Chapter 128: Don’t Be Afraid

    "Xiao Shen!" Xinxin almost tore his hair out of stress. Oh no, what should he do?!

    "The bus!" In front of him, Jiang Shun exclaimed urgently. "The bus is here!"

    Xinxin looked back and forth between the creamy white bus that stood in a contrast against the dark, and Shen Nianzu who had crossed halfway the distance towards Jin Jiuchi. Biting his lips, Xinxin threw all caution to the wind, mustered his courage and chased after Shen Nianzu!

    He had said it before — he would not leave his teammates behind! What would Xiao Shen think of him if he were to go back on his words now?!

    Jiang Shun scrambled into the bus and gripped onto a seat, panting, as the door closed behind him with a faint hiss. The silence amplified the sound of his heavy breathing, and suddenly, he lost control of his anger, venting his frustrations by punching and kicking whatever he could find. "Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

    In the midst of his frenzied outburst, he coughed up more blood, gritting his teeth as he whispered in remorse, "I’m sorry, Zhenya..."

    "JIN JIUCHI!!" Shen Nianzu hollered to rival the haunting echoes of the spirits to no avail. Jin Jiuchi did not seem to hear him, not when he was engrossed in attacking and pouncing on the Nightmare like mindless beast, causing the crack in the sky to widen further and further.

    "XIAO SHEN!" Shen Nianzu spun around in shock upon hearing that call, and he almost tripped on his own feet when he saw Xinxin close behind him.

    "What the hell are you doing here?!"

    "I–I told you..." the young man told him, his breathing uneven. "I will be your teammate who will fight alongside you! I will not leave you behind!!"

    Shen Nianzu’s gaze turned complicated upon hearing those words. He couldn’t decide whether to call Xinxin foolish or kind. The exit was clearly right in front of them, yet he chose to come back here again! Did he have a death wish or something?! "You—" he had just opened his mouth to ask Xinxin to enter the bus first when all of a sudden, the ground beneath their feet began to shake and the sand seemed to sink, pulled by an invisible force.

    Panicked, Xinxin screamed as he struggled to regain his balance. "W-What’s happening now?!"

    Shen Nianzu’s attention was drawn to the center of the vortex — the lake they had just dug.

    It was a mystical scene that exceeded even his wildest imagination. Above them, fragments of the sky fell like glittering rain while the midnight creature and the Nightmare engaged in a fierce battle. While in front of them, the ruined temple served as a backdrop for the divine lake which had transformed into a bloodsucking entity, devouring the surrounding sand.

    Realizing the gravity of the situation, Shen Nianzu sucked in a breath, "The Cycle is breaking apart. We have to get him out of here as soon as possible!"

    "Yes, but... how?" Xinxin asked in trepidation. He dared not look directly at the Nightmare, but the fight did not seem like something they could interfere with. They would be crushed under Da Shen’s huge paws before they could even get close!

    "I have a way," Shen Nianzu gritted his fists as he gazed at Jin Jiuchi. "But I have to get closer. You stay here." He had just taken a few steps forward when a massive shadow loomed over him from behind, and before he could react, he was lifted by the hand of the cyan kingkong.

    Cradling Shen Nianzu in its enormous palms, the kingkong rushed straight toward the battlefield. "This will be faster!!" Xinxin clung onto the kingkong’s neck as he shouted, "We will get there in no time at all!" Due to the poisoning earlier, his face turned paler when he used the skill card as it continued to drain his energy. But he clenched his teeth and persevered. He had to bring Xiao Shen there as soon as possible!

    Shen Nianzu had to admit that Xinxin’s timely help had solved his dilemma, for it was difficult for him to trek through the shifting sand. The kingkong was very fast, and in a blink of an eye, they reached the perimeter of the fight.

    "Xiao Shen!" Xinxin called out to give him a signal.

