Chapter 443: Taken care of

The second the decision was made, Bree feigned a move. Her tattered wings beat violently, kicking up a toxic gale that forced Xarion back.

Her body turned into a streak of dark shadow, shooting straight into the sky and ripping through space in an attempt to escape.

However, the very second she took flight, a terrifying, suffocating invisible force—heavy as the pressure of the abyssal deep—crushed down upon her!

Bree’s body jolted to a sudden halt, as though she had slammed into an invisible wall. She was frozen, pinned in mid-air, unable to flap her wings even a fraction of an inch.

What’s going on?!

Bree’s panic-stricken eyes scanned the battlefield frantically. Neither Vangar nor Xarion possessed power of this caliber.

Who is it?!

Bree’s gaze snapped directly toward Rory’s airship.

Through the viewport, she met a tranquil pair of pink star-filled eyes.

Him?!

That merman beside Rory?!

How is this possible?!

Standing next to Rory, Wen also registered the horror-filled eyes looking his way. He met Bree’s gaze with calm, unruffled eyes that bore not a single ripple, yet conveyed a chilling terror that pierced straight into the depths of her soul.

Before Bree could even figure out what was happening, an excruciating, heart-tearing pain erupted from her chest.

Pfft!

A long ice spear pierced straight through her chest, shattering her heart.

Xarion had transformed back into his human form at some point, his clothes heavily soaked in blood.

"You..." Bree turned to Xarion in agony, her face twisted with venomous hatred. "You low-life beastmen... actually teamed up to set a trap for me."

"You will regret this..."

Pfft!

The moment she finished speaking, the ice spear was ripped out instantly.

A dark-green Zerg core emanating vast, surging energy flew out from her shattered chest. In the blink of an eye, it landed with absolute precision right in Xarion’s hand.

Bree’s body immediately plummeted toward the ground below.

The moment Xarion gripped the Zerg core, his face—slightly pale from blood loss—flushed red under the impact of a surge of raw power.

He let out a low grunt as the aura around him began to swell uncontrollably.

The power of a rank-thirteen Zerg core crashed through his palms like a burst dam, wildly rushing through his limbs and vital channels. He could clearly feel his flesh, bones, and every single cell greedily cheering and transforming under the baptism of this energy!

"ROAR—!!"

Driven by a primal impulse deep within his bloodline, Xarion threw his head back and let out a roar suppressing both pain and immense power.

The hideous, bone-deep wounds covering his body wriggled and healed at a speed visible to the naked eye. The charred, bloody scabs sloughed off, revealing smooth, unblemished skin beneath without leaving behind even a trace of a scar. Underneath his shredded, blood-soaked clothes, his muscle lines were being remolded into perfection, packed with explosive power.

A moment later...

The ice wall dissipated.

Xarion slowly opened his eyes. An icy-blue light flashed through his silver-white pupils, deep and frigid as a glacier that had stood for ten thousand years.

"Xarion broke through."

Watching the transformation in Xarion, Rory finally let down her hanging heart.

"Yeah, Xarion didn’t just rank up—that Zerg bug is dead too." Wen looked at Rory with a gentle smile. "Pity I didn’t get a chance to step in today."

Rory glanced at him upon hearing his words. "It doesn’t matter. Even if you didn’t step in, I can still guess your secret just the same."

With that, Rory turned her attention back to the battlefield. Once she confirmed there was no more danger, she immediately ran down the airship to find Vangar and Xarion.

After advancing his rank, Xarion looked down at Bree’s corpse on the ground and casually tossed a cluster of ice-blue fire. The instant the flames touched Bree’s body, it was reduced to ashes.

He had heard that many Zerg could feign death. This way was much safer. Turned to ash, there was no way she could pretend to be dead anymore.

"Vangar! Xarion!"

Using her elemental ability, Rory quickly arrived at Xarion and Vangar’s side.

"Rory." Seeing Rory, Vangar flashed right to her side in an instant.

"Vangar, you’re not hurt, are you?" Seeing Vangar, Rory hastily checked his body for injuries.

Vangar held Rory’s hand and placed it against his chest. "No, I’m not hurt."

Seeing that Vangar was uninjured, Rory breathed a sigh of relief. "Xarion, what about you?"

Turning to Xarion, who had walked over right after, Rory stepped up to him and examined him closely.

After his breakthrough, Xarion’s features had become even more defined, adding a touch of sharpness to his usually half-dead expression. His eyes, in particular, were cold and deep, giving off a thrilling intensity.

"Female Master, the injuries on my body were completely healed when I ranked up." When Xarion spoke, his deep voice carried a cool edge.

He leaned down, resting his chin on Rory’s shoulder, his cool voice laced with a bit of exhaustion. "It’s just that after fighting such a heavy battle and breaking through right after, I’m so tired now. I really want Female Master to sleep with me for a bit."

Even though Xarion’s injuries were healed, his tattered clothes were still drenched in blood, silently telling Rory just how gravely he had been hurt moments before.

Aching for him, Rory gently patted Xarion’s back and spoke softly, "Then let’s head back to the airship first. Take a shower, change into fresh clothes, and I’ll keep you company while you get a good sleep."

"Mm." Xarion’s slightly cool hair brushed gently against the rim of Rory’s ear.

The three of them quickly returned to the airship.

The moment Nix saw Xarion return, he blurted out to him, "Xarion, I figured you’d want to shower and change first looking like this. I’ve already drawn the water for you, so hurry up and go take a bath."

There was a bathroom on the airship. It used to be just a shower, but later, worried that Rory wouldn’t find showers comfortable, Nix modified it into a bathroom equipped with a soaking tub. Since Xarion had just fought such a perilous battle, Nix felt he’d probably want a nice, relaxing soak.

"Thanks."

After thanking Nix, Xarion let go of Rory. "Female Master, wait for me. I’ll be back very soon."

Rory nodded at him. "I’ll wait for you, go on."

Watching Xarion head off to the bathroom, Rory said to Yuel, "Call Jasper and Aren back. Now that Bree is taken care of, we should head back to the Central District."

"Already notified them," Yuel replied.

Meanwhile, over on the other side.

Aren looked at Yilan, who was already struck speechless with terror inside her airship, and spoke in a cold voice, "You’ve seen the video on your optical computer. That Bree was a Zerg. You’d better hand over whatever stuff she gave you to harm people right now."

"Given how close you were with her before, the Imperial Security Department will definitely be having a chat with you once we get back."

Yilan had been scared completely witless. Right now, the network on her optical computer was flooded with videos of Bree turning into a Zerg and battling Xarion and Vangar at the Divine Battlefield.

"I didn’t know she was a Zerg! I really didn’t know!" Yilan sobbed to Aren.

Even if she was a bit foolish, she wasn’t completely brainless. Those damned Zerg were so disgusting and dangerous—if she had known Bree was a Zerg, she wouldn’t have befriended her even if it killed her!