Arknights: The Cycle of Light and Darkness

"Do you really expect them to win against me?"

Revy, who had appeared at some unknown point in a corner of the battlefield, raised an Originium Arts shield around his body, blocking several flying knives and bullets aimed at him. The blades carried a corrosion toxin that ate at armor, while the bullets were inscribed with runes that weakened Originium Arts, making defense somewhat difficult.

He raised "Purgatory" in his hand and fired a shot. A beam as thick as an arm easily pierced through a shield-bearer's greatshield and body, but the heavy operator remained standing even after receiving a fatal blow, until two figures filled his position.

Revy's eyes narrowed.

Although he disparaged the combined attack techniques of these soldiers, referred to as "Dragon Claws," he would still admit that it was one of the most brilliant team combined attacks he had ever seen.

No single "Dragon Claw" soldier was stronger than him; this was evident from how easily he could tear apart and take their lives. But once they formed an encirclement around him, it became difficult for him to break out quickly.

This was the characteristic of team combat. No matter how strong an individual, once trapped in an army's encirclement, they would fall into an absolute disadvantage. Dobermann once said that even the strongest individual fighting an army would inevitably die.

Of course, Revy was not trapped in a fatal killing field, but it was clear that he needed time, and that time was being slowly chipped away by these Dragon Claw soldiers.

"...I remember that in Great Yan, only the Emperor can name his army 'Dragon'," Revy said loudly, dodging attacks flying from all directions. "Is the First Prince naming his troops 'Dragon Claws' a bit too eager?"

"Mr. Regulus Harvey is indeed knowledgeable—my actions are not just eager; they should be considered utterly rebellious, shouldn't they?"

Ao Jue had recovered from his initial surprise. He calmly picked up his teacup again, preparing to enjoy the slaughter before him. "However, what does that have to do with you? After all—you'll be dead soon."

He wasn't worried that his subordinates couldn't crush Revy. To be honest, this group of "Dragon Claws" by his side, though elite, was less than a tenth of his entire force. And the soldiers ambushing around this battlefield were enough to launch a small war with plenty of leeway; with just one signal from him, the Sarkaz before him would be submerged and crushed by an endless army.

And now, he just wanted to quietly watch how long this man could last.

Revy indeed hesitated for a moment.

"Extreme Heaven · Purgatory"'s overload was not suitable for the current scenario, being more effective against large creatures, while "Afterglow"'s overload required sufficient time and space to deploy. It was feasible in the wilderness of Leithanien last time, but not suitable in the ruins of this city.

Glancing remotely at Ao Jue, who was calmly drinking tea in the distance, a sharp murderous intent suddenly emanated from Revy's eyes.

The target of this murderous intent, seemingly sensing it from afar, looked up and met the gaze of the Sarkaz in battle.

(...Is he coming to kill me?)

With a slight wave of his finger, dozens of heavily armored soldiers immediately surrounded him, forming an impenetrable wall. Their dark armor seemed to absorb light, suddenly dimming the brightness within several meters around them.

Xuanjia soldiers—the heavily armored legion guarding the northern borders of Great Yan. Their unique armor, forged with a special casting process imitating the bronze armor of ancient times, made the Xuanjia soldiers invulnerable to blades and arts. It was once said that as long as even one Xuanjia soldier remained guarding Lulong Pass, the giant bear to the north would not dare cross the border, demonstrating the immense deterrent power of the Xuanjia Legion. And by the First Prince's side, there were even dozens of Xuanjia soldiers acting as close protection!

(Naive... do you think you have this chance?)

Ao Jue's smile carried a hint of mockery, as if scoffing at how overconfident the man in the distance was.

Catch the king to capture the bandits? Does he really think he's the protagonist of a movie...?

However, beyond his sight, blocked by the Xuanjia soldiers, Revy also sneered.

Naive... do you think these guys can save you?

"Quench Despair · Drag Down Nightfall—Seal them! Black Phoenix · White Qilin!"

— — — — Divider — — — —

Platinum was running.

The pursuer behind her, still indistinguishable.

But one thing was certain—she could not escape from him!

That man was very adept at exploiting her weaknesses. He knew very well that as long as Qingjin remained unconscious on the ground, she would absolutely not escape.

"Tsk!"

With a cold snort, Platinum again drew her bow and nocked arrows. Her slender waist twisted in mid-air, and two arrows flew from the string, heading in two different directions, only to turn mid-flight and accelerate towards a single point!

However, the only sound she heard was the crisp clang of arrows stopping their flight—the sound of arrowheads striking heavy metal.

Platinum gritted her teeth in frustration.

That man wasn't particularly powerful; he had managed to injure Qingjin earlier by relying on a sneak attack. But she and Qingjin had no recourse against this heavily armored individual!

If she could still activate Pegasus Vision, she might be able to find his weak points, but now she had no such luxury. One more time, and Qingjin's fate would be her own... and if both of them were unconscious, the outcome was self-evident.

Platinum tightly pursed her lips, desperately trying to suppress feelings of self-reproach, but deep inside, regret welled up.

If only she hadn't gotten complacent after activating Pegasus Vision and neglected to guard her surroundings, how could Qingjin have...!

Thinking this, the snow-clad Kuranta girl suddenly dashed towards a protruding section of ruins nearby, then extended her right foot, hooked it onto a brick there, then spun around, drew an arrow, bent her bow, nocked the arrow, and shot, all in one fluid motion.

However, the arrow, halfway through its flight, once again struck something hard and was deflected, then caught by a large hand and snapped in two with a squeeze.

"What, little pony, not running anymore? Are you ready to die?"

The heavily armored Ursus man, with only his eyes uncovered, spoke. At this moment, without even looking, one could guess that the face behind the mask was surely filled with brutality and cruelty. And at this moment, those eyes, reflecting madness, greedily swept over Platinum's graceful figure.

"Tsk tsk tsk... His Highness truly found me a good job. It seems before I kill you two, I'll have some fun, ahahaha!"