The Straw of Salvation

Sword Slave's heart raged with fury. Dragonfinch also felt her prestige utterly shattered. Who were they? They were the personal attendants of a Marshal from the era of the Fallen Gods, a millennium ago! Dragonfinch, in particular, was renowned for her reconnaissance skills. Yet, both of them had failed to discern that the Sea King was an imposter… And to add insult to injury, it was a 'filthy creature' they had apprehended that had uncovered the truth!

Twenty-four Water's Embrace Sword Maidens drew their blades, their movements as fluid as dancing silk, swirling gracefully through the air as they descended upon Snoopy!

Xue Ji's heart seized with panic. The individual within the box—could it be Alex? How could she allow him to face such peril!? 'Halt!' Xue Ji flung her arms wide, interposing herself before Sword Slave, and barked a command, forcing the Water's Embrace Sword Maidens to retreat!

Sword Slave's expression darkened ominously. 'Young Miss, what precisely do you think you're doing?'

Du Chen, who had been bracing himself for a desperate struggle, felt a flicker of surprise at her words. Why was Xue Ji so adamantly protecting 'Seins'?

After halting the others, Xue Ji herself froze. Indeed, what justification did she have to protect 'Seins'? Everything Sword Slave and her companions did was for their Master's sake; she ought to be cooperating. Yet… even the merest possibility that Alex was in danger was enough for her to refuse to let him risk his life!

Sword Slave's expression turned even more frigid. 'Xue Ji, do you truly dare to disobey the commands of our divine Lord!?'

'I, I… Master explicitly stated that *I* am in charge of this expedition!' Xue Ji stammered, her face flushing crimson as she struggled for a coherent argument.

Sword Slave's voice turned sharp and cutting. 'Then I hereby revoke your authority to command! Water's Embrace Sword Maidens, what are you still gawking at? Deploy the Water's Embrace Sword Array! Dragonfinch, you and I shall serve as the rearguard!'

Du Chen, observing the scene, chuckled wryly, shaking his head faintly. 'Ah, this foolish girl…' He thought, 'Since I can't escape anyway, there's no need for her to endure such hardship on my account!'

'Margaret's lackeys, spare yourselves the trouble!'

Du Chen let out a resounding laugh. Suddenly, a brilliant golden radiance erupted from the form of Sea King 'Seins'. In its wake, a resplendent Precious Lotus Scripture manifested, swiftly enveloping Snoopy and the Sacred Artifact Box from his grasp, all before the Water's Embrace Sword Maidens could even react. A handsome, golden-haired youth materialized in the sky, his laughter echoing loudly. Then, a swirling tempest of yellow sand abruptly appeared, sweeping across the heavens and utterly dismantling the Water's Embrace Sword Maidens' Combined Assault Formation!

Pfft! More than twenty sword maidens simultaneously clutched their chests as the tempest of yellow sand struck, spewing fresh blood as they plummeted backward!

'Damn it, that's divine-tier power?' Sword Slave, taken aback, bellowed, 'Dragonfinch, I shall maintain the rear formation, you apprehend him!'

The Dragonfinch perched on Xue Ji's shoulder instantly transmuted into a fiery orb, streaking skyward! Meanwhile, Xue Ji remained rooted, staring blankly at Du Chen…

The Precious Lotus Scripture, the swirling sands… these were undeniably Alex's signature techniques and possessions! But the one wielding them was… Yes, it was Francis! They had seen his statue before!

But where was Alex?

Xue Ji's mind abruptly plunged into a fleeting void.

…

Dragonfinch soared towards him. Du Chen had no idea of her Aberrant Beast cultivation level, but the searing heat from her fiery form already singed his hair, emitting a foul odor. He knew this was dire, yet he had no choice but to confront her head-on! Not only was the Sword Slave, ever vigilant in the rear, denying Du Chen any chance of escape, but even if he could somehow flee, could a mere two-legged human outpace a winged Dragonfinch through the boundless sky?

Du Chen fixed his gaze, utterly focused, on Dragonfinch's trajectory. His hands moved in a blur, manifesting one Arcane Artifact after another! A colossal, golden-yellow mountain materialized, planting itself squarely between him and the charging Dragonfinch.

Witnessing the mountain hurtling towards her, Dragonfinch's beak curved into a chilling sneer. Her diminutive body, no larger than a sparrow, abruptly began to spin, the flames along her feathers dancing in a furious maelstrom. In a blink, she transmuted into a scorching, fiery drill! Snoopy, ensconced within the Precious Lotus Scripture, shrieked, 'Grandson, beware! That's Sephilis's Level Twelve Secret Technique, the Fire Dragon Drill!'

