Chapter 432 - 430: Illusory Beauty

Chapter 432: Chapter 430: Illusory Beauty

This time, his assault was even more vicious and unrelenting, each move a killing blow. He had clearly learned his lesson from their last encounter and refused to give Bai Wanwan another chance to use her weapon!

Jiao Yin immediately met him in battle. Water Energy and Dark Energy clashed violently, letting out a muffled BOOM.

The reef shattered under the force of the impact, sending fragments flying!

Jiao Yin was powerful, but Roger’s Dark Energy was insidious and unpredictable, with a strong corrosive quality. Roger fought with no regard for his own safety, adopting a life-for-a-life stance.

In order to protect Bai Wanwan behind him, Jiao Yin was forced to take several of Roger’s attacks head-on. His arm and shoulder were grazed by the Dark Energy, leaving behind searing pain and wisps of black energy that corroded his flesh!

Bai Wan watched, consumed by anxiety. Seeing Jiao Yin in constant peril for her sake, she couldn’t bear it any longer. Her hand shot to her waist, ready to use the laser gun again!

"Bai Wanwan! You really are ruthless!"

Roger, who had been keeping half an eye on her, let out a furious roar at the sight.

Just as Bai Wanwan was about to pull the trigger, a sinister, cold tendril of black energy shot out from a gap in Roger’s attack like a venomous snake. It snaked forward with unerring precision and wrapped itself around the wrist holding the gun.

Bai Wanwan felt a numbing tingle in her wrist, and the laser gun flew from her grasp!

"Ah! Give it back to me!"

Seizing the opportunity, Roger recklessly took a blow from Jiao Yin’s tail. He used the momentum to launch himself into the air and snatched the falling laser gun, gripping it tightly!

Bai Wanwan was struck with absolute horror as she saw the laser gun fall into Roger’s hands.

"Give it back!"

She knew the power of that gun all too well. If Roger fired it at Jiao Yin three times... he would undoubtedly die!

Roger gripped the cold, heavy, bizarrely shaped weapon, a thrilled smile spreading across his face.

He mimicked Bai Wanwan’s stance, whipping the muzzle around to aim it directly at Jiao Yin, whose breathing had become ragged!

"’Hua Sheng! Roger stole the gun! Can you help me get it back?’ Bai Wanwan frantically called to the system in her mind."

"’I’m sorry, Host.’"

Hua Sheng’s voice carried a hint of helplessness. "’System rules are restrictive. Once a weapon is seized by a non-Host, it can only be retrieved by the Host herself. But don’t worry, this gun is bound to your bio-energy, so Roger can’t recharge it. The stored energy is only enough for ten shots. Every shot he fires is one less.’"

Even as Hua Sheng was explaining, Roger’s finger had already found the trigger.

Bai Wanwan’s pupils constricted. She threw herself in front of Jiao Yin.

Her eyes were filled with grim resolve. ’I know how obsessed Roger is with me, and I know Jiao Yin is only in this mess because of me! I absolutely cannot let him die here!’

Jiao Yin stared at the slender back shielding him. His heart lurched, and a tidal wave of complex, indescribable emotions surged within him.

He tried to pull her away. "Wanwan! It’s dangerous!"

The triumphant smile on Roger’s face froze. "Bai Wanwan, get out of the way!"

"Roger, if you’ve got the guts, shoot me," Bai Wanwan said, not yielding an inch.

"You’re just taking advantage of the fact that I won’t hurt you to hurt me again and again, is that it?"

The muzzle aimed at Bai Wanwan glinted menacingly.

Bai Wanwan sneered. "Taking advantage of you not hurting me? Have you not hurt me enough already? If it weren’t for you, I’d have just completed the most important ceremony of my life and would be happily together with my Beast Husbands and our cubs..."

"What right do they have to be your Beast Husbands? I knew you before they did!"

He had, in fact, met Bai Wanwan before any of her other Beast Husbands, except for Xin Feng and Chou Rong.

"But I don’t like you. And the things you do make it impossible for me to like you!"

For a fleeting moment, Roger truly wanted to kill her. That way, she would belong to him forever.

But he’d gone to such great lengths just to have her!

He had been so close to succeeding.

He let out a low growl. His finger moved off the laser gun’s trigger, and he quickly shoved the weapon inside his clothes.

Once more, he gathered his Dark Energy and lunged at Jiao Yin like a crazed beast!

His goal was clear: he would get rid of this meddlesome Merfolk first!

Jiao Yin’s expression hardened. With one hand, he shielded Bai Wanwan, while with the other he manipulated streams of water into both shields and weapons.

But while protecting another person against Roger’s suicidal onslaught, he was instantly put at a disadvantage, facing one perilous moment after another.

Several times, Roger’s sharp claws barely missed his vital spots, and the Dark Energy continued to eat away at his defensive water shield!

The battle on the shore had reached a fever pitch.

Jiao Yin, protecting the encumbered Bai Wanwan, struggled to fend off Roger’s barrage of savage Dark Energy attacks.

Roger was like a man possessed. Every attack was delivered with the intent of mutual destruction. His Dark Energy, like a viscous poison, continuously ate away at Jiao Yin’s defenses, leaving a trail of blackened burns on his arms and chest.

Bai Wanwan was frantic with worry, watching Jiao Yin get injured for her sake.

Suddenly, a cunning tendril of black energy struck Jiao Yin hard in the back. With a muffled grunt, he staggered backward, still shielding Bai Wanwan.

Just as Roger’s deadly claws were about to tear him apart, in the nick of time, a figure suddenly appeared between Jiao Yin and Roger.

"Look at me!"

A clear voice, tinged with a strange, captivating charm, rang out. It was Hua Han!

He had, at some point, silently moved into the perfect position. His signature peach blossom eyes were no longer flirtatious; instead, they erupted in a brilliant, dazzling, pink-purple light!

The light was like a vortex, instantly ensnaring Roger’s furious, bloodshot eyes.

Roger’s movements stuttered to a halt.

In his distorted vision, the violent clashes of energy, the craggy reefs, and the churning ocean waves instantly faded away.

In their place appeared a tranquil and warm sea of flowers.

The sunlight was gentle, and a soft breeze blew.

And in the center of the flowers stood the female he had yearned for day and night.

She wore a pure white gauze dress, and her face held a tender smile he had never seen before.

She was no longer the female who regarded him with cold glares and bitter hatred. Instead, she was like the warm spring sun, full of acceptance and love.

Slowly, she opened her arms to him. Her red lips parted, and her voice was like a heavenly melody. "Roger... my dearest Beast Husband, come to me..."

An immense, indescribable wave of ecstasy and satisfaction instantly washed over Roger.

He felt as if all his shackles and darkness had fallen away. His eyes saw nothing but the open arms waiting for him.

He forgot the battle, forgot his hatred, forgot the pain in his shoulder. Like a lost child finally finding his way home, he walked step by step—dazed, full of infinite longing and desire—toward the "Bai Wanwan" in the sea of flowers.

He wanted only to throw himself into that warm embrace and drown forever in this false paradise of tenderness.

However, just as his fingertips were about to brush the hem of "Bai Wanwan’s" dress, a bone-chilling, stabbing pain exploded from the depths of his soul!

’No! This isn’t right!’

’This smile is too fake! This tenderness is a lie!’

’The real Bai Wanwan only ever looks at me with fear, disgust, and bone-deep hatred!’

’How could she ever smile at me like this? She wishes I would drop dead!’

"It’s fake! It’s all fake!" Roger let out a piercing roar within the Illusion Realm.