Starry Sky Railway: Twin Origins

Chapter 271 Do not weep because of abandonment

"Now... hand over the fire to me... or... you will all die!"

This emotionless statement, like a sharp dagger, tore a gap in the surrounding air.

The atmosphere at the scene froze instantly, as if even time itself had stopped.

Lin Qiong's gaze was fixed firmly on the Fire Thief, his hands gripping the Calamity Extinction tightly, his body tense with heightened alertness.

He could sense that the Fire Thief's aura changed instantly after he uttered those words.

The feeling was like the oppressive atmosphere that permeates the air before a storm.

"Is this the start of something serious?"

Feeling the overwhelming sense of oppression, Lin Qiong's gaze sharpened, his eyes narrowed slightly, and a hint of seriousness appeared deep in his eyes.

"Finally...I'll say it again...leave the side of the Fire!"

The Fire Thief's voice once again entered Lin Qiong's ears like muffled thunder, as if issuing a final warning.

Upon hearing this, Lin Qiong grinned, slowly straightened his body, and the Calamity Annihilation in his hand instantly burst into flames, emitting a dazzling red light.

"Leave?" he shouted back, his tone firm. "Sorry, but the path of 'pioneering' I've chosen has never involved retreat."

As he said this, the flames rising from the calamity ignited again, as if in response to Lin Qiong's words.

The blazing flames danced wildly on the sword, licking the surrounding air and exploding with a series of crackling sounds.

"...call."

Looking at the leaping flames before him, the Fire Thief took a deep breath, his chest heaving.

Then, he slowly raised his right arm and held the twisted, jet-black sword in front of him, its tip pointing directly at the sky above.

Then, he placed the crescent-shaped ceremonial staff, which he was holding tightly in his left hand, vertically in front of the black sword in the same posture.

The crescent shape fits perfectly with the hilt guard, creating a seamless and natural whole.

The moment the two overlapped, the area of ​​the Divine Enlightenment Tree Garden was instantly swallowed up by thick darkness, just like the sun setting in the west, daylight retreating, and about to fall into a long night.

Just then, Xing's voice, tinged with a hint of doubt, rang out:

"Huh? Why has it suddenly gotten so dark?"

She looked around in surprise, watching the nearby light sources being gradually consumed by the darkness, and immediately took a step forward, moving closer to Lin Qiong.

In this rapidly expanding darkness, the Calamity Annihilation Blade, ignited in Lin Qiong's hand, became the sole source of light.

"boom--"

Suddenly, accompanied by a roar, a second burst of light shone brightly in the darkness—a burst of firelight from Kevin's hand.

Immediately afterwards, the flame spear in Xing's hand also burst into flames, dispelling some of the surrounding darkness once more.

Three beams of light reflected off each other in the darkness, like a dying candle struggling against the encroachment of darkness.

"Where are Xia Die and Tian?"

Lin Qiong looked around but didn't see the two people, so he asked them aloud.

"Your Excellency, we are over here."

Accompanied by a soft yet clear voice, Xia Die and Tian slowly appeared behind Xing, the flames emanating from their spears casting a red glow on their faces.

"It's good that you're alright. I thought we had gotten separated." Seeing that the two of them were unharmed, Lin Qiong secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The thought that the Fire Thief might launch a surprise attack under the cover of darkness sent a chill down his spine.

"Haha, so Little Grey is afraid of the dark!" Tian's cheerful laughter came from the darkness. "It's okay, 'we' are here!"

After saying that, she floated to the middle of the three flames, then raised her hands above her head, assuming a posture as if lifting a heavy object.

"The light... is coming!"

With a sharp shout, Tian pushed her hands upwards, and warm yellow light burst forth from her hands, spreading in all directions.

The light, like an inflating balloon, pushed outwards from the surrounding darkness, centered on Tian.

The light continued to spread until it reached a range of approximately thirty meters before it stopped expanding outwards.

And at the very edge of this light, the figure of the Fire Thief was precisely reflected.

He remained in the same position, with the black sword and crescent staff crossed, just as he had before the darkness descended, without the slightest change.

It was as if Lin Qiong and the others' actions of dispelling the darkness were nothing to him, like air, and he didn't care at all.

"Huh? He's just going to stand there and wait?"

Seeing this, Lin Qiong couldn't help but feel puzzled. He really couldn't understand why the other party didn't take advantage of the darkness to launch a surprise attack on them.

There was such a good opportunity...

Just as Lin Qiong was somewhat confused, the Fire Thief's cold voice suddenly rang out.

"The sun... is about to set..."

The moment the words left his mouth, the Fire Thief moved.

He seemed to be sucked into a black hole, gradually collapsing into a tiny black dot and disappearing completely from the spot.

Then, his voice, piercing to the core and sending chills down everyone's spine, came again from the darkness, licking at everyone's ears:

"Use your souls... to offer as a sacrifice to the fire!"

In that instant, time seemed to stretch out countless times.

Lin Qiong felt a chill run from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

Then, what followed was—

"Whoosh—!!"

A sharp, piercing sound suddenly rang out in the void ahead.

Although Lin Qiong reacted quickly enough, he immediately dodged the moment he heard the sound.

But the voice that entered his ears deceived him.

In that boundless darkness, there was not just one strike!

The instant Lin Qiong leaped to the right to dodge—

Three!

Three terrifying blades of light, powerful enough to tear through space and so large they could block out any angle of evasion, came into his view from three completely different directions!

"There's no escaping it!"

Lin Qiong's pupils contracted sharply, and he immediately realized that he could not dodge the attack by simply dodging.

He immediately twisted his body in mid-air, adjusting the Destroyer in his hand to a position where he could exert perfect force as quickly as possible, and then shouted:

"Heavenly Fire, unsheathe!!!"

The moment the words fell, the crimson light of the Calamity Annihilation blazed brightly, like a blazing sun appearing out of nowhere.

"boom--!!!"

A deafening roar.

The lava-like flames and the pitch-black blades collided in mid-air, and a violent energy fluctuation erupted from the point of impact, unleashing a powerful shockwave.

Lin Qiong gritted his teeth, gripped the Jiemie sword tightly with both hands, and desperately withstood the three relentlessly pressing blade lights.

However, the stalemate lasted only a few seconds before he was forced to retreat by the three blades, and was about to crash into the crowd behind him.

Just when things were at their most critical moment.

A deep and powerful voice suddenly rang in Lin Qiong's ears.

"Heavenly Fire is unleashed."