The Protagonist is Always Intimidating Me - Chapter 58

The pearl, which appeared unusually fragile, was being tossed around idly by the group of demons. Upon hearing a series of explosions from not far away, the demons immediately stopped what they were doing and flew off toward the source of the commotion. The pearl, suspended mid-air, was casually thrown to the side and was about to fall to the ground when a fair hand caught it.

“Whew…” Bai Meng was almost scared into a cold sweat. He lifted his eyelids and saw that the explosions around Mo Jiuge had ceased. Presumably, the man had already left. Bai Meng hurriedly tucked the pearl into his chest and flew up with his sword.

……………

It had been a while since Bai Meng and Mo Jiuge had descended into the abyss. A large number of demons began pouring out from the shattered seal, and their numbers kept increasing. The low-level demons gathered densely together, forming an inky black mass. Due to the faint moonlight, even the figures of some high-level demons appeared near the edge of the barrier, letting out shrill, triumphant laughter.

“Damn it…” Lan Wei was protected in the center. He coldly wiped away the blood from the wound on his face. “They’re strutting out like this… Do they think we’re already dead?!”

Ah…

Well, judging by how we look, we really do seem not far from death…

Mo Lei silently swallowed this thought. His arm had already begun to tremble slightly, a sign that his body was close to exhaustion. But the surrounding demons were growing denser, and some were even attempting aerial ambushes. Danger lurked in every direction.

Suddenly, a massive, pitch-black Xuan-Tie sword descended from the sky, cleaving through the body of a demon attempting to attack from above. Upon hearing the commotion, everyone looked up, only to be showered with unidentified fluids splashing through the air. As they raised their heads, they were all doused in the blood of the demon.

Everyone: “……”

“Who died?!”

A clear and youthful voice rang out from above, and the despondent expressions on everyone’s faces instantly turned to excitement. Lan Wei snorted a few times with a faint smile on his lips but ultimately said nothing.

“Quit your whining!” Bai Meng hurriedly handed the item in his hand to Lan Wei. The latter grumbled and cursed a bit but handled it with extreme care. Then, perhaps tugging on an injury somewhere on his body, Lan Wei’s face suddenly turned pale.

“Hey, Lan Wei! Are you okay?!”

Bai Meng quickly grabbed his hand to stop him from collapsing.

“Not dying, not dying… Besides, if I die here, Xiao Chengzi will laugh at me…”

Lan Wei murmured dazedly. Then, forcing himself to stay alert, he stubbornly took the pearl. The two of them steadied themselves at the edge of the abyss’s seal, Bai Meng supporting Lan Wei with one hand while fending off demon sneak attacks with the other. The remaining members joined the battle with their last ounce of strength, including Mo Lengsui and Mo Feng, fighting only to protect this final hope.

Lan Wei silently chanted a spell over the pearl in his hand. In an instant, the pearl, which had been flickering dimly, suddenly burst forth with radiant light. It slowly floated toward the cracked part of the barrier and began to repair it.

The barrier had already been left in ruins after ten days of damage. Now, the tiny pearl was like a glowing miniature sun, its radiant beams spreading like a web, stitching the shattered barrier back together.

Demons touched by the light turned to ash. Those still eager to surge forth retreated back into the abyss. The pearl shone so brightly that it stung everyone’s eyes, and tears streamed down their faces.

“We won… We won…”

“We won, wahhh…”

“We finally… won… sob sob…”

Yes, we won.

Bai Meng’s lips curled into a bold, unrestrained smile, though his eyes were red.

Some among the survivors were crying uncontrollably. Most surprisingly, even Mo Yu, the usually dashing and composed cool guy, was crying. The tall young man now looked like a child, hugging Mo Lengsui and sobbing uncontrollably.

But in the next second, Mo Yu was pulled away from Mo Lengsui by Mo Lei and Mo Chao. The cold indifference of his companions, and the loss of someone to cling to and hide behind, made Mo Yu cry even harder.

Bai Meng smiled as he glanced around at everyone, but suddenly a thought struck him. His smile froze.

“…Mo Jiuge… E-Everyone… Has no one seen Jiuge…?”

Bai Meng’s clear voice trembled slightly. Though his voice was soft, an eerie silence suddenly fell over the group.

“…Vice-Captain Jiuge, he… never came back up. We thought…”

“…Thought what?…”

Thought what…

“…W-We thought… thought Vice-Captain Jiuge… might have had an accident down there…”

But… we agreed to meet at the surface…

Jiuge didn’t make it back…

How could this happen…

“…Then I’ll go find him.”

The smile on Bai Meng’s face was still frozen in place, grotesquely so, and though anyone who saw it would normally find it absurd, now it only brought discomfort and sorrow.

“…He won’t be coming back…” Lan Wei’s sea-blue hair drooped over his face, casting shadows that hid his expression. His voice was so cold it seemed devoid of human warmth, “When he agreed to go down there, he already knew… he wouldn’t be coming back.”

“Lan Wei, you’re full of shit!!! You—”

“You think I’m making this up?!” Lan Wei gave a cold laugh. “Yes, the talisman from the Black Panther clan does offer protection, but I also said it can only be used once…”

“That disaster twenty years ago… nearly wiped out the entire Rìchì Hall… Do you get it…?”

…Do you get it now?…

…I…

“I don’t get it…” Bai Meng’s smile turned strange, his voice filled with grief, “We agreed to meet above… and he didn’t show up…”

“It’s fine. I’ll just go down and find him. It’s not a big deal. I’ll just go get him…”

“Someone stop your captain!!!”

“Bai Meng, you are not going!” Lan Wei, clutching his blood-soaked chest, was quickly treated by Mo Lengsui at his side. “Damn it, Bai Meng, you’re the captain! It’s you!!! Mo Hankui is down, and I’m on the verge of dying too. We still need to clean up the battlefield. Right now, the only one who can take command is you, so don’t you dare act recklessly!!!”

“Lan Wei, f*ck you!!!”

“Even if you f*ck me, I’m still not letting you go!!!”

“Damn it…”

Bai Meng crouched down, his bloodstained fingers desperately tugging at his hair, screaming hoarsely, “Lan Wei, you bastard! Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!”

Actually…

I’m the bastard…

I didn’t know anything… and then I left Mo Jiuge behind…

“…What’s going on…?”

A tired voice rang out behind Bai Meng. Everyone looked up, and the expressions on their faces instantly turned to ones of utter disbelief—”Holy sh*t!” was written all over them. Even Lan Wei was stunned.

“What happened?”

“……”

“Hmm? Little Captain, what’s going on?”

Mo Jiuge bent down and patted Bai Meng’s head. In the next second, that fair, bony hand was slapped away by Bai Meng. Curled up on the ground, Bai Meng was being bombarded with questions one moment and having his hair tousled the next. His mental state was already on the verge of collapse, and now someone had come to bother him without any awareness. Irritated, Bai Meng looked up, ready to curse, but the moment he saw that face, he fell completely silent.

“…Jiuge?”