Arknights: The Cycle of Light and Darkness

Seeing her attack yield no effect, Platinum gritted her teeth and dodged her opponent's attack once more. The heavy operator, wielding a large shield, possessed extraordinary physical and arts defense capabilities. Without using Pegasus Vision, her attacks simply could not breach his defense. Moreover, even with Pegasus Vision, it would be difficult to have enough time to achieve a one-shot kill in this situation.

(I originally thought... this shouldn't be a mission...!!)

Platinum seethed inwardly. If she had taken the mission seriously, with adequate preparation, even in her current predicament, she would still have enough resources to counterattack, or even turn the tide. But now, all she could rely on was the bow in her hand.

Her gaze subtly flickered towards a nearby spot, where Qingjin had fallen. The man pursuing her had been circling around until now precisely because he saw through her inability to abandon Qingjin.

"I will—crush you!"

The Ursus man's roar shook the heavens, his footsteps even causing the ground to tremble. Though his armor was heavy, he was skilled at leveraging momentum, so much so that his physical exertion was even less than Platinum's, who had been pursued for half a day. And he was confident that the Kuranta girl before him was absolutely no match for him in terms of stamina.

He held his large shield horizontally and charged forward, raising the shield to directly impact Platinum. This attack method minimized attacks during the charge, and the immense inertia from his body and armor would make his impact as fierce as a battering ram.

Platinum immediately dodged. This was not damage she could withstand. The Kuranta girl tried to circle the heavy operator while raising her hand to retaliate. Her charged attacks struck his shield and armor, producing metallic clangs.

"Don't run, you can't get far anyway... Don't you want to save your companion?"

Paying no mind to Platinum's attacks, the heavily armored man chuckled eerily: "You can only blame your bad luck. 'His Highness' personally ordered your mouths to be silenced. Otherwise, seeing how delicate you two are, taking you back as collectibles wouldn't be a bad idea."

(Collectibles?)

Platinum felt a shiver of disgust, sensing that the "collectibles" he spoke of carried a sinister meaning.

"Speaking of which, I've been observing you two for a long time. Judging by your attire, you must be Kazimierz knights, right? Tsk tsk tsk—I suppose you also have some unusual relationship? —Don't worry, I'll at least let you die together. After all, I'm not some kind of demon," the heavy-armored man continued with a strange smile.

"An unusual relationship? That's true," Platinum stopped, panting, and forced a smile. "She's my prey. If you could take care of her for me, I'd be truly grateful."

"Little girl, I'm neither stupid nor blind. I already said 'I've been observing you for a long time', why don't you understand?"

The heavy operator seemed in no hurry to catch Platinum, or perhaps he felt she had no chance of escaping, so instead of approaching, he calmly watched her.

"—The relationship between you two isn't like 'hunter and prey' at all."

— — — — Divider — — — —

The weapon in Revy's hand changed.

A pair of black and white handguns transformed into a pair of oddly shaped "claws".

From their appearance, these strange weapons didn't seem particularly special, much like certain Feline warriors who affix blades to their fingertips as offensive equipment, only slightly larger. The gauntlets from wrist to elbow were pure white, while the finger blades shimmered with an eerie glow, like black crystals.

Ao Jue didn't believe such superficial weapons could threaten his safety.

"Dragon Claws, test them," he commanded lazily. The First Prince shook his head, somewhat losing interest. In his opinion, true powerhouses disdained reliance on external forces, much like his seemingly omnipotent and powerful father, whose immense power, capable of stirring storms and shaking heaven and earth, originated from the strength of his bloodline itself.

Such power could be called divine! And he, in the future, would also become such a deity!

Above ten thousand, looking down upon all living beings, this was the mark of an Emperor!

Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, looking at the continuously charging soldiers, Revy's lips curled into a cold smile.

(Test them? Test them and die!)

Suddenly, the Sarkaz figure moved.

It didn't stir up a raging storm, nor did it stomp the ground to cause an earthquake. But its speed was so incredible that, in an instant, it left two afterimages behind—these were phantom images produced when the retina couldn't keep up with a rapidly moving object.

The moment Revy moved, two Dragon Claw special forces soldiers silently collapsed to the ground, their chests pierced. Blood began to well out only after they had fallen.

Ao Jue's hand trembled slightly.

Interesting ability...

Originium weapons possessed certain abilities; his uncle's "Red Scythe" was a sword that could enhance slashes, and his father's "Heavenly Query" was an imperial blade passed down through generations of Yan, rumored to even possess the power to manipulate stars. Looking at the distant Sarkaz, his figure flickering like a leaping rabbit and a swooping hawk, each flicker almost certainly taking a life, Ao Jue frowned slightly.

He had to admit, such speed was truly rare in his lifetime.

"So, you intend to rely on your current 'divine speed' to carry out a beheading strike against me?"

After a moment of surprise, Ao Jue leaned back against his chair, gripping the now-empty teacup, wanting to see a surprised expression in Revy's eyes.

—That look of "Why did you see through my weapon's ability so quickly?"

"It seems you're not blind after all."

Speaking faintly, Revy casually put down the bodies of the two lifeless Dragon Claw soldiers. At this moment, there was almost no one left alive around him.

In less than five minutes, the encirclement was completely wiped out!

"However, if that's all there is to it, then the First Prince has gravely underestimated me."

Revy's face hardened. He narrowed his eyes at Ao Jue, his body leaning forward in an attacking posture. The latter, with a wave of his hand, caused all the heavily armored soldiers surrounding him to step back, forming an impenetrable circle.

"Even the fastest flowing water cannot break solidified Originium Ore. Now—how will you break this deadlock, Regulus Harvey?"