Read Novel Full Chapter 1316 Literally No One
Chapter 1316 Literally No One
They climbed the stairs in steady silence until the noise of the lower floor faded behind them. The steps creaked under their feet as the corridor narrowed.
Quinlan finally spoke.
"You know, I see myself in you, Feng."
She blinked and looked up at him.
"You followed me to this world from your own," he continued. "And suddenly you found yourself inside a family of people who stand out everywhere they go. You already knew I wasn't a normal man. I think you got the gist of it when I cut down God Venthros before he ruined your world."
Feng's lips curved into a small, soft, and timid smile as she remembered as clear as day.
"Yeah…" she whispered. "I did get that back then."
Quinlan nodded.
"But what you didn't know is how unique every single person around me is. My lovers. My daughter. My mothers. My subordinates. None of them is average. Not a single one. If I were in your place, I would've felt the same pressure. Wanting to prove myself. Wanting to catch up. Getting restless because everyone else is extraordinary, but I struggle with the basics."
Feng let out a scoff. "You never would've ended up in this position."
He didn't argue. "Maybe so."
He shrugged. "I'm extremely versatile. My enemies tend to underestimate me, or rather, they just can't conceive that I'd have even more tricks up my sleeve than what they know of, as that's already a ridiculous amount. I have too many advantages, strong allies, and trump cards. And, sometimes, my luck is plainly ridiculous."
Then he glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
"But so what?"
A grin tugged at his mouth. "Ask any of my wives - except the best girl - and they'll tell you I've made a mountain of mistakes. I look back almost every day and see things I could've handled better."
They stepped onto the next floor.
The sharp sound of ripped flesh echoed immediately.
Black Fang and Raika were already in the middle of the last stand.
The two undead mages - gaunt, robed, and bristling with dark runes - were trying to retreat, but Raika crashed through their spells with raw, swinging force. Her fists hammered into one mage's ribs, breaking every bone in his torso. A blast of sickly energy scorched across her entire body in retaliation, but she gritted her teeth and kept swinging.
Raika was built for this sort of chaos.
Hits landed on her. She endured them.
And then she returned them tenfold.
Black Fang moved differently. She blurred in and out between shadows. Her katana flashed with a thin sheen of poison that hissed each time it met undead flesh. One lich tried to flee toward the far wall, but she stepped across his path and cut through him in a single, clean slice. The venom ate through the remains, turning his entire form into drifting dust.
She was simply far too overwhelming for mages to contend with in such close quarters. Her speed, due to her immensely high Agility stat, combined with her Strength and immense mastery over the blade, ensured she was a nightmare to face at all times… But when she got the drop on you?
When she was literally teleported into the heart of your fortified stronghold?
It was simply unfair.
The other lich, cornered and falling apart, rasped out a final line as Raika punched its head off.
"Lady Weaver, The Eternal, The Drowned King… They will avenge us… Count your days, mortals…"
Raika tore the rest of his body apart with two more punches, sending pieces scattering.
The floor fell still.
Black Fang straightened, wiped her blade with an impossibly quick swing, and flicked a glance toward Quinlan and Feng.
Raika rolled her bruised shoulder once, breath steadying.
Behind them, the last fragments of the undead mages crumbled into silence.
Quinlan stepped over the last patch of dust where a mage had been, motioning for Feng to follow. They moved through the broad hallway and up the rising steps until the stone opened into a wide platform.
A viewing artifact embedded into the rail flickered to life the moment they sat. Thin rings of light rotated once, expanding until the image of the vehicle's surroundings curved around them in 360 degrees. The balcony didn't feel like a balcony anymore.
Right at the far end, at the tunnel from which this undead fortification crawled up to the surface, Orianna was already at work with one knee down and palms pressed to the earth.
Green spread through the tunnel mouth in a slow crawl at first, but the moment her breath steadied, the entire stretch came alive. Thick vines twisted out from cracks. Broad leaves unfurled and overlapped like scales. The tunnel walls shifted under the pressure as the growth climbed over them.
The construct beside her blared another warning. Its lights flared red. The sound echoed through the whole chamber like a siren calling the rest of the Covenant to gather.
Which was the point.
Raika and Black Fang dropped down beside Orianna. Both watched the tunnel close by the second, ready to fight anyone who pushed through somehow.
Quinlan tapped a finger on the armrest.
"Well," he mused with his eyes resting on the growing wall of vines and the three baddies ready to engage anyone at a moment's notice. "That should buy us a little time."
Especially as the rest of the crew left the prison area and joined them.
"Have you ever wondered why I let you go so easily?"
Quinlan asked, returning to the topic at hand.
Feng sat with her hands on her knees, eyes narrowing a little as she tried to figure out where Quinlan was going with this.
He waited.
Eventually, she muttered, "Back then, you told me you understood what I was thinking. And that you agreed with my decision."
Quinlan nodded once.
"I did. I also knew you'd get caught by something bigger than you could handle. Honestly?" His mouth curled into an impressed grin. "I'm surprised you lasted this long. I should probably give Iris more leadership tasks, because this… this is a small miracle."
A dry laugh slipped out of Feng, hearing his real thoughts about her decision. "Thanks," she said, more defeated than sarcastic. Her shoulders dropped. "But you're right."
Quinlan gave her a bright, annoyingly confident smile. "When am I not?"
She narrowed her eyes at him. "Didn't you just say you make mistakes almost every single day?"
His grin widened. "The cocky brat in you is still alive. Good."
He shifted in his seat. "Have you ever wondered why I not only let you leave, but agreed so fast when Felicity, Lyra, and Iris wanted to go with you?"
Feng's brow tightened. She took a moment before answering. "I thought you believed we made a good team. That we'd succeed." Then her delicate features twisted. "But now I know you didn't believe in our success at all. Not for a single second."
Quinlan reached out and patted her head. This time, it was not gentle, not soft, but a firm, condescending brotherly pat meant for someone's dumb little sister he fully intended to annoy. Feng bristled, jaw tightening, but she didn't swat his hand away. The guilt in her chest held her still, forcing her to bear his infuriating antics.
It was the punishment she gave herself.
"Now, I don't mean to say this rudely, but no one believed you'd be safe handling this. Not even Blossom. Do you know what she did on the first night you left?"
"… Offered to follow us in secret?" Feng guessed.
"Close," Quinlan chuckled. "She asked if I want her to bait a huge monster horde toward your camp so you'd crash into reality and come home within a day."
Feng's eyes widened. "Blossom did that?!"