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I'm not so weak that I need someone protecting me all the time, okay?
Liu Erlong rolled her eyes.
Then—
Boom.
A scorching, suffocating chakra burst from Sam's body. Four tails formed behind him in an instant.
"…"
Liu Erlong's mouth twitched.
Alright. Maybe… just a tiny bit of help would be nice.
"Be careful. Don't get caught in the crossfire."
Sam placed a hand on her shoulder, channeling part of the Nine-Tails' chakra into her. A fox-shaped chakra cloak wrapped around her body.
Her senses sharpened instantly. Her reactions, her perception, everything jumped to another level.
Not only that, but she could feel it. If she used her soul ring abilities now, their power would skyrocket.
"This is terrifyingly strong…"
Looking at Sam's back, Liu Erlong couldn't help but sigh. A deep sense of reassurance welled up inside her.
It was a feeling she'd never experienced before.
Sam, however, had no time to care about her thoughts. He flashed over to Wu Liuqi and gave him a fox cloak as well.
"Nine-Tails, be careful!"
After that, Sam shouted toward the distance. "I'm about to drop a big move!"
Nine-Tails: "???"
A big move?
What kind of big move?
Still, even though it was confused, Nine-Tails politely leaped up into the air.
Once everyone was safely clear, Sam crouched down and pressed his left hand to the ground.
"Freeze."
Magic surged out.
In an instant, everything within a one-kilometer radius was frozen solid, including most of the gnawing ferrets.
Liu Erlong and Wu Liuqi were fine thanks to the fox cloaks.
As for Elsa, she shared the same ice magic lineage as Sam, so it barely affected her at all.
Actually, it boosted her magic instead.
Hovering in midair, Nine-Tails stared at the thick ice below, speechless.
You just casually dropped a move like that? Seriously?
It had completely forgotten that it treated Tailed Beast Bombs like normal attacks.
"Soul Seize."
Sam opened the Gates of Hell, pulling in the souls of the ferrets that had just died. Their bodies followed, dragged inside as well.
Liu Erlong: "…"
No matter how many times she saw it, that skill still felt creepy.
"Everyone get ready," Sam said. "The King of Wisdom says massive energy signatures are converging on our location."
Nine-Tails snorted. "So they know we're here and decided to come fight head-on?"
"…I like that."
As it spoke, Nine-Tails reverted to its true form.
A smaller version, of course. Just over two meters tall.
"Roar!"
Its excited roar unleashed a terrifying wave of chakra that shredded the surrounding trees.
Seeing Nine-Tails in action, Wu Liuqi pulled out the Gaiba Egg and grinned. "I'll go see if I can take out their leader."
"No need," Sam shook his head. "Void-infected soul beasts don't really have leaders. Their brains are nothing but destruction."
"…Yeah, that makes sense."
Wu Liuqi put the Gaiba Egg away. "So we just charge in head-on?"
"Pretty much. Doesn't seem like there's a better option."
Sam continued, "Nine-Tails and I will tank up front. A-Qi, you're the assassin. Stay with Elsa and protect her. She's our mage, we can't afford to lose her."
"And we'll have one semi-tank supporting us from behind."
As he spoke, Sam looked at Liu Erlong.
Assassins were better at finishing weakened enemies, but right now the main damage dealers were him and Nine-Tails. Splitting strength to protect Elsa would weaken the frontline.
Wu Liuqi's level just wasn't there yet.
Wu Liuqi frowned. "This feels kind of unreliable. This isn't a game, you know."
Sam waved him off. "Come on. With this lineup, we've never lost in a game. Trust me!"
"…"
Boss, this is a real battlefield!
Liu Erlong opened her mouth, then closed it again.
She absolutely refused to admit she was a semi-tank.
Liu Erlong: I'm not a semi-tank. I'm a beauty. A beauty, okay?!
Actually, Sam arranged things this way because he believed he and Nine-Tails could handle the soul beasts.
Well… plus a few soul masters.
More than a thousand soul beasts, along with dozens of soul masters, slowly approached from the distance.
"What is going on?"
Liu Erlong stared blankly at the scene.
Was she hallucinating? How could soul masters and soul beasts be moving together so peacefully?
No one had explained the situation to her yet, so she was the only one completely confused.
"Looks like there's someone, or something, controlling them," Sam said, rubbing his temples. "Either a mastermind or a powerful soul beast."
He knew it. This mission was never going to be easy.
"Who cares?" Nine-Tails snorted. "We just kill them all."
With that, it charged forward, clashing head-on with a massive ant nearly three meters long. Its body was covered in dark-golden armor, supported by six thick, powerful legs.
One of the tyrants of the Star Dou Forest.
The Thousand-Jin Ant.
"....."