Chapter 1134: 121. Forward

“You are not allowed... to advance any farther.”

The newcomer did not react to Marcie’s words, only muttering to himself.

On his ashen face, pain and anger intertwined. As a former Pioneer, the reason he retained seemed to be greater than that of ordinary evil believers, but he still could not control the flesh pulsing beneath his bark-like, withered skin.

“We cannot... betray the Goddess again...”

“I got tired of hearing that a long time ago.” Marcie grabbed her little hoe and bared her teeth. “But it’s not that we betrayed the Goddess. The Goddess betrayed us, didn’t she?”

“Not allowed... cannot...”

“I already said... I’m tired of hearing it!”

Without another word, Marcie pressed forward and charged.

The other party was a magician. Although she had never fought a real magician before, books had records on this. When facing these people, you absolutely had to close the distance!

They relied on something called “magic” to attack from range. Once you got close, their fragile bodies would make them completely become lambs waiting to be—

“Body enhancement.”

Words with a somewhat dangerous meaning suddenly rang out.

Before Marcie could react, she saw a thin, withered fist pass straight through her defense. Before her hoe could smash down, it slammed viciously into her abdomen first.

“Ugh!”

Her entire face immediately scrunched together. Fierce pain spread radiating through her abdomen, making her curl up directly like a cooked shrimp, while an abnormal flush instantly surged onto her face as well.

“Cough, cough... urgh... damn it... weren’t we supposed to agree that close combat was no good?”

Marcie was sent flying far away again, and it took her a long while to stabilize herself. She retched miserably on the ground, but fortunately, she had already thrown up almost everything in her stomach earlier, so now there was nothing much left to vomit.

“You are not allowed... through.”

The Magician was still repeatedly muttering those words, but the pressure he gave Marcie now was already completely different from before.

Damn it. At range, she would get blasted. In close combat, she could not beat him. How was she supposed to fight this?

“How about we play rock-paper-scissors?” Marcie suggested tentatively.

“Betrayer... die.”

Of course, the proposal did not pass.

The Magician raised his hand again, and magic power began gathering in his palm.

He did not chant, which showed that his foundation in magic was actually not weak. Unfortunately, in Annabawei, which had been oppressed by the black night for several hundred years, even the existence of magic power had become much thinner. His upper limit was probably only around the third or fourth rank.

But this was already a natural moat Marcie could not cross. Cold sweat streamed down her forehead, and she realized that with her short little legs, when the next attack arrived, she would not even be able to run.

What should she do? Was it really going to end like this?

After she had finally managed to reach this place with so much difficulty, after that guy had given her so much help, after she had already made up her mind, in the end...

“I’m not scared.”

Facing the approaching threat of death, Marcie clenched her teeth and stood up again, gripping her weapon.

She was also a Pioneer now. Although she was still only a Trainee, the first requirement of a Pioneer was courage.

Pioneering, pioneering, constantly pioneering, pioneering forward.

That was right. A Pioneer had to keep moving forward, no matter what exactly lay ahead.

“Come on.”

Marcie gripped her hoe tightly with trembling hands.

“Ridic... ulous.”

A mocking laugh, faint and indistinct, came along with the fishy wind, mocking her overestimation of herself. The Magician, who had long since forgotten his former identity, raised his hand high. Magic power condensed into a fatal ball of light, and then... released!

Boom!

The terrifying explosion seemed as if it would devour everything, even swallowing several people fighting nearby into it as well. The Magician did not hold back at all because of Marcie’s weakness. The light of that sphere had been compressed to the extreme, and its power was also the release after that extreme compression.

With Marcie’s fragile flesh-and-blood body, naturally, she would be blown up until not even scraps remained.

But...

“Huh?”

Her hair was blown into a mess by the airflow. The explosion thundered behind her. Marcie blinked, then randomly touched herself all over again.

Strange. She was actually completely unharmed?

“I’m fine! He missed?”

Marcie lifted her head joyfully, then froze.

Of course the Magician could not have missed. It was just that in the instant before he attacked, a figure had rushed up and forcibly changed the direction of that offensive.

Marcie looked at that figure in astonishment. She recognized the other party’s face as well, but compared to those famous veteran Pioneers, that person’s presence was much lower.

“Title, Fang. Number 30130. You’re Pioneer Newman Grove!”

“You actually recognize me?” The Pioneer named Newman raised his brows in surprise. “I got lost in the fog for five whole years. My presence isn’t exactly high.”

“Hmph, hmph. I would never ignore any Pioneer. I remember all of you!” Marcie said proudly.

“Thank you.”

Joy flashed through Newman’s eyes. Before setting out, every Pioneer had already prepared themselves to die namelessly and silently in the fog, but who would not want their name to be remembered?

“You go first. I’ll hold this place.”

“Huh?”

Marcie froze. “Me?”

A proper Pioneer was actually specially opening a path for her, this Trainee?

Logically speaking, should it not be the other way around? Let the weaker person delay for time. That way, the probability of success would—

“You’re with that gentleman, aren’t you?” Newman suddenly said.

“That...”

Marcie immediately realized who that gentleman meant. She turned her head and looked over, only to find that, unlike the rookie-on-rookie pecking here, that guy and Lord Alan were locked in battle, the two of them killing each other so fast even their afterimages could not be seen clearly.

Even the most elite Pioneers did not dare approach that place. Those evil believers who rashly got close trying to support were directly torn to shreds by the aftershocks.

It was in a completely different style.

“He really is amazing. If he hadn’t stopped Alan... stopped that evil believer, we would already have lost.”

Newman also looked over there, revealing a bitter smile. “And you, Miss Marcie, are someone together with him. That means you are someone he chose. You can definitely complete the mission.”

“Ah, this...”

Marcie scratched her head, somewhat embarrassed.

So this was how other people saw it now? But she was not someone he had chosen at all. It was only that her grandma had happened to pick him up, then asked him to escort Marcie to Rabuya.

Honestly, his job had actually already been completed the moment they entered the city. It was herself who had shamelessly clung on...

But Newman... no, not only Newman. Marcie suddenly realized that, without knowing when, many familiar figures had already appeared around her. They were all Pioneers, Pioneers she had once looked up to and worshiped.

They surrounded her, helping her block those enemies.

“Go.”

Newman looked at Marcie seriously. “Pioneer Marcie, you can definitely do it.”

“...”

She really had no idea where these people’s confidence came from.

She clearly had no battle record, no merits, and she was not even really...

“I’m not a Pioneer yet. I’m only...”

“You already are.”

Newman said, “From the moment you chose to move forward on your own just now.”

Marcie froze slightly.

The cold wind was sharp. The Magician launched another attack, and Newman no longer had time to explain anything more to Marcie. He turned and fought against him.

Only then did Marcie discover that Newman’s shoulder had already been dyed red with blood. Changing the direction of the magic attack just now had not been without cost. And his strength was also far below that of this veteran Pioneer.

But he still embraced a certain resolve and gritted his teeth, holding on.

“Believing in someone like me... so there are a lot of stupid people among Pioneers too.”

...And she, who felt her blood surge and thought herself capable of anything after being casually believed in a couple times like this, was equally stupid.

Marcie took a deep breath. No longer hesitating, her determined gaze swept across the field. Bent low, she charged directly out through a weak point in the evil believers’ obstruction.

She was small and did not draw attention. On this chaotic battlefield, she could indeed perform better.

The Magician still wanted to stop her, but Newman blocked him.

“Go.”

Marcie heard him again. Heard the voices of many people.

“Pioneer Marcie, keep moving forward.”

Forward.

And then become the hero she had always dreamed of being.

Save Annabawei.