Volume Two, The Devil’s Game Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Unassailable Guardian

"Lu Yi," Shen Yixue whispered, clutching Lu Yi's neck tightly as she spoke into the team channel, her voice trembling with panic. "That was just candy you gave me, right? Why can't I taste anything? What is happening to me?"

Lu Yi patted her back. "Don't overthink it. Your senses have simply been suppressed by the Guardian's ability; you're perfectly fine otherwise. Leave it to me, everything will be alright."

However, Shen Yixue was clearly overwhelmed by terror. She clung to him so tightly that Lu Yi found it impossible to continue running. This was hardly surprising; their relationship was, at its core, merely a partnership. Even the previous moments where she let him pat her head were just for show—a performance of intimacy to boost their popularity. Now that she had lost her sight and hearing, and with her perception of the outside world severed, she could only rely on the team channel. It would have been a miracle if she could truly remain calm under such conditions.

Lu Yi frowned, then reached out and gripped her shoulders firmly. "Shen Yixue, trust me. I will get you out of here."

Perhaps recalling his previous displays of competence, Shen Yixue slowly loosened her grip. "I trust you. You were willing to risk unknown dangers to save those three people who hurt you; what reason do I have not to trust you?"

Lu Yi hoisted her higher. "Hold on tight."

Shen Yixue shifted upward and nodded.

Although the issue with Shen Yixue was addressed, the situation remained dire. At that moment, Yu Chan spoke over the channel, "Good man, that fog hasn't moved for a while, and the Guardian is walking toward us."

Lu Yi's expression shifted. He had few options left. He raised his left hand, and two streams of water manifested beside him. He stepped onto the water, quickly ascending to a higher vantage point. With a clench of his fist, the two streams collided and coiled together, pushing him further upward.

The silver-gray haze in Lu Yi's eyes grew fainter. After rising seven meters, he finally broke through the range of the fog. He scanned his surroundings rapidly, then narrowed his eyes. The water beneath his feet shifted, carrying him onto a nearby rooftop.

Standing on the roof, Lu Yi looked down to see an ellipsoidal mass of fog spanning hundreds of meters. Behind it, he spotted the Guardian—gray-skinned with silver hair. Perhaps because Lu Yi had escaped the fog, the Guardian stopped moving, looking up at him. Under Lu Yi’s gaze, the Guardian curled his lips into a cold sneer.

The Guardian stepped toward the fog. The moment his foot touched the soft, ill-defined boundary, the mist suddenly solidified into a step, which immediately lifted him upward. He took a second step, and within a heartbeat, the distance between him and Lu Yi was less than five meters.

Lu Yi’s expression changed, and he immediately leaped to the other side of the building, using the momentum in mid-air to land safely on the ground.

"Shen Yixue, we’re out of the fog now. Even though your senses haven't returned, the healing talismans should resolve the issue as long as there is no further interference." Lu Yi applied one to himself, then quickly pressed two more into her hands.

He continued rapidly over the team channel, "In a moment, apply the talismans. I'll have Yu Chan come to fetch you. The Guardian seems to be fixated on me, so we’ll split up and meet later. Yu Chan, come over here and take Shen Yixue to a safe place."

"Got it," Yu Chan replied simply.

Shen Yixue nodded. Since she could neither see nor hear, she would only be a burden by staying with Lu Yi; it was better to find a way to clear her status effect.

Seeing that Shen Yixue had applied the talismans, Lu Yi used his water manipulation to scoop her up and toss her in Yu Chan’s direction. By this point, he could vaguely hear faint sounds in his earpiece, though they remained too distorted to decipher.

"Ah!" A cry from Shen Yixue echoed in the team channel. Had the Guardian gone after her? Lu Yi turned his head sharply.

"Yu Chan, don't just carry me like a sack! You're bumping my head!" Shen Yixue shouted.

"Stop flailing your arms around," Yu Chan complained in the channel.

Lu Yi’s mouth twitched, and he quickly sprinted in the opposite direction.

The Guardian stood on the roof, watching the three of them scatter. Finally, his gaze locked onto Lu Yi. He raised his arms, crossed his hands, and clenched his fists tightly.

The ground beneath Lu Yi’s feet trembled. Nearby, the walls of a building suddenly shattered, as if struck or crushed by an unseen force. A wall of white crystals erupted from the ground, causing the building to deform and collapse. Bricks and debris rained down, kicking up a massive cloud of dust.

Lu Yi realized the Guardian intended to box him in. His expression darkened as he surged forward, dashing through the flying rubble toward the crystal wall. He noticed that the barrier wasn't just blocking the road; it was forming a semi-circular arc, sealing off his path ahead.

