The Protagonist is Always Intimidating Me - Chapter 17

As the arrows closed in, Bai Meng’s pupils shrank. He bit down on his lip to maintain focus and swung his massive black sword to deflect the arrows.

Just as Mo Jiuge had warned, the moment the sword clashed with the arrows, a massive explosion erupted. The blast sent Bai Meng flying across the arena, tumbling several times before coming to a stop. His sword, knocked out of his grasp by the explosion, plummeted to the ground.

“Pfft, pfft, pfft!” Bai Meng spat out a mouthful of sand, his once-clean appearance now disheveled and covered in dust.

As he began to rise from the debris-strewn arena, a sudden sense of danger overwhelmed him, prompting him to roll to the side instinctively.

“Watch my Carp Roll!!!”

Bai Meng rolled away from his previous position, and the next second, a silver arrow struck his previous position, followed by a massive explosion that rushed toward him!

“…Cough, cough, cough!”

Damn it! This guy is cheating! Using big attacks without even charging up!

Bai Meng’s forehead stung painfully. Wiping it, he saw blood on his hand. It seemed the previous explosion had left him with several gashes.

Mo Jiuge landed beside Bai Meng, shielding him from the surrounding smoke and debris, his face filled with anger.

“Feng Shi of Yinchen Hall! You dare cause trouble in Xingge Hall?!”

“Oh my, I’m just participating in the competition fairly, Captain of Xingge Hall. What are you talking about? I don’t understand!” Feng Shi mocked from mid-air, bow drawn.

“But Jiuge only speaks human language! Of course, you wouldn’t understand!” Bai Meng shouted back at Feng Shi, earning a drawn arrow in response.

“……”

Okay, I probably shouldn’t have said that.

Mo Jiuge quickly grabbed Bai Meng and darted aside, his movements as swift as a black panther. Despite being pulled along, Bai Meng kept his narrowed eyes fixed on Feng Shi.

“…He’s not bad,” Bai Meng commented from behind.

“Yes,” Mo Jiuge agreed, nodding as they ran. “His skills are impressive, or he wouldn’t be so valued by Feng Qingxuan.”

“He can fly and has powerful attacks,” Bai Meng said, eyes unblinking. “Does he have any weaknesses?”

“His stamina is short,” Mo Jiuge replied after a moment’s thought. “He can manage only five shots before his energy runs out. After that, he can’t even fly.”

Ah, a five-second wonder.

Suddenly, a sharp, piercing sound echoed from the sky, making Mo Jiuge’s face turn serious.

“Trouble!”

“Hm?”

“…Demons are attacking!”

Due to past issues, demons had occasionally escaped and gone into hiding, waiting for the perfect moment to launch deadly attacks on the beastmen when they least expected it.

To counter this threat, each hall had special beastmen trained to detect demonic presences. They could pinpoint the location and issue warnings as soon as a demon appeared. The sharp sound summoned all the guard teams except for those participating in the competition, which meant that at least fifty demons had shown up this time.

Feng Shi heard the urgent announcement as well. With malice in his eyes, he shot Mo Jiuge a mocking smile, “Captain, aren’t you going to check on that? Of course… I still haven’t finished with that wretch. He can’t just surrender and leave all of a sudden, can he?”

“Feng Shi, you—!”

Bai Meng patted Mo Jiuge’s shoulder to calm him down and then gently pulled away from his grip. “Jiuge, you handle the situation outside.”

“No! You—”

“Captain,” Bai Meng interrupted, using the title for the first time. Mo Jiuge looked into Bai Meng’s dark eyes, which were filled with resolve.

You’re the captain…

Mo Jiuge hesitated, but he understood Bai Meng’s intent. Even so…

After one last glance at Bai Meng, Mo Jiuge gritted his teeth. “Hold on as long as you can! If you’re in danger, just run. No one will blame you! I’ll come as soon as I’ve dealt with the demons!”

“…You better hold on until I get back…”

“Stop making it sound like I’m already dead!” Bai Meng chuckled, seemingly unafraid, his pure black eyes shining with a small cluster of flames that would never extinguish, radiating a bright light.

