Decisive Battle, Severing the Path of Life (7)

The Ghost King spotted Prince Nolan and Sean Xuan approaching, and knew that taking Serena Feng as a hostage was now nearly impossible. He gave up on capturing her—deciding instead to eliminate her first, since what he truly wanted was her hand.

The Ghost King stomped hard on the ground, sending clouds of yellow dust swirling into the air. Dirt flew into Serena's eyes—she couldn't open them at all. Her gun hand wavered, and the bullet shot off wildly, who knows where.

But none of this was the truly terrifying part—the real danger was when the Ghost King lifted his leg and kicked at Serena. The moment she managed to open her eyes, all she saw was a blaze of red flying straight for her abdomen...

"No!" Serena screamed in terror. She realized there was no way to dodge, so she quickly bent forward to shield her belly, twisting her body to avoid the blow.

Her child must not be harmed.

"Serena—!" Prince Nolan and Sean Xuan's eyes went wide; they both ran for her with everything they had, but they were already too late...

"Ah—!" Serena screamed, her whole body flung into the air—and the direction she was falling was straight off the edge of the cliff...

Originally, by the Ghost King's calculation, kicking Serena in the abdomen would only have knocked her to the ground. But at the last second, Serena twisted her body—his foot landed a fraction earlier, throwing off his aim and sending her flying in a totally different direction...

"No!" Prince Nolan's eyes burned red. Ignoring his own wounds, he summoned his strength and rushed toward Serena: "Serena—!"

Sean Xuan mirrored Prince Nolan's movement, but he was a step slower—he could only watch as Prince Nolan lunged for Serena.

"Damn it." The Ghost King still wanted Serena's hand, so he wasn't about to let her die just yet. He didn't help save her, but he also didn't stop Prince Nolan's rescue attempt—though he made sure Sean Xuan couldn't interfere.

Of the three, letting one die would make things easier.

The Ghost King blocked Sean Xuan's path, forcing him to stop and fight. Meanwhile, Prince Nolan had already thrown himself toward Serena—risking everything to reach her just as she was falling.

"Serena, grab me!" Prince Nolan and Serena nearly jumped at the same time. In her panic, Serena flailed and barely managed to catch hold of the hem of Prince Nolan's robe, while he gripped his sword in one hand and clung to the cliff edge with the other...

The two of them dangled there, right on the edge of the cliff!

"Serena, hold on!" Prince Nolan's hand gripping the cliff was already bleeding. He clenched the soft sword between his teeth and reached out to grab Serena, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't reach her...

"Serena, give me your hand!" Serena was clinging to just a scrap of his robe, her whole body swinging in midair like a rag doll—it was terrifying to watch.

"I... I can't..." Serena tried her best to reach up, but she was always just a little too far. Her back throbbed horribly where the Ghost King had kicked her. She wanted to climb up, but her body wouldn't obey—she could only struggle to stretch her hand upward.

Unable to reach, Serena thought of pulling out a parachute or something from her Smart Med‑Pack—but she couldn't press the activation point. She couldn't even touch the Smart Med‑Pack, let alone take anything out. The Tiger Claw Grappling Hook she'd worn was already given to Vincent Su. Right now, she had no way to save herself.

A bitter taste rose in Serena's throat and she coughed up fresh blood: "I feel really bad," she sobbed, showing all her fear openly to Prince Nolan.

A dragging pain in her lower abdomen... It wasn't as sharp as the injury on her back, but it made her deeply uneasy.

"Save me." Never before had she so desperately wanted to live.

She wanted to survive—for her child. She didn't want to die.

"Don't be afraid, I'll save you." Prince Nolan comforted her, coaxing Serena: "Good girl... don't be scared, calm down—now, give me your hand."

"Cough, cough..." Serena tried her best to reach out, but she just couldn't grasp Prince Nolan's hand: "I can't reach, I can't reach..."

Failing again and again, Serena grew more and more anxious—she was on the verge of breaking down. And just then, the Ghost King finished dealing with Sean Xuan and started toward the two of them.

Smack! The Ghost King stomped on Prince Nolan's hand where he clung to the cliff—grinding down with force.

Crack... crack...

The sound of bones breaking filled the air—even Prince Nolan's face went pale with pain, sweat pouring down his brow.

"No, no..." Serena sobbed and cried out. The terror of losing her child left her a wreck—and now, seeing the Ghost King, she was filled with both rage and hatred.

"Nolan Dongling?" The Ghost King stomped on Prince Nolan's hand, crouched down, and demanded, "Where is the Nine Provinces Token?"

"Hmph..." Prince Nolan snorted coldly, ignoring the Ghost King. The Ghost King didn't get angry—he grabbed Nolan by the collar, yanked him up, and shook him violently: "Not talking...?"

"Ah..." The jolt nearly sent Serena tumbling down.

"Let go," Prince Nolan said coldly. He swung his sword hand at the Ghost King, who dodged easily. Just as the Ghost King was about to chop off Nolan's hand, the Nine Provinces Token hanging from Nolan's neck flew out.

"The Nine Provinces Token!" The Ghost King's red eyes flashed—he grabbed the token, tore the cord, and Prince Nolan winced in pain as blood trickled down his neck.

"Ha ha ha! The Nine Provinces Token is finally back in my hands!" The Ghost King laughed madly. "With the token, there's no need for you to stay alive. As for that woman—even dead, I can still take her hand."

The Ghost King struck, intent on killing Prince Nolan. But at that moment, a gray figure suddenly lunged at the Ghost King: "Die!"

Caught off guard, the Ghost King was hit squarely and nearly toppled off the cliff—he managed to recover just in time, spun on the spot, and pounced back...

The gray shadow fell to the ground. He had meant to grab Prince Nolan, but the Ghost King spun back so quickly that he could only raise his dagger and stab at the Ghost King again. But he was no match—the Ghost King swatted him aside with a casual flick, sending him flying.

But the Ghost King still wasn't satisfied. Ignoring Prince Nolan and Serena—whom he considered as good as dead—he chased after Vincent Su: "You dare hurt me? I'll tear you to pieces!"

"Vincent!" Prince Nolan's face changed—never before had he so bitterly hated his own weakness. The scene reminded him of his childhood, when he could only watch helplessly as those around him died one by one.

No—he had to save Vincent, and the Nine Provinces Token must not fall into the Ghost King's hands. But what about Serena?

Just then, an image flashed through Prince Nolan's mind—the Wolf Tribe Forbidden Ground. It was quick, but he saw it clearly: the most important thing was the Life-Linked Curse.

As long as he lived, Serena would not die. And... Serena was the Phoenixfield Heiress, bearing the Phoenixfield Heiress Brand—by that mark, she would survive.

Between two evils, he chose the lesser. In a flash, Prince Nolan made his decision.

Serena would not die!

"I'm sorry, Serena." Under Serena's shocked, disbelieving gaze, Prince Nolan raised his sword and slashed through the bit of robe she clung to. "Wait for me!"

Splash... Scalding tears fell from Prince Nolan's eyes, landing on Serena's stunned face...