"Do I have to worry about his safety now?"
Black Knight had lost its usual snarky attitude. Even as a motorcycle, its voice clearly conveyed extreme exhaustion.
"That guy should be safer than both of us anyway."
Though speaking casually, Black Knight kept charging forward without flipping over.
Whatever this thing was that could suppress and corrode them so severely, it definitely wasn't good for Lu Ce.
"Someone... seems to be chasing us," Black Knight said weakly.
In its current state, it couldn't even identify who was pursuing them.
"Then you'd better run faster," Xie Antong said.
Black Knight: ?
"Do you think I'm like you humans who can just get pumped up and push beyond limits?"
"Besides, if I go any faster, you'll be the first to collapse."
Xie Antong squinted against the icy sea wind whipping against her face, feeling encased in ice.
With one hand gripping the handlebars and the other clutching the Godslayer Spike, she lacked the energy to banter.
Yet seeing Black Knight like this reassured her - at least it could still keep going.
After another burst forward, Black Knight suddenly announced:
"There's an island ahead. This distance should be enough."
"Trust that guy. At this range, it shouldn't be a problem anymore."
"I'm really at my limit now. I'll drop you off before I crash completely."
As Xie Antong started to protest, Black Knight chuckled:
"Even if you want to gamble with your life, I won't join you."
"If you're determined to die, at least don't do it on my watch. What kind of reputation would that give me?"
"Heh..."
With another acceleration, Black Knight gave its all.
Xie Antong looked up to see a deserted island coming into view - so small it might get mostly submerged during high tide.
But Black Knight truly couldn't continue. It violently skidded onto the beach, black wheels crushing sand and stones, kicking up dust clouds before abruptly decelerating.
The bike flipped.
Xie Antong felt sudden weightlessness beneath her!
Instinctively curling up, she pushed against the ground and rolled to distribute impact, tumbling awkwardly across the sand.
When she finally regained orientation and stood up, Black Knight was nowhere in sight!
Panicking, she searched until spotting a metal ball half-buried in sand.
Picking it up, she tapped experimentally:
"Black Knight? Still alive?"
Black Knight: ......
No response. Sighing, she tossed the ball aside and surveyed her surroundings with the Godslayer Spike in hand.
A true deserted island!
Nothing but endless ocean in every direction.
The biting cold and isolation made her feel abandoned by the world.
Yet leaning on the Godslayer Spike, an odd smile appeared on her face.
"Heh... no people at all..."
The frigid wind and desolation gave her an unexpected sense of freedom - as if she'd never lived so unrestrained before.
Memories of last night surfaced - listening to preparations for her engagement banquet. Now here she stood on a tiny island holding this golden weapon.
Two completely different lives within one night.
Planting the Godslayer Spike beside her, she sat down to watch the increasingly turbulent sea.
She didn't know who was chasing them.
But it didn't matter anymore.
......
A series of explosions rocked the ocean surface as Lu Ce ran across waves in the most attention-grabbing manner possible.
At this distance, the Godslayer Spike's effects had weakened enough for him to stabilize at the brink of self-destruction.
This overload had been dangerously close.
But he couldn't stop mid-ocean. Spotting an island ahead, he pushed forward.
Xie Antong heard distant explosions - was this continuous bombardment?
Standing up, she spotted a figure at the horizon's edge.
Though unclear, the faint green hue was unmistakable. Combined with the commotion, her heart lurched.
Thud!
A powerful foot stomped onto the beach.
In one breath, the towering figure stood before her.
"You?..."
Seeing his condition - clearly overloaded and out of control, covered in blood - Xie Antong froze.
Were those people really that strong? To leave him like this?
The faint green face flickered with violent energy as he approached and raised his hand.
This person's physique seemed frailer than any opponent he'd faced earlier.
Re-entering the Godslayer Spike's range, "Wrath" grew agitated again.
His raised right hand could shred her instantly.
The bloody stench in front of her was so pungent, yet Xie Antong stared at the face that had clearly fused with the skin and didn’t back away.
"Sin..."
"If it's painful... try changing your mask?"
The hand descended violently!
But when it landed on her shoulder, the force - though sinking her feet into sand - felt featherlight compared to Wrath's usual strength.
Then his entire body went limp, collapsing toward her like a corpse.
Startled, Xie Antong mustered all her strength to catch him, arms looping under his to support his weight.
She'd never imagined this body could feel so massive and heavy.
The green glow faded from his face, twisting and shifting toward blue as the overwhelming bloodlust rapidly dissipated.
This place, Wrath's instincts told him, held no hostility.
"Hahahaha! Pain? Don't think I've ever felt that before~" A playful voice emerged from the lowered head.