Skyfire Avenue - Chapter 868

Chapter 868

Chapter 868: I’m Sorry, Boss

“Xiuxiu!”

Lan Jue cried out and lurched forward . The press of enemy protogenia had eased enough for some measure of his power to spread out . He dropped Jun’er’s hand and reached out for Xiuxiu .

His heart sank the moment he touched her . There was hardly any trace of vitality left .

Reinforcements had arrived, only a moment too late . The pale pink light that surrounded them  was from the Photographer, fighting against the pressure of the aliens’ Domain .

She did not come alone . The Terminator had placed his enormous girth between them and their attackers while the Epochrion and the Wine Master manipulated the flows of space-time . All of humanity’s Paragons were here in a unified defense .

Lan Jue could sense a hideous, murderous aura wash over them . The Pharmacist – they must have sensed something was amiss .  

“Boss…” Xiuxiu’s soft voice cut through the din . She sounded weak, different . Her eyes never left Lan Jue’s face .

He held onto her limp body, kneeling beside her . “Xiuxiu, why would you do something so stupid…” He still wasn’t sure what had happened .

The Violet Prince had been on him, inches from landing a blow . He couldn’t have simply given up his chance to cut Lan Jue down . Xiuxiu was closest – she must have used her piercing Discipline to cut through the Prince’s Domain and use her own body to block the attack .  

She was a ninth level Adept, powerful and talented . However, in the face of an Infinite-level beast like the Prince she was no more dangerous than a normal human . Were it not for the timely intervention of the other Paragons, Xiuxiu would have been utterly destroyed .

“How could you be so stupid?!” Lan Jue’s eyes were filling with tears . He knew how potent the Creation and Destruction Domain was . There was no way to save Xiuxiu’s rapidly fleeting life . Even the mighty immortals of old couldn’t rescue her .

Tears carved two glittering rivulets down Xiuxiu’s cheeks . Her eyes were cloudy and unfocused but were kept trained on Lan Jue .  

“Why is it so dark? Boss? It’s dark . I can’t see you… I want to see you . ” She gripped his arm with what little strength was left to her .

Lan Jue took her hand and squeezed it tight . She squeezed back . “Boss, don’t feel bad . I don’t deserve it . Maybe this is for the best, it’s worth it to die for you . I’m sorry boss, I have to ask your forgiveness . I’ll repent in the next world, I’ll pray for you . Boss… live happily…”

She gasped the last sentence, and suddenly Lan Jue felt her hand grow heavy . Her body went stiff as a faint violet light began to emerge from her skin . Gradually her form dissolved into motes of violet light, and then she was gone .

Lan Jue tried desperately to gather the motes as they floated away, to no avail . He wanted to force her body to stay . Instead her life force was devoured by these heartless monsters, and nothing remained of his childhood friend . Nothing but a faint sense of sentiment, sorrow, and regret .

Lan Jue’s whole body shook .

Xiuxiu had been by his side since they were small . They’d grown up together . No one – not Hera, not Qianlin, not even Lan Qing – no one was with him longer . He’d turned her affections down more than once, but not because he didn’t like her . She was like a sister to him!

As he struggled to figure out how to urge the Amazons to lead their own lives, he knew Xiuxiu would be the biggest worry . Her mannerisms were always soft, but inside Xiuxiu was more stubborn than any of the others . No one could change her mind of she firmly believed something .

He’d struggled to find a solution ever since Xiuxiu began to show signs of attachment . Never was an answer forthcoming . The other girls were fond of him, too, but none were around as long as Xiuxiu . She’d been raised by Jue Di as Lan Jue’s maidservant, to stay by his side always but not necessarily as his wife .

Xiuxiu was younger than Lan Jue by a few years . They grew up and trained together . Ever since then Lan Jue had developed a familial kinship with her . So, although he knew it was wrong to not flatly refuse her advances, he couldn’t bear to hurt the girl – woman – who had dedicated her life to him

He never thought it would end this way, it was the only thing he could think about . Xiuxiu was dead . She died saving his life . He couldn’t shake the image of her eyes as she looked at him . She’d loved him until the light faded away and the darkness took her .