“After all, I still need to take your position one day!”

“…Alright!”

With one last look at Bai Meng’s confident grin, Mo Jiuge took off, swiftly heading outside. Suddenly, Bai Meng’s voice called out from behind.

“By the way, Captain, if I finish him off, do I get promoted to first-class?”

Mo Jiuge paused for a moment, then responded clearly, “Special permission granted!”

The rest of the guard was busy evacuating the crowd, leaving only Bai Meng and Feng Shi on the battlefield. The arena was partially in ruins from the earlier explosions, and some of the debris had injured several spectators.

“Now! I’m going to kill you!” Feng Shi wore a look of triumph on his face. Even though he could only shoot twice more, without Mo Jiuge’s interference, he was confident he could kill that bastard!

Heaven is on my side!

Bai Meng squinted at Feng Shi’s smug expression, sighing inwardly. That idiot really thinks luck is on his side…

If Feng Suiling didn’t rig this competition, I swear I’d choke to death on a nut! Bai Meng silently vowed, his eyes narrowing coldly.

Seeing that Feng Shi had nocked another arrow, Bai Meng quickly moved, heading toward his fallen black sword. The razor-sharp arrowhead stayed locked on him as Feng Shi drew the bowstring taut. The moment Bai Meng hesitated, Feng Shi released the arrow.

—Whoosh!

The silver arrow streaked through the air toward its target.

Bai Meng’s ears twitched as he heard the sound. He rolled swiftly, his wounded hands reaching out, grabbing his black sword just in time. But the next explosion was too close. The blast behind him tore into the ground, and the force rocked his body. Blood spilled from his mouth as the impact seemed to crush his internal organs.

Bai Meng forcibly propped himself up, with various wounds large and small continuing to bleed. He wiped away the blood that had flowed into his eyes without a care, though his vision remained completely dark.

Feng Shi sneered at Bai Meng’s movements. His Sheng was almost depleted; soon, he wouldn’t even be able to fly, but—

Drawing his bow fully, Feng Shi unleashed the last ten arrows, each one aimed at Bai Meng. In Bai Meng’s wide pupils, the explosions surrounded him, engulfing him in flames.

“Heh…”

Feng Shi’s wings vanished as his energy ran out, and he landed smoothly on the ground, satisfied with the sight of the flames before him.

“No one will ever insult Yinchen Hall again…” he muttered to himself. “One by one, they’ll all fall—Mo Hankui, Mo Jiuge, and you, Bai Meng…”

Blood poured from Bai Meng’s mouth and nose. He moved his body slightly and discovered that his right hand was already fractured, and there was a hole in his shoulder, from which a large amount of blood was seeping, dripping onto the ground and pooling into a small puddle of red.

Looks like period blood… Bai Meng thought humorously to himself as he lay there, eyes focused on the approaching Feng Shi. He held his breath.

Three…

Two…

One…

Suddenly, Bai Meng lunged forward, his black eyes sharp as a hawk’s. His agile body darted ahead, and with his good left hand, he aimed straight for Feng Shi’s throat.

“Bai Meng! Stop!”

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Bai Meng saw that it was Mo Hankui calling to him. But his hand didn’t slow—it still reached for Feng Shi’s neck, intent on taking his life.

A powerful aura swept over the battlefield from the distance, and Bai Meng instinctively dropped to his knees under its oppressive force. His expression was one of confusion.

“…Lord Hankui, why are you stopping me?”

The rest of the guard arrived, with Mo Jiuge at the front, his face filled with tension. “Bai Meng, are you alright!? Bai Meng, you—”

He stopped in his tracks, stunned by what he saw.

The other four guards who had come to watch the fight froze as well, their eyes wide with shock.

At that moment, Bai Meng was a mess. His once delicate face was smeared with blood, and his once white ears were now stained red. His shoulder continued to bleed, dripping onto the ground, and his right arm hung limply, bent at an unnatural angle. He turned his dark eyes toward the hall master, his expression lost.

—And he knelt before Feng Shi.