thefictionvixens Chapter 1288 The Roman Emperor will decide the fate of you, the defeated one.
Chapter 1288 The Roman Emperor will decide the fate of you, the defeated one.
Just then, Daines Reibu appeared at the aerial ruins where Luminosity and Sora had originally intended to leave Teyvat.
The moment he saw Shao Yun, he immediately strode forward.
"Mr. Shao Yun, you're here? How did you and the Extreme Evil Riders end up fighting here?!"
Shao Yun looked up at Daines Reeb, who had suddenly appeared, his eyes filled with surprise. He pointed to his feet and asked in confusion:
"How did you get up here?"
Daines Reeb gestured towards a spot not far away, and Shao Yun followed his gaze, only to see the Apocalypse Horses "Plague," "War," and "Famine" standing not far away.
“I came with your horse,” Daines Reb explained, “and ran up the path laid out by the locusts. Luckily, we didn’t arrive too late.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Daines Reeb's gaze fell on Shao Yun's empty right arm, and his pupils shrank.
"Your arm! What happened? Were you injured by the vicious rider?"
Shao Yun blinked, looking a little confused... but he shook his head and steered the conversation toward the Extreme Evil Riders, indicating that he could still hold on.
"It's nothing, it's just broken. This time it should really be over... I personally smashed it into pieces, and even the abyssal energy has almost dissipated."
Daines Reeb followed Shao Yun's gaze to the pile of black fragments on the ground. The fragments were dull and lifeless, like ordinary slag, and no longer exuded any abyssal aura.
Even so, he nervously swallowed, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes, and subconsciously jinxed it, saying, "Hopefully... the Evil Knights won't have any tricks up their sleeves."
Daines Reeb's words came true almost immediately.
The black fragments on the ground, resembling slag, suddenly began to move.
The originally dull fragments slowly floated up, gathered in mid-air, and then gradually dissipated into wisps of black mist, like ink being blown away by the wind.
The mist swirled and entwined in the air, eventually coalescing into a blurry human figure, from which a cold, hoarse voice emanated.
"Indeed, you are very strong. Strong enough to have injured me so badly. You are the first qualified and respectable opponent I have encountered in my five hundred years of war."
Looking at the sudden black mist before him and sensing the faint abyssal aura within it, Shao Yun felt as if he had been struck by lightning, instantly collapsing into despair.
He clutched his still-bleeding severed arm, the excruciating pain of the wound seeming insignificant at that moment.
He roared to the sky, his emotions in turmoil, "No! How are you still alive?! You've been smashed to pieces, how can you still have a third form!"
From the initial ambush to the archery duel, then to hand-to-hand combat, and finally to using the Eye of Death to deliver the fatal blow, he had to use all his trump cards, even at the cost of having his right arm cut off.
But the extremely vicious cavalry are like cockroaches that can't be killed, rising from the dead time and time again. How can we fight this battle?!
When Daines Reeb saw this, his heart sank, but unlike Shao Yun, he didn't freeze up and immediately grabbed the longsword in his hand.
He charged fiercely toward the black mist-formed Extreme Evil Rider, his longsword whistling through the air as he slashed down at the black mist.
However, the longsword passed straight through the black mist without encountering any resistance, as if it had struck thin air.
Unwilling to give up, Daines Reb unleashed his full power, slashing, thrusting, cutting, and parrying—each move a honed and perfected killing technique. Yet, no matter how he attacked, the longsword could not inflict any damage on the black mist.
"It's useless." A mocking laugh came from the black mist. "I abandoned my physical form long ago and transformed into a pure form of abyssal energy."
"This is my current survival mode. I have no physical form, so no attack can affect me... You, Dain, don't even have the right to touch me now."
Immediately afterwards, ignoring Daines Reeb's futile attacks, the black mist slowly turned towards Shao Yun, admiring Shao Yun's strength.
“I underestimated you, but you also underestimated me… The power of that bullet you just fired could indeed destroy me when I only have a quarter of my strength left, but you forgot that the essence of abyssal energy is eternal existence.”
The black mist swirled slowly in the air, and although the abyssal aura it emitted was faint, it felt very real. The Extreme Evil Knight really wasn't dead!
"But... you're still one step behind. However, don't be discouraged, I acknowledge you. This time, I am indeed severely weakened and need to return to the universe to recuperate."
"But remember, this is not the end, just a temporary farewell. In the future, in the universe, I will personally welcome you back."
"You deserve to be received with the utmost respect!"
