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With fists ablaze, streaks of red light were drawn as they rapidly advanced! Those robbers blocking between the mage and Mengdie only felt a flash before them, as a pair of fiery, scorching fists heavily pounded on their bodies. Passing through three or four robbers, Mengdie's target was directly aimed at the mage! She leaped high, her angry eyes turning blood-red under the reflection of the flaming fists! By the time the mage hurriedly tried to defend, it was already too late.

"Fire... fire, be my wall..."

"Bang——！！！"

The fiery fist smashed into the mage's face, the other punch striking directly at his abdomen. The sparks from the collision seemed to transform into butterflies, fluttering in the air...

"This... impossible! In such a short time... to have seen through... the balance point of my magic!"

With a face of disbelief, the mage was sent flying against the cave wall, muttering the impossibilities. But, he didn't need to ponder over what was possible or not anymore. The pain in his abdomen and the fracture in his facial bones had already rendered him unconscious. After falling back to the ground, he couldn't get up again.

Mengdie tore off the cloth wraps around her hands and threw away the flaming fabrics. Standing in front of the girls, she quietly awaited the next attack from the remaining two hundred people.

But, would there be another attack?

Who among the robbers present dared to challenge someone who could break a fireball spell barehanded and defeat a mage in an instant? They didn't move. They just surrounded Mengdie, and despite her seemingly fragile appearance, each of them couldn't help but feel a hint of... fear.

Edward fought his way back to Mengdie's side. Covered in blood and holding a giant sword, he breathed heavily. However, he couldn't help but be excited about the girl beside him possessing such strong combat abilities! He sneakily looked back and praised, "Mengdie, you are amazing! With this, those mages probably won't dare to come anymore! We just need to delay time until help arrives!"

Contrary to Edward's excitement, Mengdie's face was solemn. After Edward finished speaking enthusiastically, she said in a voice only audible to the two of them, "Quick... help me..."

"What...?!"

Mengdie bit her teeth and clenched her fists: "Hurry... don't let them suspect... help me... I... I can hardly stand anymore..."

Edward was shocked, only then noticing Mengdie's body was slightly trembling!

Although the fireball didn't injure her, it had almost depleted all of Mengdie's strength. She was standing solely on willpower! She knew her condition. Despite appearing fine on the surface, she realized she couldn't clench her fists anymore, and her bones seemed to creak. Her legs were trembling, and at any moment, she could collapse!

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If they showed weakness now, it would mean certain death! Edward slightly shifted his stance, using half of his body to support Mengdie, and whispered, "What now? When can you recover?"

Mengdie bit her teeth, struggling to control her trembling body. She didn't have the strength to answer. Even if she did, she couldn't just say, "Give me two minutes."

The standoff continued. Perhaps seeing Mengdie and Edward not making a move for a long time, the surrounding robbers started to step forward. Mengdie's fists still couldn't clench, and the prolonged strain caused her cheeks to flush with effort. The terrifying aura from before was slowly fading beneath her increasingly reddened beautiful face, disappearing from the robbers' hearts.

"Kill!"

A robber who came closest seemed to notice something. He raised his knife and charged forward! Mengdie snorted softly, but no matter how hard she tried to rally, her weakened body remained unresponsive. She had only been in this world for two months and had trained her body for just as long. Usually, her fights involved at most a dozen people, and none of them were mages. Facing a hundred enemies suddenly, it was only natural to be overwhelmed!

"Damn it! Do they think I'm easy to mess with?!"

Summoning her last bit of strength, Mengdie suddenly reached out to poke the robber's eyes! He was startled and tilted his head back. Taking advantage of this moment, Mengdie's fingers turned into a palm, pressing on his throat. With a foot sweep, she knocked him down. Edward immediately came over and finished the robber with a sword strike.

"Who else dares to come forward!"

With Mengdie's shout, the surrounding robbers indeed stepped back. Her last attack was more about leveraging the opponent's movement rather than sheer force. Edward delivered the final blow, and even if Mengdie wanted to, she was too weak to do so. But, the aftereffect of her tearing apart the fireball was still effective! She hoped this influence could last until reinforcements arrived!

"I will!"

Unfortunately, reality is never so perfect.

A huge rock suddenly smashed towards Mengdie and the others. They immediately split to dodge, but this left Mengdie completely drained, lying on the ground unable to get up. Edward, after worrying about Mengdie, had to start worrying about his own fate.

"Annoying rats. Dare to think of exterminating me? Let's see who enters hell first!"

The leader of the Black Flame Snake gang, a giant man, finally appeared after sensing the commotion in the cave. He looked around, seeing dozens of his men lying on the ground, with a mage severely injured. And all this was caused by just two people? How could this not infuriate him?

"Rat! It seems you're quite confident in your strength! Killing so many of my men, if I rely on sheer numbers to kill you, wouldn't that make us seem incompetent?! Come! I'll tear you apart with my own hands and avenge my brothers!"

The giant man, Viba, ignored Mengdie lying on the ground. To him, the fragile-looking girl seemed uninteresting. Perhaps he thought all the casualties were solely Edward's doing.

Upon closer inspection, one could truly appreciate his towering height. He was like a wall, with well-defined and strong muscles. Just standing there brought an oppressive feeling. His arm, larger than Mengdie's entire body, seemed to stir a whirlwind in the air with a slight movement!

Edward, holding his sword, was tense. He stood in front of Mengdie, not daring to dodge, but his hands gripping the giant sword were sweaty. Mengdie glanced around, then loudly said, "What about not using sheer numbers? You, this gorilla, are clearly scared of my subordinates!"

Viba, hearing the voice, didn't see Mengdie behind Edward. He looked around and finally noticed the petite girl. After being momentarily stunned by her beauty, he responded, "Brat! After I slaughter your lover, I'll devour you alive! That's not all, the pain my men suffered will be consoled by your body!"

Hearing the word "lover," Edward suddenly felt invigorated! Somehow, facing a formidable enemy, his heart felt more at ease. Mengdie, lying behind him, didn't notice his expression and continued to provoke, "Talking about fairness? You're steadily approaching these girls, and Edward has to protect us and fight you, where's the fairness in that? In the end, you're just using hostages. You're scared, aren't you? Afraid of losing to Edward and not being able to face your men!"

Viba, upon hearing this, exploded in anger! He backed away, clashing his fists together, and ordered his men to clear a relatively flat area in the center of the cave. Standing there like a towering pillar, he pointed at Edward, "Come here! I, Viba, will personally tear your man into pieces! Little beauty, think about how you'll console my brothers later!"

With Viba leaving, the pressure on Edward immediately decreased. He put down his sword, looked back at Mengdie, then gripped his sword and stepped forward.

"Edward."

Mengdie softly called out. Despite the softness, Edward was extremely sensitive to her voice. He quickly turned, knelt beside Mengdie, and reached out to help her.

Mengdie hooked his neck, slightly straightening her body. She carefully observed Viba in the center of the arena and whispered in Edward's ear -

"Give me fifteen minutes."

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