Alas, Snoopy's warning came a beat too late. Dragonfinch had already bored into the colossal mountain. In mere moments, the entire peak glowed incandescent red from the infernal flames. With a sudden, explosive burst, Dragonfinch erupted from the mountain, appearing directly before Du Chen. A chilling smirk played on her face as she lunged, drilling straight for Du Chen's heart…

SPLAT!

Dragonfinch recoiled as if she'd slammed into an invisible pane of glass, her ferocious little face comically flattened… Then, the world spun wildly around her as a colossal force rebounded from the unseen barrier, violently flinging her backward with such momentum that she had no chance to evade!

The Water Veil Shield had subtly disassembled, unleashing a mirrored reflection counter-attack!

Yet, Dragonfinch was, by nature, a Level Twelve Aberrant Beast. Though violently repelled, the residual shockwave from her impact still transmitted through the Water Veil Shield and slammed into Du Chen. He felt as if a colossal, thousand-ton hammer had delivered a dull, concussive blow to his chest, the sheer force nearly pulverizing his internal organs. Despite the agonizing pain, he dared not falter. Gritting his teeth, he desperately conjured the Fire Lotus Lantern. Harnessing the Dragonfinch's rebound momentum and the Fire Lotus Lantern's instantaneous burst of energy, he deftly mounted his Lotus Pedestal and soared away, leaving nothing but dust in his wake!

Dragonfinch had actually failed? Sword Slave gasped in astonishment. With a swift motion, she tapped her back, and a massive, axe-like greatsword materialized in her grasp. With a powerful swing, she launched herself in pursuit.

'Sword Slave! Francis is *my* prey!' Dragonfinch, already halted a hundred meters distant, fixed her churning, fiery gaze upon Du Chen's rapidly receding form.

'Damn it all! To be utterly outmaneuvered in such a trivial skirmish—this is an unprecedented humiliation! I, Sephilis, the Level Twelve Dragonfinch, actually repelled by a few bizarre Arcane Artifacts!!!'

'Francis, you shall pay dearly for this loss of my prestige!'

Dragonfinch let out a ferocious, ear-splitting shriek, her wings shuddering as her form rapidly swelled. She ultimately transformed into a colossal, dragon-like avian beast! Then, with powerful beats of her immense wings, she conjured fierce gales and sped in pursuit!

Sword Slave paused, momentarily taken aback, before following suit. However, she could not match Dragonfinch's blistering speed. And Xue Ji…

She remained lost in thought, her mind fixated: *Where is Alex?* Francis and Alex *must* be connected somehow. I… I must get to the bottom of this!

'Grandson, how fares your condition? Can you endure?' Snoopy, peeking out from within the Precious Lotus Scripture, saw Du Chen bleeding from all seven orifices, his face a ghastly, pale gold, and shrieked in alarm! Du Chen, clinging to a thread of life, gasped, 'Silence, old man! I'm not dying yet!' He vigorously shook his head. 'That Level Twelve Secret Technique is far too potent. My internal organs might already be shattered into fragments, and my eyes are so bloodshot I can barely see… Guide me, we must head towards Reno's fleet!'

Snoopy hastily reoriented himself, urgently directing, 'Turn half your body to the left, then fly straight! Keep flinging Sands of the Hourglass behind us without pause!'

By this point, Dragonfinch was barely a hundred meters behind them! Even the relentless succession of phantom mountains Du Chen conjured could no longer significantly impede the furious tempo of her wing beats!

'Quicker, now! That audacious little bird is less than fifty meters behind us!' Snoopy suddenly realized Du Chen's speed was waning, and the frequency of his Sands of the Hourglass attacks had also diminished… 'Grandson,' he chirped nervously, 'should I perhaps reveal my true identity? I'm actually quite acquainted with that Dragonfinch… we could just surrender!'

Du Chen's voice was barely a whisper. 'Are you courting death? Water's Embrace Lake will undoubtedly slay us!'

'But Dragonfinch is now a mere thirty meters behind us!'

Du Chen savagely bit the tip of his tongue, using the searing pain to sharpen his fading resolve. With a renewed burst of energy, his speed surged once more!

'Damn it! Master Grape, couldn't you have bestowed upon me some accelerating Arcane Artifacts!?'

Du Chen had lost count of how many times he'd uttered that particular lament!

