Roland frowned as sparks splashed across his face and a fresh, glaring wound opened on his shoulder.
In that split second, he entered an overclocked state and flashed in front of Lucy, trying to knock Yasuo's attack off course with his weapon.
But things didn't go as planned. Yasuo kept up with his speed perfectly, adjusting his angle in an instant. Unable to strike Lucy, he redirected the blow straight at Roland instead.
At that critical moment, Roland had no choice but to pay a price to block the attack.
His wrist snapped sharply as he forced the blade aside, then he sprang backward, opening some distance between them.
"Be careful. I won't save you again next time."
Roland tightened his grip on his weapon and shot a glance at Lucy as he spoke.
"Looks like you're not in great form today."
Yasuo flicked his blade and slid it back into its sheath.
"Still more than enough to deal with you."
Roland didn't hesitate to fire back. He stepped forward and launched his attack, leaving Lucy with a single instruction.
"Support me."
Lucy nodded slightly. She lightly tossed the dagger in her hand behind her, then dashed to the side.
Iaijutsu!
Driven by the sudden burst of wind, the blade shot from its sheath, turning into a streak of orange light.
Swish—
Even in his overclocked state, Roland had to bend backward at the last possible moment to avoid it. The searing energy blade skimmed past him, close enough to scorch the air in front of his face.
But almost immediately, he adjusted his footing and rushed Yasuo again.
As expected, Yasuo knocked him aside once more. When the orange blade reentered Roland's field of view, a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
Yasuo sensed something was wrong and pulled back at once, but Roland still managed to leave a cut across his abdomen.
In that brief instant, Roland had activated the second blade mounted beneath his weapon.
"I didn't expect you to use a trick like that."
Yasuo brushed a hand over the wound on his stomach and narrowed his eyes at Roland.
Roland tightened his grip on the two-handed sword, shifted his posture, and switched to a different combat style.
Bang!
Without exchanging another word, he exploded forward. The metal floor beneath his feet caved in slightly from the force.
Yasuo didn't hesitate either. A violent gale surged around him, orange energy wrapping his body as he charged straight in.
Boom!
At the moment they collided, a pinpoint of white light flared between them, followed by a pale orange energy wave spreading outward.
The wave suddenly contracted, then burst forth as a semicircular orange storm that surged away like a tide.
At that exact moment, Ambition's combat system issued a warning. Lucy reacted instantly, activating her ability and cutting through the energy surge to appear right in front of them.
By then, both combatants were already covered in fresh cuts. Orange streaks of light flashed constantly around them, making it impossible to tell whose blade was striking where.
Just as Yasuo and Roland's weapons clashed again, several purplish-red streaks shot in from all directions, targeting Yasuo's vital points.
Yasuo's pupils shrank. He poured strength into his arms, trying to force Roland back.
Roland saw through his intent at a glance. Electricity crackled along his weapon as he surged forward, locking Yasuo in place.
Yasuo's gaze turned cold. He clenched his teeth, then suddenly relaxed his body, shedding all resistance.
Boom!
Roland's strike slammed into empty space, carving a terrifying gash into the ground. Yasuo retreated instead, the cost being a fresh wound across his torso and a dagger embedded in his arm.
As he reached up to pull the weapon free, a figure suddenly appeared right in front of him.
Swish—
An arcing energy blade swept toward him.
Whoosh—
Pure instinct made Yasuo duck. The cut white hairs drifting down told just how close it had been.
He immediately counterattacked, his orange blade flashing straight toward Lucy's chest.
Swish—
But the instant it reached her, Lucy vanished.
"Damn it!"
Realizing he had struck nothing, Yasuo knew something was wrong.
Whoosh—
As he turned back to defend, a dagger had already pierced through his nanocoating and driven toward his body.
Just as Lucy thought she had succeeded, an orange energy shield detonated outward. The violent shockwave sent her flying.
The impact caught Lucy off guard, but she quickly adjusted herself midair. Like a sleek panther, she landed gracefully behind Roland, one hand braced against the ground.
"Hah…"
Yasuo let out a breath as the orange winds continued to swirl around his energy shield.
It was his defensive mechanism, capable of both manual and automatic activation. In that instant, he had triggered it himself, preventing Lucy from dealing even greater damage and blasting away the two daggers she had left near him.
By then, Roland had already reset his stance, ready to attack again.
"That was careless…"
Yasuo narrowed his eyes as the thought crossed his mind. Just as he prepared to fight to the bitter end, a thunderous roar erupted from the side.
A massive mechanical beast, wrapped in a blue energy shield, smashed through the nearby wall and charged forward like a tank, barreling straight toward Roland and Lucy.
A figure leapt down from its back and landed beside Yasuo.
"Commander?"
"It's time to go, Wind."
Sejuani nodded slightly as she spoke. Several figures immediately closed in, covering Wind's retreat.
Yasuo glanced around, said nothing, and followed them without protest.
Roland pulled Lucy close and sprinted up to the rooftop, watching Sejuani below.
She only spared them a brief look before whistling to recall the beast, then left the area.
Zed slowly appeared beside them, and the Heavenly Eye dropped down from above.
"Looks like things weren't going well on your side," Roland said, eyeing Zed's damaged frame and the wounds on the Heavenly Eye.
"Yeah. Liberty, the Commander, and Judgment all showed up. The situation turned against us. Our forces are almost wiped out. If we kept fighting, we'd just be trading lives for nothing."
Zed nodded as he spoke, then pulled out a spray and applied it to the damaged parts of his body. The wounds began healing at a visible pace. What looked like spray was actually a swarm of nanomachines.
"But they didn't come out unscathed either. Thunder's in terrible shape. If he doesn't get treatment soon… heh. Even if he makes it, he'll be out of action for a long time."
With that, Zed waved his hand, signaling that it was time to leave.
The Heavenly Eye had remained silent the entire time, only departing after Zed's gesture.
But Roland knew better—this guy was probably having a lively conversation inside his own head.
…
Over at Gene Power, the atmosphere was grim. Thunder's head unit and body modules were severely damaged, his eye pierced straight through by a fist blade, and a massive gash torn across his abdomen.
Fire wasn't doing much better, bearing a penetrating wound along with another deep mark left by a fist blade.
Only Mountain was in slightly better condition—though "better" was still far from good.
...
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