    "Okay, leave this to me!" Shen Nianzu balanced himself on top of the kingkong’s palm. He surveyed the surroundings to search for the right starting point. Luckily, the weather conditions were favorable for his skill card.

    He took a deep breath to steel himself, and then he activated his skill card.

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    Skill Card: The Noble Merman’s Tears

    Skill Type: Illusion

    Skill Level: Queen

    Skill Description: As Heaven’s beloved weeps, wrathful tides engulf the land. With each mournful droplet, breaths fade, souls sink, and the insolent are consumed by the merman’s watery abyss retribution.

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    In the next second, a thunderous rumble echoed from a distant point, and Xinxin’s mouth fell open in horror as he witnessed a colossal wall of water rising like an ancient titan from the depths. Its towering presence cast a foreboding shadow on the terrain, waves upon waves of deadly water... hurtling straight towards them!

    Ahhh, they were going to be engulfed by the incoming tsunami in less than five seconds!!

    "Xiao Shen, Xiao Shen, Xiao Shen!!!" Xinxin screamed on top of his lungs, on the verge of losing his sanity, but Shen Nianzu remained calm and indifferent as he wiped the moisture from his face.

    "It’s alright," he reassured. "Everything is an illusion. It will not get to you as long as you’re standing behind me."

    ’I–It is an illusion?!’ Disbelief washed over Xinxin’s face as he turned to look at the tsunami again. ’But... But it looks so real! Damn it, Xiao Shen is so damn mighty. No wonder he has not used his skill card before; other players would have pissed their pants just by this horrifying spectacle alone!’

    The tsunami crashed upon them relentlessly, swallowing the unsuspecting Jin Jiuchi and causing him to lose his balance. True to Shen Nianzu’s words, when the waves reached them, Xinxin was astonished to find that he was submerged in water, yet he was still able to breathe normally.

    However, the same could not be said for Jin Jiuchi. The colossal creature crashed onto the sandy ground and thrashed about on his four limbs, emitting gurgling sounds from its throat.

    A trace of pity crossed Xinxin’s eyes when he witnessed this scene. Somehow, he had a notion that right now, Da Shen resembled a huge husky being thrown a bucket of water by his owner because he would not stop fighting with the doggy next door...

    Gradually, Jin Jiuchi’s violent struggles subsided, and his monstrous form shrank back to the normal size when he used his shape-shifting skill card. He lay motionless on the ground, occasionally twitching with his tongue hanging out. The sand shifted around him, carrying him towards the lake.

    It was getting harder and harder for the kingkong to maintain a firm balance. They had to escape this Cycle as quickly as possible!

    Witnessing the Nightmare’s retreat, Shen Nianzu gave a sharp command. "Now!"

    "Oh oh!" Xinxin carefully transferred the little boy to the kingkong’s other shoulder, then he directed in an urgent tone, "Get Da Shen and let’s go to the bus!"

    With a resounding roar, the kingkong swiftly moved forward and scooped Jin Jiuchi into its muscular arms, holding him out in front as if presenting a tray.

    "Go, go, go!" Xinxin clung tightly to the cyan fur, closing his eyes as dizziness overwhelmed him. More blood streamed from his nose, and he could feel his strength rapidly draining away. But he could not retract his kingkong at this critical moment. He had to... he had to ensure the safety of his teammates!

    As though resonating with his determination, the kingkong hastened its pace and left the temple behind, sprinting straight toward the bus. Xinxin turned his head to see that sky shattering into fragments, and the wreckage of the temple was dragged along towards the divine lake. It was a chaotic yet ethereal scene he would not forget for a lifetime.

    Another grave problem soon struck when they were just five meters away from the bus. Xinxin’s eyes blurred and he began to lose the strength on his body.

    Oh no, h–he was losing consciousness...

    At that critical moment, something dark and gleaming flew out from the divine lake toward them. It was none other than the jackal headpiece that had been missing since the completion of the hidden task!

