Bai Ye looked towards the low mountain to the side, his brow furrowed. "Sniper?"
Li Jia wiped the blood from his lips and looked at Bai Ye. "Trying to stall me again before making your move? Is that all you know? Good thing I was prepared."
Bai Ye sneered, "You only know how to find help. If you have the guts, fight me one-on-one."
Li Jia was unfazed. He formed a hand seal and said, "One-on-one? Do you really believe such a foolish thing yourself?"
As Li Jia spoke, he waved his hand, and the Sun and Moon Twin Wheels immediately slashed towards Bai Ye.
Bai Ye swiftly swung his sword, deflecting the Sun and Moon Twin Wheels once more. Then, with a dip of his shoulder, he charged towards Li Jia again.
So fast!
Li Jia was startled. Bai Ye's speed was noticeably faster than when they fought in the forest, but an improvement in such a short time?
This was impossible!
This was all thanks to the Might of Demacia!
In an instant, Bai Ye closed the distance and swung his sword down at Li Jia.
Boom!
The broadsword struck the ground, emitting a deafening roar that shattered the earth.
However, Bai Ye felt no impact from his swing. He looked up and saw that Li Jia's body had been cleaved, but there was no blood!
Furthermore, Li Jia's body was gradually fading, dissolving in the wind.
"A clone?"
Bai Ye didn't know if it was a clone Li Jia had used, but even if it wasn't, it was definitely something similar. He hadn't struck Li Jia's true body.
And then...
Bai Ye sensed something and quickly leaped to the side!
Bang!
The moment Bai Ye leaped away, the ground cracked open, revealing a bullet hole.
"Damn it!"
Bai Ye cursed under his breath.
Bai Ye himself was a sniper, so his intuition in this area was very sharp.
If his attack missed, and Li Jia used a clone to create distance, it was only natural for a sniper to take advantage of the opening.
Indeed, his opponent thought the same way.
And...
It wasn't over yet!
As Bai Ye narrowly dodged the shot, he suddenly felt a powerful fluctuation in the air. He spun around abruptly and saw Kurumi T raising his staff. Immediately, red magic bullets flew towards Bai Ye.
Bai Ye felt an urge to spew blood. This wasn't fair! It was one thing for Li Jia and that sniper to be Chosen Ones, but for a native to join the fray too?
Bai Ye was about to curse when the situation suddenly turned into a three-on-one battle.
But, in an instant...
The wind currents around them were suddenly disrupted, and a figure descended from the sky, landing in front of Bai Ye.
It was Rimuru in his human form!
Facing the incoming magic bullets, Rimuru simply grabbed the dagger at his waist and swung it forcefully.
Boom, boom, boom!
The magic bullets exploded, dissipating into wisps of black smoke.
"Even though you're said to be a high-ranking Majin..." Rimuru said to Kurumi T with a pure expression, "you don't seem that formidable!"
Kurumi T was furious.
Bai Ye, on the other hand, was overjoyed. Lord Rimuru still cared about him. With his intervention, he didn't need to worry about Kurumi T. All he had to do was deal with Li Jia, and he could complete the mission.
As Bai Ye thought this, he quickly searched for Li Jia's whereabouts, and then...
"Hm?"
Bai Ye couldn't help but frown.
Li Jia stood not far away, but the Sun and Moon Twin Wheels were put away. Li Jia himself had his hands in his pockets, looking at Bai Ye with a smile.
Bai Ye could clearly sense Li Jia's attitude, which was...
I'm not fighting anymore!
Bai Ye was bewildered.
What was going on?
Bai Ye felt that the current situation had become clearer.
If he had to deal with both Li Jia and Kurumi T simultaneously, it would indeed be difficult. Although Bai Ye felt that killing Kurumi T wouldn't be too difficult, that was in a one-on-one fight. Kurumi T's close-combat weaknesses were too easy to exploit.
However, with Li Jia causing trouble, preventing Bai Ye from directly engaging Kurumi T, the threat from Kurumi T remained significant. He had a spiritual attribute close to 700 points, and his magic attacks were incredibly powerful.
Therefore, with Rimuru appearing to handle Kurumi T, and Bai Ye focusing on Li Jia, the situation was perfect.
But Li Jia was acting as if he wasn't going to fight anymore...
Bai Ye's brow furrowed even tighter. Had he overlooked something?
Bang!
At the same time...
A loud bang came from behind Bai Ye. He turned to see Kurumi T attacking Rimuru again, red magic bullets flying towards Rimuru.
However, those magic bullets were no match for Rimuru. With a casual wave of his hand, the magic bullets were deflected, landing near Kurumi T and blowing him away, sending him tumbling across the ground.
A flash of inspiration struck Bai Ye. He seemed to have figured something out.
Was the strength of this high-ranking Majin far inferior to Rimuru?
"Save me, save me." At this moment, Kurumi T got up from the ground and shouted angrily at the Orc Lord. "I gave you a name so you could become the new Demon Lord. What are you waiting for? Kill them, eat them, and let the entire Jura Tempest Federation know the power of the Orc Disaster."
The Orc Lord looked down at Kurumi T, and suddenly, his eyes emitted a crimson glow.
Bai Ye's heart sank. He finally understood what was happening.
"No!"
Bai Ye sprinted towards Kurumi T, but it was too late!
The Orc Lord raised his cleaver, about to strike down at Kurumi T!
Kurumi T's face contorted in terror, filled with disbelief. He clearly hadn't expected the Orc Lord to kill him.
In fact...
For the Orc Lord to evolve into a Demon Lord, he needed to constantly devour, to grow stronger, to evolve, and eventually become a Demon Lord.
So, was there a better choice than devouring Kurumi T?
This was a high-ranking Majin with immense magical power. Furthermore, Kurumi T himself had bestowed the name upon the Orc Lord. If that was the case, wouldn't devouring Kurumi T be enough?
Bai Ye finally understood the meaning behind Li Jia's smug smile.
Bai Ye had misunderstood the core of Mission Three. Kurumi T wasn't important; he was merely a prop. What was important was the latter half of the mission: prevent the birth of the Orc Disaster!
Seeing the Orc Lord's cleaver about to descend, Bai Ye gritted his teeth and threw the broadsword he was holding forward.
Then...
Thwack!
The broadsword struck Kurumi T directly in the back, piercing through his chest and pinning him there.
For a moment, the Orc Lord was stunned, and Li Jia was also dumbfounded!
The dying Kurumi T turned his head, his eyes wide, staring at Bai Ye.
Bai Ye said sheepishly, "I don't know if you'll believe me, but I was actually aiming for the Orc Lord's cleaver. I was trying to save you."