As the black mist-formed Extreme Knight prepared to slowly drift towards the large hole in the sky, Daines Reeb's heart jumped into his throat.
He knew that if the Evil Rider escaped back into space and was allowed to recover, all the sacrifices and efforts of today would be in vain.
In desperation, Daines Reeb suddenly turned to look at Shao Yun, who was hesitating beside him, and decided to take a desperate gamble.
Shao Yun's Apocalypse Horse, which he had kept at the ranch to guard the property, has "died"! At this moment, it is the only possible hope to stop the Extreme Evil Rider.
"Shao Yun!" Daines Reeb roared urgently, "Quickly summon that horse from your ranch! Only it can deal with the current black mist form!"
"Otherwise, everything will be in vain!"
Upon hearing this, Shao Yun's body trembled violently, but... at that moment he hesitated.
Due to excessive blood loss, his mind was already muddled, and he even began to experience slight dizziness.
“I can’t… I can’t gamble anymore. Alice is still watching the ranch… What if I summon ‘death’ and she attacks Ying and the child?”
(Aside: Meanwhile, Alice was indeed observing the ranch...)
Daines Reeb looked at Shao Yun, who was completely out of it and preoccupied with figuring out how to get out of the way, and felt utterly hopeless!
He stepped forward and roared at Shao Yun:
"At a time like this, let's not worry about the immediate situation! If the Evil Rider escapes, none of us will survive. Not only will your wife and children be doomed, but the entire Teyvat will be destroyed!"
"If that Alice dares to kidnap your family, I, Daines Reeb, swear to God, I'll risk my life to go with you and take her down!"
Shao Yun blinked hard, trying to dispel the dizziness in front of her.
The severed right arm was still gushing blood, and the warm liquid flowed down the arm, soaking the ground beneath its feet.
Cold sweat mixed with blood slid down his forehead, blurring his vision.
He began a mental battle... On one hand, there was the annihilation of letting the extremely vicious rider escape, and on the other hand, there was the danger his family might face. He was afraid that all his efforts would be in vain, and he was also afraid of cutting off his own escape route.
After all, what the Evil Knight said was that Teyvat would be destroyed... What if that really happened... Should I...?
"..."
Seeing that Shao Yun was hesitant to act, Daines Reeb suddenly rushed up to Shao Yun, raised his hand, and slapped Shao Yun hard across the face!
The sharp "snap" was particularly jarring in the open area.
"Don't hesitate!" Daines Reeb's roar trembled slightly, a mixture of anger and pleading.
"If you let the Evil Rider escape, all the blood we shed today, the arm you lost, everything will be for nothing!"
The Black Mist-form Extreme Knight did not rush to escape. Listening to Daines Reb's urgent roar and seeing Shao Yun's hesitant decision, it felt quite novel.
Dain's impotent rage is so funny!
"Now, do you have any other trump cards? If not, I'm really leaving."
Immediately afterwards, the extremely evil riders, also wanting to indirectly provoke Daines Reeb, recruited Shao Yun.
"I look forward to meeting you in the universe someday. After all, Teyvat is truly beyond saving..."
“At that time, I will welcome you from the depths of the universe. You deserve my personal reception. Teyvat cannot hold someone like you.”
On the other side, Daines Reeb saw that Shao Yun was still silent. He was numb. Didn't he understand that we should press on with our remaining strength?
He grabbed Shao Yun's shoulders and shook him violently: "Shao Yun! Wake up! At this point, don't hesitate any longer!"
"You know better than anyone the consequences of letting a tiger return to the mountain! If we let Ji E escape today, I will despise you for the rest of my life!"
This is the last chance to stop the Evil Rider; once missed, there will be no turning back.
Seeing Daines Reeb's hysterical state, the Extreme Evil Rider couldn't help but let out a mocking laugh.
"No, he can't...place his hopes on someone else, Dain, Dain, you're still so foolish!"
"I'll be going now! Remember my words, the universe is your stage. See you later!"
Just as the Black Mist-form Evil Knight was about to plunge into the shattered "eggshell" black hole of Teyvat and escape, a graceful figure suddenly appeared in the distance like a ghost.
She wore a dress similar to Gan Yu's, but lacked Gan Yu's gentleness and possessed a touch of wickedness; she was the "fake" Gan Yu, transformed from the mother goat.
She gently raised her hand and called out to the departing Extreme Evil Rider in a soft yet forceful voice.
"Sorry, 'Gladiator,' you fled the battlefield, which counts as a defeat. You are not allowed to leave without permission now."
"The Roman emperor will decide the fate of you, the defeated one."