    With precise accuracy, the headpiece struck the back of the kingkong, causing it to lose balance and launching Jin Jiuchi into the bus like a bowling ball. Sensing the kingkong’s fading presence, Shen Nianzu seized the half-conscious Xinxin by the collar and leaped into the bus in the nick of time!

    The three of them tumbled inside in a messy tangle of limbs and paws, and thus nobody noticed it when the jackal headpiece flew in right behind them.

    The bus’ sentinel door closed with a faint hiss, and it started its journey across the desert, carrying the surviving players away from the Cycle.

    They had arrived here with ten people, and now only four of them remained.

    Xinxin lay on the floor like a salted fish, his chest heaving from exhaustion. The waning adrenaline, combined with his body’s aches and pains, made him reluctant to move. "I-Is it really over...?" Tears streamed down his cheeks as overwhelming relief washed over him. Curling up into a shrimp, he sobbed, "I’m so tired. I just want to sleep for three days straight..."

    Jiang Shun sat at the very back, his gaze absentmindedly fixed on the window. He seemed oblivious to the commotion surrounding him.

    Shen Nianzu struggled to get up and crawled toward the unconscious husky. Taking hold of Jin Jiuchi’s forepaw, he pulled him closer and slapped him across the face twice. "You’re not dead, are you? Hey!"

    He knew how deadly his skill card was. The illusion was so realistic that players and nightmare creatures would perish if they were trapped within, and that’s why he had only used it for a brief moment. He had no idea what the effect would be on Jin Jiuchi.

    A sigh of relief escaped him when Jin Jiuchi coughed and gasped, spitting out imaginary water. His limbs gradually elongated, and his furry face transformed into human features. He cracked his eyes open, still muddled. "N-Nian’er..."

    "What the hell were you thinking, challenging the Nightmare?!" Shen Nianzu gritted his teeth, fear still lingered in his heart from the earlier clash. "I know you’re a lunatic, but that was just seeking death!"

    "Nian’er...?" Jin Jiuchi’s gaze gradually focused on him. He did not seem to hear what Shen Nianzu had just said. He propped himself up with his elbow and reached out to cup Shen Nianzu’s cheek, a look of wonder and disbelief on his face. "Nian’er is still alive?"

    Shen Nianzu grew angry when he heard that. "What are you—"

    "I saw you die..." His voice trembled, and he abruptly pulled Shen Nianzu into a tight embrace, squeezing so tightly that it felt like all the air had been punched out from Shen Nianzu’s lungs. His huge frame trembled, "I saw you die... I saw you lying in a pool of blood, Nian’er. This is real, right? This is not a dream?" He sounded so frail and vulnerable that Shen Nianzu felt the anger and frustration in his heart melted away like snow on the first day of spring.

    He suddenly recalled how low Jin Jiuchi’s SAN value was, meaning that the man must have started to hallucinate. It was uncertain how much mental strain he had endured throughout the entire Cycle, yet he could still act like his usual self in front of Shen Nianzu. And it was not until he saw Shen Nianzu coughing out blood that he...

    Sighing, Shen Nianzu loosened his clenched fists and allowed his tense body to relax, leaning deeper into Jin Jiuchi’s warm embrace. How could he continue to be angry like this? Gingerly, he reached out and wrapped his little arms around Jin Jiuchi’s neck, patting his head.

    "Yes, this is real," he whispered. "Don’t be afraid, I am here."

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    Cycle 2: Temple of Anubis — The End

    A/N: yaass finally we’re at the end of this Cycle our queen Shen Nianzu’s skill card finally made an appearance! This Cycle is only three days but it’s so difficult with its rapid pace and battle description QAQ oh and also Anna’s archaic sentence, I feel like my brain cells are dying with each word she spoke... Anyway, please let me know what you think of this Cycle! If you haven’t left a review yet, consider leaving one to motivate me ^^

    Thank you so much everyone for staying with me until here. I’m so grateful for all of your support 333