Snoopy, resigning himself to despair, closed his eyes. 'Indeed, a two-legged mortal can never outfly a winged beast!' he muttered. 'Francis, Dragonfinch is now just ten meters away…'

'Aow… indeed, I *have* arrived!' Sephilis, her colossal avian head contorted into a malevolent grin, was already hovering directly behind Du Chen. ''Seins' inside the Precious Lotus Scripture, why did you claim such familiarity with me?' Dragonfinch's extraordinarily keen senses had overheard their entire conversation!

'Damn it all, Sephilis! This old bunny-grandpa won't tell you who I am, so choke on your rage!' Apart from his transformative abilities, the utterly powerless Snoopy unleashed a torrent of expletives!

'You even know my name?' Dragonfinch scoffed. 'Very well, if you refuse to speak, then perish!'

A maelstrom of fire engulfed Du Chen… Level Twelve flames!

…

Meanwhile, deep beneath the ocean's surface, the Admiral who had originally been dispatched to stall for time returned. Looking up, he beheld a dazzling kaleidoscope of colors streaking across the sky, hinting at a fierce skirmish. He froze, momentarily bewildered. 'Where are the outpost Generals?' he demanded. 'Report! What chaos unfolds in the heavens?'

'General,' the subordinate General replied, a note of ill-concealed schadenfreude in his voice, 'Sea Emperor Thanes just fled above our territory. Those individuals from Water's Embrace Lake pursued him; it appears they are engaged in a deadly confrontation with the Sea King, yes?'

The Admiral's countenance contorted drastically. 'Damn it all, you're *still* gloating?' he roared internally. 'That 'Sea King' was an impostor, Snoopy and Francis!' He sighed in exasperation. 'Alas, we believed we were buying time here, forging an escape route for you, but why, oh why, did you choose to flee north? Blast it, those accursed women from Water's Embrace Lake were precisely approaching from the north!'

The Admiral's mind rapidly shifted gears. *'Things have reached this point. While Francis is indeed our Little Prince's tutor, it's hardly worth incurring the wrath of Water's Embrace Lake for his sake…'* His eyes narrowed, and the Admiral snarled a menacing threat: 'Listen well, all of you! From this moment forth, I, your Admiral, went to consult with His Majesty the Sea King and have not returned since. I am utterly unaware that the forces of Water's Embrace Lake are attempting to slay the 'Sea King', do you comprehend!?'

*'That way, when the Little Prince eventually investigates, my own culpability might be somewhat diminished, right?'* the Admiral fretted, his mind racing. Suddenly, a faint swell of cheers reached his ears. 'What is it? Where are those shouts coming from?'

'General,' a subordinate reported, 'we've duly noted your instructions! The clamor, sir… it signifies the Miki forces annihilating the last remnants of the Garrison Fleet! The Miki Duchy has successfully reclaimed its sovereignty!'

'Oh!' The Admiral merely nodded, his mind still preoccupied with devising ways to mitigate his own accountability!

High above, the Level Twelve flames had now entirely consumed both Du Chen and Snoopy. Du Chen, shielded by his Arcane Artifacts, fared slightly better, but despite the dual protection of the Water Veil Shield and the Fire Lotus Lantern, Snoopy was already charred beyond recognition.

'Grandson, your old bunny-grandpa will accompany you in death,' the bunny-grandpa mumbled cheerfully, even in his final moments. 'What a pity you aren't a long-eared, three-lipped beauty, though…'

Du Chen cast a glance back at the distant, snow-white figure slowly approaching, and to his own surprise, a relieved smile touched his lips. 'Good,' he mused, 'at least I won't die by *her* hand… Eh?'

A sudden itch flared on his backside. His Divine Sense informed Du Chen that the lotus upon his Fifth Trigram was unfurling at a frenetic pace; in the blink of an eye, the first bloom burst open, swiftly followed by the second, then the third…

*'Has the Great Benevolence of aiding Miki's restoration truly been completed?'*

Du Chen had no time for meticulous thought. With death looming, any unforeseen circumstance, no matter how minor, could prove to be his final, desperate lifeline! He frantically extended his hand, attempting to summon the Arcane Artifact of the Fifth Trigram!

Yet, when his hand brushed the spot, it met only empty air. His gaze swept the surroundings: nothing but the inferno and the distant clouds high above. The Arcane Artifact of the Fifth Trigram seemed to have vanished entirely after its 'blooming'…

'Master Grape, you're not toying with me, are you?' he thought frantically. 'Does the Fifth Trigram also require some mental tribulation or heart-demon trial before its Arcane Artifact can be truly obtained?'

'This old master is about to be burned to a crisp!'