ATAPOW Chapter 57
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Chapter 57: You’re Somewhat Chafing Me
The edge of the massive bone sickle pierced through the troll’s chest, seemingly imbuing the rose chains that entwined around the handle with vitality. As if the sickle possessed a system of veins and arteries, scarlet wisps of blood revealed themselves, brimming with excitement, as if it was savoring some sort of delicacy.
As this happened, the expression in the troll’s eyes turned increasingly vacant while its body began to wither and dry up.
‘Scrape!’ Ji Bai pulled out the large sickle. With a sucking noise, the remaining blood drops on the sickle’s edge were absorbed. The rose chains that were wrapped around the handle pulsed with crimson radiance. However, as if it was just making a series of burps after a satisfactory meal, the phenomenon was only short-lived.
“Although the blood of a troll doesn’t taste good, it was fortunate that some【Divine Vein】 was running inside him. Are you content now?” Ji Bai muttered to the bone sickle as she shrank it until it became a unique fang-shaped hair clip. After pinning it onto her hair, she waved her hands. As if tacitly understanding something, the few tiny bats that were biting onto the troll’s husk-like corpse dragged the corpse back and forth in the air a good number of times. Finally, after they accumulated enough strength, they threw the withered corpse downwards as if it were garbage.
She shot a glance at Lil’ Sha, who was now in her arms. After ascertaining that she didn’t suffer any accidental injury in the fight earlier, she picked her up and flew towards the ground.
Lil’ Sha expressed that her condition had been steady throughout the entire ordeal. With that being said, however, the ‘0v0’ expression that she had plastered on her face never fell apart. While part of it was both sincere and heartfelt, the other part was actually an act. In such a situation, pretending to be an ignorant piggy was the best way she could preserve her life. As Lil’ Sha had personally heard the troll’s words and witnessed their despair earlier, she didn’t want to make the slightest slip-up and risk angering the temperamental little demon.
It wasn’t only until the battle had ended did Lil Sha immediately begin to fidget. That was because the silver-haired girl, whose height was the same as hers, was still carrying her like a kid in her embrace.
“Ummm…excu, excuse me… Miss Vampire? You’re somewhat chafing me, can you use another posture to hug me?~” Lil’ Sha said in a pleading tone.
This isn’t good… there’s no way I want to say such words if possible. However, all of this is just to care for my poor head. Why is this girl’s chest so hard? Is there a piece of steel plate built inside it?
“Bam!” At the moment these words fell, a crisp sound of cracking noises closeby, and a gentle voice arrived at her ears.
“Eh?” Lil’ Sha looked around her surroundings and saw that it was pitch-black on all sides.
‘There’s no one here? Where did the voice come from?’
“Erm… Umm, are you alright Miss Vampire? Your complexion suddenly turned bad…” Lil’ Sha fearfully shrank her head.
“Haha.” …What should I do? I really want to throw her down, but will this altitude turn her into a cat-pancake? …No, I shan’t lose my cool here! How can a lady with self-restraint such as mine be so narrow-minded?
“Erm, miss? Are you mad?” Lil’ Sha asked in an attempt to test the waters.
“No way~ How can that be?” Ji Bai smiled sweetly.
“But… I saw your mouth twitch a little earlier.”
“…Oh my~ That is pretty troubling.” Ji Bai gloomily sunk her head. She was thinking whether or not she should decisively toss this useless cat, who had no concept of giving someone an out, down from here and get it over with.
“Hey~ Since I helped you this much, don’t you think you need to give me a reward, little girl?~” Ji Bai approached Lil Sha’s face as her small tongue licked her cherry-like lips.
“Ehh? You still need a reward…”
“Of course~ Us vampires have never done anything without a remuneration~” Ji Bai faintly touched Lil’ Sha’s chin and smiled.
“I don’t need anything else. Just that you treat me to a meal, how about it?~” As she spoke up to this point, Ji Bai revealed a crafty smile. As she did so, her sharp, tiny canine teeth were revealed while charm filled her scarlet pupils.
“Ehhhh…” Lil’ Sha weakly curled up her body, resembling the spitting image of a frightened squirrel.
“Hmph~!” Ji Bai’s heart felt a little elated after seeing this. Although she was currently very hungry, she would definitely not force someone just because of it. This was done just to merely frighten the little cat.
While her black demon wings gradually folded, she landed onto the area where the group that had left the underbush was at. After she gently placed Lil’ Sha down, Huo Lei immediately went forward to receive her.
Ji Bai’s eyes traveled back and forth between the group and eventually came into contact with Lin’s eyes. As their eyes narrowed, the two pairs of scarlet pupils brushed against each other for less than a second, Ji Bai quickly turned her head away. After spreading her demon wings and flapping it, Ji Bai flew towards the night sky.