An indescribable pain tore through every fiber of his being . It was his heart breaking, no less devastating than the day Hera died .

Xiuxiu was dead . Dead!

“A-Jue, snap out of it!” A pleading shout pulled him from the state of shock . His head shot up, and his red eyes narrowed into angry slits .

“Bastard!” He roared . Like a feral beast he hurled himself at the Violent Prince .

Chaos prevailed . Jun’er had had the forethought to use one of her most potent abilities to separate the fighters from Middle Heaven . The ferocity of their exchange could easily rip the bastion apart from the inside . But she was just a child, and even with the help of the Eye of Tomorrow she couldn’t protect them for long .

Ten Paragons were desperately fighting for their lives . Nearby, the Pharmacist was guarding the door and blocking two more Nirvana-level aliens from entering .

Lan Qing had not appeared . He was likely busy absorbing Ultus’ inheritance .

The aliens had chosen the perfect time to attack – besieging the stronghold to destroy the reinforcements [1 . A military tactic wherein the attacker lays siege to an important positions defenders are unwilling to give up . The defenders are forced to call for reinforcements, who thus fall into ambushes laid by the attackers . Now the defenders are without reinforcements against a powerfully positioned enemy force . Here the humans can’t give up Middle Heaven so all the Paragons have to join in to defend it . The aliens can then pick off the Paragons and leave the humans weak . ] . The humans were short Lan Qing’s might and guidance, and were forced to protect him and the ship .

If Xiuxiu had not taken the blow meant for Lan Jue, he would have been seriously injured or even killed . Without the Harmonious Swords humanity’s ability to fight back would be severely impaired .  

Captus exploded with an intense red light as Lan Jue rushed forward, bringing Captus down on his enemy like a hammer . Qianlin remained by his side, but no matter how much she tried she found she couldn’t combine her powers to his . In this moment there was no love in his heart, only hatred .

Pink light flickered around Luo Xianni throughout the fight . She was the sole Infinite-level Paragon defending the humans, and the only one with a clear mind . She knew how precarious their position was, and the moment the aliens’ Domain broke past hers it would destroy Jun’er’s protective shell . Exposed to the raging protogenia of so many Paragons, Middle Heaven would be torn apart from the inside . The results would be catastrophic .

They had to find another battlefield .

“Quickly!” Luo Xianni shouted toward the Wine Master .

The old Avenue leader knew what was needed without being told . He appeared in front of her in a flash of silver light . Holding his scepter high, archaic runes appeared floating in the air around them and the gem in its center flared . As waves of light poured from him Luo Xianni brandished her small pink camera .

Combined power from the two interspatial powerhouses caused reality to lurch uncomfortably . The aliens’ Domain shook under the pressure .

All four of the Infinite-level aliens were locked in combat . The Violet Prince was entangled by Lan Jue’s rabid onslaught . With the addition of Zhou Qianlin and the Prince’s fear of their Harmonious Swords he was on his back foot .

The Violet Princess was squared off against the two Gods of Wine, the Pontiff, and the Gourmet . All four of them were far inferior to the Princess in cultivation, but the Pontiff’s light-based powers had a restrictive effect on her and he was nearly a Reflection of Heaven and Earth . Likewise the Gods of Wine were adept at battlefield control and were keeping her tangled up . Indeed the Princess had the upper hand, but for now they weren’t letting her employ her full powers .

The Terminator elected to face iron with iron . He faced off against one of the planet’s avatars alone, relying on his overwhelming strength to keep his target locked down . The final alien was left to the Epochrion and the rest of the Avenue’ Paragons .

For the time being the Epochrion’s powers, paired with attacks by the Pauper and the Driver, were enough to keep the avatar distracted . What frightened their enemy the most was the Driver’s Primordial Lightning, for even with its superior cultivation it didn’t dare risk a direct blow .