The crystal wall rose to nearly ten meters. Lu Yi was only three meters away when he gritted his teeth and summoned his water streams. But the next moment, the water disintegrated into floating droplets and vanished from his sight.

Lu Yi skidded to a halt before the wall, looking back with a grim expression as the Guardian descended slowly on a crystal platform to face him.

"Sweetheart Yiyi: What a pity. If the streamer had been just a bit faster, he could have made it."
"Black Phosphorus-chan: Streamer, don't you have dark-element energy? Why not use it?"
"Warm-hearted Man: It's hard to say. The Guardian just countered his water control; he’s likely worried that if his dark arts are countered too, he’ll have no choice but to run."
"Annoying Noble Lady: What kind of ability does this Guardian have? Does he really possess the power to reverse space and time?"
"Sweetheart Yueyue: Good luck, streamer!"
"Handsome, You're Not Being Good: It's useless; the streamer can't hear anything we're saying."

Lu Yi glanced at the wall behind him, then shifted his gaze back to the Guardian. His body tensed, and he whispered quickly, "Friends, I didn't want to provoke the Guardian into escalating his abilities, but it seems this battle is unavoidable."

"Sweetheart Yiyi: Wow, you can hear us now!"
"Black Phosphorus-chan: You scared me! I thought you were going to stay sensory-deprived forever."
"Yandere Fairy: Heh, I knew the streamer wouldn't fall so easily."

Lu Yi nodded slightly in acknowledgement, though his eyes never left the Guardian. The Guardian, however, landed a dozen meters away and stood perfectly still, merely sneering at him.

Even standing motionless, the Guardian exerted an invisible pressure. Lu Yi couldn't find a single flaw; even using his Magic Eye revealed no opening. Furthermore, the Guardian’s displayed abilities—the silver rectangles that looked like temporal reversals and the crystal mist that robbed one of their senses—were terrifyingly bizarre. Lu Yi still didn't understand how the Guardian had disrupted his water control.

Cautious of the Guardian, Lu Yi remained tense, feigning an attack stance while actually just shifting laterally, hesitant to strike. Gradually, he felt his arms beginning to tremble and his steps growing heavy.

The pressure of the Guardian's perceived invulnerability enveloped him, suggesting that even at a distance of ten meters, a single mistake would lead to injury or death. At first, Lu Yi hadn't noticed the danger, but his movements became increasingly labored. Suddenly, his Magic Eye pulsed violently, jolting him into a cold sweat.

He gasped for air, the suffocating sense of impending doom vanishing instantly.

*Terrifying,* Lu Yi thought, staring at the Guardian. The mere aura of the opponent had made him feel hopeless. If not for the warning from his Magic Eye, he would have been consumed by that pressure, leaving him completely defenseless when the Guardian actually attacked.

*No, I can't keep going like this,* Lu Yi thought. He gritted his teeth; he had to strike first.

The Prank Phantom Bracelet, now cooled down, manifested. Lu Yi slapped his palm forward, sending a black hand-shaped energy blast toward the Guardian.

The Guardian offered a disdainful smile and did nothing. The palm struck him and dissipated into countless black particles.

"Itching powder?" Lu Yi blinked. He had wanted to test the Guardian's capabilities, but what use was itching powder?

Facing the floating powder, the Guardian shifted his toes slightly. The black particles froze in mid-air. A transparent ripple expanded from his body, the scenery warped slightly, and the particles vanished.

Utterly flawless. Even though it wasn't a powerful attack, the fact that the Guardian had erased it so easily made Lu Yi lose any desire for close-quarters combat.

As Lu Yi stared in shock, the Prank Phantom Bracelet glowed again, and a second, larger black palm flew out—a triggered phantom combo.

The Guardian tilted his head, looking at Lu Yi with pure contempt. He raised his left hand and made a hollow grasping motion. For an instant, reality seemed to shift.

Before Lu Yi could react, he felt a powerful suction pulling him toward the Guardian’s left hand. Debris and broken walls from the surrounding buildings were dragged along with him. As the rubble and the black palm hit the Guardian’s palm, the stones turned into black specks and vanished, while the black palm twisted and shrank.

Through his Magic Eye, Lu Yi saw it clearly—they weren't just compressed; they were completely erased. Warnings flooded his earpiece. Lu Yi struggled desperately, but the suction force was inescapable.

"Energy Conversion!" Lu Yi roared internally. His left eye underwent a transformation again; the red and blue light points reappeared and began to spin rapidly.

Just as Lu Yi prepared to gamble everything, the Ring of Destiny glowed and manifested on its own. A violent aura erupted from beneath the Guardian’s left hand, and the black speck representing the phantom palm broke free of the Guardian's power, beginning to regenerate.