Shu's hand tightened abruptly, and Gu Chu braced himself for the blow. Gu Chu was indeed right about one thing: from the very beginning, he had been deliberately leading Shu away from the others.
Now, Gu Chu's position was squarely between Shu and everyone else, the very picture of a steadfast roadblock.
If Shu wanted to get back, he would have to go through him!
The scepter remained where he had landed, meaning a part of his power was still there. Although Shu was fully capable of retrieving that power and Honkai energy in an instant, putting it back would be difficult.
He truly didn't dare to recall the scepter... Even though Gu Chu had now led him away from the battlefield, the scepter was still feeding him information about the situation.
The Herrscher of Binding was already starting to recover from the aftershock of his attack! And the maddened Xiezhi had taken advantage of Theresa and the others' momentary distraction to break out of the encirclement and rejoin the Herrscher.
One Herrscher plus a mutated Honkai Emperor nearly on par with an Emperor-class beast. Could they hold them off?
Shu still had no idea what that Herrscher's specific powers were! How could he possibly guarantee that Kiana and the others could ensure their own safety?!
The urgency in his heart made Shu's anxiety spike, and the killing intent in his eyes became blatant, undisguised.
Gu Chu just smiled faintly.
The next instant, the Judgment of Shamash had already slashed at Gu Chu's face, with the momentum to split him in two with a single strike.
Gu Chu struggled to raise his hands, and even with his full strength, he could only barely protect his own life. His body was still sent flying uncontrollably.
But before Shu could make his next move, Gu Chu quickly adjusted his posture in mid-air and collided with Shu again. It was the same life-or-death aggressive attitude, forcing Shu to take a half-step back.
Then, with a backhand sword strike, he once again sent the overextended Gu Chu flying.
Without a doubt, Gu Chu made a nimble turn in the air and dragged his battered body to charge forward again. Shu's brows furrowed tightly as he glanced at Gu Chu's arm, which he had just broken. He finally roared out, his patience snapping.
"What the hell are you doing!!"
Along with his roar came a knee strike. His movements showed no hesitation. A set of combos aimed at the upper body, completed in an instant, made Gu Chu's eyes roll back in his head.
But as Shu threw him away, Gu Chu came to his senses and grabbed Shu's collar with his one remaining arm.
"I said... I want you to kill me!!" Gu Chu's voice was no softer than Shu's. It had even become a sonic attack, causing Shu to be momentarily dazed.
The next moment, Gu Chu's newly regenerated fist collided with Shu's subconscious punch. A ripple spread out between them, forming a ring of white mist at its edge.
The two figures were quickly thrown apart. Compared to Shu, who stabilized his body with a simple flip, Gu Chu skipped across the ground like a stone on water for several hundred meters before barely stopping in a sand dune.
But he still stood up at the first opportunity, leaping up again to intercept Shu, who was trying to fly over him during this chance. He forcefully stopped Shu once more.
He still stood in Shu's way.
Just as Theresa and the others had found it when they were besieging Xiezhi, Shu found it more difficult to get around Gu Chu than to kill him.
Shu's face had completely darkened, and the power within his body began to surge.
"Fine..." The fury contained in this single word was enough to incinerate Gu Chu. "Don't you regret this..."
I'd like to see just how long that life of yours can stop me!
The battered Gu Chu simply wore a frenzied smile, impatiently assuming a defensive stance.
He wanted to know too... just how long could this life of his hold Shu back!
This was a question he had been pondering ever since he joined the Fire Moths. How long could he last against an all-out Shu? What abilities did he have that could create an impact that Shu would have to take seriously?
Of course, before all this, Gu Chu's only worry was that Shu might not live up to his name...
That worry vanished the moment Shu descended. Shu perfectly matched his imagination! Power... power so immense he couldn't see its end!!
It was this intoxicating sense of power... not some "everyone has their strengths," but the feeling of being completely crushed in every aspect. A comprehensive power!
Speed, defense, methods, destructive force... Gu Chu couldn't think of a single area where he could surpass the man before him. The only thing he could rely on was perhaps—
Gu Chu assumed a starting stance, and the various chaotic thoughts in his mind instantly fell into a state of tranquility.
Technique... just as Fu Hua had struggled before him back then, technique was now his only foundation.
He had to stop Shu here... because only by stopping him here would Shu enter that state of reckless, all-out battle!
He didn't need a sparring-like fight, nor did he need Shu's merciful restraint... If the blow Shu had delivered upon descending had been aimed at him, he might have backed down after blocking the attack.
Because then, he wouldn't have to worry about Shu holding back in a future arranged duel. But he hadn't.
In that instant, Gu Chu had seen through the essence of Shu—a good person who repays kindness.
Heh... a good person? What a magical and rare creature...
He had no need for a good person as an opponent.
So he had to stop him here, block him from the people he cherished, force him to go mad, force him to make the decision to kill him, force him...
to unleash his full power right here!
Leaving him no choice, and leaving himself no way out! Only this kind of pressure could allow him to witness true desperation!
And if he failed to be reborn like a phoenix in this inferno, then he would bear witness to the true peak of this world!
Only one person—will return to that battlefield alive!!
Right here, he would use his life to create a pinnacle! And who would stand at the top?
That wasn't important!
"Shu," It was unknown how many times Gu Chu had called out his name. "Kill me."
"As you wish," Shu let out a low, fierce cry. The next moment, the [Hope] throughout his body was unleashed without reservation, surging riotously toward the Herrscher before him.
...
Amidst the chaotic wind and sand, the Herrscher finally recovered from her state of confusion, but the intense pain in her body almost made her collapse the moment she tried to move.
No... I can't fall here...
Enduring the severe pain, the Herrscher struggled to get up from under the battered body of Xiezhi.
At the same time, a golden radiance shot up from the Noah's Ark in the sky.
After reaching a certain height, it spread out in all directions like a fountain, finally forming an inverted golden canopy.