back, then sweeping a gaze toward the charging girl-god, Zhuang Xiaoyuan knew—having tried several times already—that her own attacks could not affect the enemy. She turned and flew toward where Man Yutong and Wen Hui were. Behind her, the three strongest members of the Guardian Squad began their clash with the girl-god, whose strength already surpassed that of an Earth-Breaker level demon.

"Senior Yu Tong, are you alright?" Zhuang Xiaoyuan reached the nearest site where Man Yutong had fallen. Seeing the wounds covering her body, Zhuang Xiaoyuan was at a loss for where to begin. She could only inquire while scanning for any unscathed areas before reaching out to help her up.

"Cough, cough. Barely alive. I’ll be fine for now; go check on Wen Hui." Supported by Zhuang Xiaoyuan, Man Yutong leaned against the side of a half-meter-deep crater, her eyes fixed on the battle between the Guardians and the god. She waved a weary hand, urging Zhuang Xiaoyuan to go.

"All right, I’ll go find her. Wait here, Senior Yu Tong; I’ll be back soon." Satisfied that Man Yutong’s injuries would not worsen for the moment, Zhuang Xiaoyuan flew toward where Wen Hui had been buried.

"Xiao Hui? Xiao Hui, where are you? Xiao Hui!" Landing beside the collapsed restaurant, Zhuang Xiaoyuan began to dig through the rubble, calling out as she searched. The physical constitution of a Divine Armor Warrior far exceeded that of a normal human, and Wen Hui had been in a state of full-power Divine Descent transformation. Although she had been struck by the girl-god, the distance she had been sent flying suggested the kinetic energy of that strike had mostly dissipated. A pile of rocks shouldn't have caused her serious harm.

"Here! Over here, Xiaoyuan, come help!" A muffled voice reached her ears. Hearing the cry for help, Zhuang Xiaoyuan dropped the stones in her hands and sprinted toward the source.

"Pfft." Seeing Wen Hui’s current state, Zhuang Xiaoyuan couldn't help but burst into laughter. Although the sacrifice of her comrades still cast a shadow over her heart, the hours of weeping during the icy storm had purged some of her sorrow, and reuniting with Wen Hui had brought her a sense of calm. Seeing Wen Hui now, she finally wore a smile she hadn't shown in a long time.

Wen Hui was buried in the rubble in a "planted onion" position—her head and torso completely hidden, with only her legs exposed and flailing about in the debris.

"Don't laugh! You're still laughing? Hurry up and pull me out!" Hearing the laughter, Wen Hui knew exactly how ridiculous she looked, and she shouted in exasperation.

"Alright, alright, I'm pulling you out—pfft." Zhuang Xiaoyuan stepped forward, grabbed Wen Hui’s flailing legs, and pulled back with effort. Though her current transformation form was petite and seemed delicate, her strength was actually superhuman. With one tug, she pulled Wen Hui free. "Pfft... huff, ha, hahaha!"

Seeing the Wen Hui she had just pulled out, Zhuang Xiaoyuan went from a stifled giggle to uncontrollable laughter. Wen Hui’s face and upper body were still hidden; she had been shoved headfirst into a crushed oil drum, which explained why her voice had been so muffled.

"Ah! I said stop laughing!" With the pressure of the stones gone, Wen Hui scrambled out of the drum and looked up to see Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s smiling face. While she was glad to see her friend emerging from her grief, she wished it weren't at the expense of her own dignity. She didn't want to be the punchline of Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s jokes for the foreseeable future.

"Okay, I won't laugh—pfft. Let's go to Senior Yu Tong's place. Hah." Despite her words, a smile still lingered on Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s face.

"Hmph, I'm ignoring you." Blushing from the embarrassment, Wen Hui turned away and marched off ahead.

"Ignoring me? Xiao Hui, don't think you can just brush this off. I haven't settled the score for what happened earlier yet." Catching up to her, Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s expression turned serious as she began to question her.

"Oh! Senior Yu Tong, are you okay?" Hearing the interrogation, Wen Hui ducked her head, her eyes lighting up as she spotted Man Yutong. She sped up to reach her, feigning concern. While she was indeed worried about Man Yutong, it was also a convenient way to escape Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s questions.

"Hmph. Trying to deflect again." With a dissatisfied huff, Zhuang Xiaoyuan walked over to Man Yutong, temporarily letting Wen Hui off the hook. "Senior Yu Tong, how is the battle going?"

"Cough. I'm afraid it’s not looking very optimistic." Keeping her eyes fixed on the fierce battlefield in the distance, Man Yutong answered without turning back.

"This is... what is going on? Why is she able to absorb our attacks?" Zhuang Xiaoyuan noticed that in the distance, Wang Mingyue’s sudden strike had left a wound on the girl-god. The crimson light erupting from the wound should have been Wang Mingyue’s special skill, *Fatal Execution*—a finishing move that allowed her to channel her divine power into an enemy’s vitals through any wound.

However, after a momentary flare, the crimson divine power suddenly shrank, eventually being absorbed into the girl-god’s armor, which then repaired the crystal plating that had been shattered.

"That must be a Tier Suppression. I fear it is a special ability granted to her by that crystal armor," Man Yutong explained in a low voice. As a senior who had joined the Guardian Squad a year earlier, Man Yutong had delayed her arrival at the Divine Armor Academy for personal reasons, but she had studied much of the knowledge every Divine Armor Warrior should possess alongside Hua Jing and the others. Tier Suppression was something she had learned during those studies.