“Eh? She left just like that? Is she not doing a self-introduction or something? …By the way, who exactly is she?” Huo Lei foolishly scratched the back of his head and cluelessly looked towards Lin, who had faintly froze while looking at the back silhouette of the girl.
“Mhm… Judging from the life experience this poor Daoist has accumulated over his countless years of roaming this pugilistic world, that person is so terrifying that her actions are bound to amaze the world in the future!” Pian Zi had a pretentious look on his face as he shook the horsetail whisk around.
“Sigh, is this the vampire’s way of communicating? You’re able to express everything without words just by verifying the emotions in each other’s eyes…” Lin Tuo looked at the stunned Lin as he beamingly walked over.
“Huh? What do you mean? Speaking of which, Teacher Lin. Was that girl earlier part of our Chivalric Order too?” Huo Lei was somewhat at a loss.
“No, probably not. I have never seen her before at all,” Lin Tuo muttered to himself after a moment. “…It’s nothing. I’ll go and get the cockroach back.” Lin shook her head, following which, two pairs of demon wings unraveled from her back.
“Mr. Ji Bai…” Ke’er wanted to stand up, but it was to no avail; The blood flow to her legs had been obstructed from being tied up for too long, causing her to quickly tumble back down to the ground.
“Relax, the life force of a cockroach is normally very tenacious,” Lin assuring said as she supported Ke’er. After passing her back to Lin Tuo, she flapped her wings and flew towards the ruined building.
……………
Midwinter was fast approaching, bringing with it bone-chilling winds that carried traces of ice. As it whipped past people’s faces, it couldn’t help but make them feel an excruciating sense of pain.
On the towering town walls of the Border Town, these winds had turned into a symbol for the end of life.
“Lil’ Zhan, hang in there! Reinforcements from headquarters will soon be here. We will win as long as we persevere! I’ll soon be able to reunite with my family.” Bloodstains that had yet to dry up littered every brick and tile of the town, while bodies that were dilapidated to the extent their shapes were unrecognizable littered the ice-cold brick floor. As the icy wind blew and the blood dried up, one could tell that this place was the site of a deathly struggle not that long ago.
Several knights in their time-worn armor were crowding together. In the middle of a blanket laid a young knight on his last breath.
The knight known as Lil’ Zhan was currently laying on a blanket that was hastily weaved up by robes. Shockingly, there was a large cruel cavity in the area where his chest was filled with broken and rotten flesh. However, it was very lucky that this knight had been breathing up until now.
“C…Captain?” Lil’ Zhan’s voice sounded like a lamp running out of oil, a flickering flame in the middle of a rainstorm.
“Just lie there properly and don’t make any noises,” a middle-aged man solemnly said. He was kneeling before the young knight with a stern expression on his face.
“Lil Li, Lil’ Zhao, you two quickly bring Lil’ Zhan to the first aid area. Leave this place to me.” The middle-aged man carefully put on his helmet as he looked at the dense crowd of tall and sturdy silhouettes below.
“No! Without receiving any orders from headquarters, a knight will never leave on the eve of battle!” Despite how his surrounding companions were trying to dissuade him, Lil’ Zhan picked up his sword and stood up stubbornly.
“Knock it off, Lil’ Zhan! Don’t forget you still have an elderly mother. What would the old woman do if something worse were to happen to you?!” The middle-aged man furrowed his eyebrows.
“Honesty, valor, righteousness, sacrifice, and honor… As a knight, I have once vouched to fortify the town walls with my flesh. Captain, everyone, you have all made that oath as well.” Lil‘ Zhan had a pale complexion. As his crooked body slightly wavered, fresh blood dyed his Radiant Knight gown that was imbued with a sun cross crimson. And yet, the unrelenting will in his eyes still remained.
…………
In the warm, cozy room designed in a Western European style, a Radiant Knight emblem hung on the wall.
“Esteemed Section Head! The frontline knights urgently reported that the trolls are about to break through the city gate and that the situation is in an extremely critical position! They’re requesting for reinforcement to assist them!” A series of trembling could be clearly heard from the voice of the knight that was kneeling on one knee.
“Mhm? Just a short amount of time has passed and they’re about to break through? Are these frontline knights just a bunch of weaklings? Or rather, have they forgotten their knight’s creed? Have they abandoned the city walls and fled instead of fighting? I don’t care. Tell them to hold on for just a moment more.” Crossing his legs, Lan Yu unhurriedly said this while peeling off the shell of a peanut.
“Bu…”
“Leave. As your section head, I naturally have my own plans. Or are you thinking of disobeying your orders during wartime?” Lan Yu looked downwards and shot a glance at the knight that was currently kneeling down.
“Yes, yes…”