It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

Xifa sneered coldly, and he spoke again, "This is the perfect place for those of us who cannot walk in the light to perform. Let me see your final struggle before you are buried in the shadows, Paladin whose heart is set on the light!"

Xifa's high-pitched voice at the end of the sentence naturally reminded Bai Lin that the battle was about to begin. He really had good intentions, Bai Lin thought, removing her armor. She calmly placed one hand on her hip and turned the key of the collar around her neck with the other.

Bai Lin's eyes lit up instantly. With a jolt of energy, she raised her left hand high in the air, her right hand fiercely placed diagonally below her elbow. The wind, distorting the magical energy, this time blew directly from Bai Lin's body.

"Transform!" Bai Lin shouted, suddenly slinging her left hand across her body and clenching her right fist at her waist. Her aura suddenly surged, and black liquid flowed from her front and back, rapidly sinking into the ground before fiercely transforming into thick, cage-like pillars, tightly encircling Bai Lin. At this moment, Xifa's attack reached her, flicking his knife next to the magic pattern pillar. With a silent sigh, he vanished along with his shadow.

Bai Lin stepped out. The heavy armor was not much different from the one Qinoli had worn before, except that it fitted her body more closely, was smaller, and had lost its cat ears. But the green light in her eyes remained unchanged. Holding her weapon, Bai Lin stood proudly in this dangerous forest.

Chapter 252 Look at My Transformation

"With your strength, if you make good use of my armor, it shouldn't be a problem to deal with that assassin, brave man."

Qinoli's calm voice rang out from Bai Lin's ears. Although they had only known each other for a short time, Bai Lin already felt that this voice had become extremely kind and familiar. Even simply hearing it made her feel obviously relieved. She quickly asked in her heart,

"Are you OK?"

"Well, the bleeding has stopped, and the person is in a safe place. Let's not talk about that for now. The enemy in front of us is more important. I have already fully analyzed the attack that just injured me."

Although her arm was broken, Qinoli's mental state seemed to be no different from usual. In this short period of time, she not only adjusted her mentality, but also made some tactical analysis. Bai Lin couldn't help but feel a little surprised.

"The essence of his slash was actually achieved by significantly compressing his own magic power. Although it's a dangerous method, it seems he has mastered it. However, it still has a significant flaw."

As Qinoli explained, Bai Lin saw Xifa and Shadow emerge from the environment like fish, unleashing a combined attack. A portion of Bai Lin's armor dissolved, and with a clang of metal and a roar, two shields, like iron walls, erupted from Bai Lin's shoulders and back, closing in on Xifa. Of course, she wasn't idle either. Seeing the iron wall stop Xifa, Bai Lin swung her sword and shield with a dashing gesture, intercepting Xifa, who had sneaked around from the side.

Bai Lin naturally wouldn't fall for this feint-and-attack tactic a second time, but he had a feeling the shadow wasn't just that simple, so he only dared to strike directly at the moment he blocked the shadow. The swift blade thrust out directly under the shield, and the shadow flew swiftly to Xifa's side, leaving a shallow mark on Bai Lin's helmet. After blocking the attack together with Xifa, Xifa swung his sword, and the shadow once again wrapped around it like a snake eel, and then slashed with the sword.

Although Bai Lin realized in time that his own attacking rhythm wasn't enough to hold Xifa back and began retreating, he still took the blow head-on. A dull, blunt force hammering sensation erupted from Bai Lin's chest, sending his blood surging. The shadows transformed into an extension of the slash, causing Bai Lin to stumble back two steps, his balance unsteady.

Xifa's eyes narrowed as he continued his pursuit. Though he was now unhooded, his body seemed to blend even more deeply into the darkness. The scarred young man vented a skilled yet lonely rage, his blade piercing Bai Lin with dark thunder.

Bai Lin clearly felt that this guy's every blow was aimed at her life, and she immediately felt a sense of foreboding. After all, it would be difficult for her to fight back now. At this moment, her armor suddenly shook again, and part of the carapace on her body condensed to the front part, resisting Xifa's attack.

"Don't be careless, brave man. You won't be able to win if you don't exert your strength to the limit." Qinoli's voice sounded in his mind.

Neither the previous iron wall nor the current shift in armor position were Bai Lin's own choices. It was obvious that Qinoli was secretly manipulating her, and with her, Bai Lin felt more confident. She quickly adjusted her stance, tilting her center of gravity slightly, tightening her shield-wielding hand, and slamming it hard into Xifa's wrist.

Xifa naturally withdrew his attack. Just as he was about to distance himself and escape into the darkness, Bai Lin suddenly shifted her weight forward and charged forward with her shield raised, striking Xifa with all her might, like a fearless, suicidal locomotive. Of course, she was a noble shield-wielding player; as long as she held a shield, her suicidal attack didn't seem so suicidal.

However, Xifa was no fool. Shadow instantly reappeared, holding its longsword in hand, and held it horizontally in front of Bai Lin. Xifa himself leaped from the spot, plummeting from the air to the ground, preparing to attack Bai Lin from above. Bai Lin quickly exerted all his strength to push away Shadow, then dodged Xifa's falling attack with a backward roll.

He landed on the ground, his cloak fluttering. Xifa slowly stood up, pulled out the sword stuck in the ground, turned the sword around and held it in his own hand, then stood in front of Bai Lin.

"I'll take advantage of this opportunity to explain. The Magic Rune Armor itself is a piece of equipment that creates turbulent magical energy to restrict the deployment of spells. In theory, it can't invalidate spells cast on it. However, the compression ability cannot rely solely on one's own original magic power. Just like a pile of carbon, it can't compress itself into a diamond."

"So, as long as you fight close to him, you can prevent him from using that move. As long as you don't have that move, you will be invincible."

Qinoli's explanation was very clear and even the metaphors were quite close to modern standards. After Bai Lin indicated that he understood, he also began to analyze it briefly.

This guy, the falling attack actually reduced his speed... What's the purpose of doing this? Bai Lin was a little confused. She thought of a possibility, but she was not sure, so Bai Lin asked,

"You seem quite young, under 30, right? I'm actually quite curious about what you've been through that led you to this line of work."

Xifa narrowed his eyes slightly, stared at Bai Lin and said, "You're asking me these questions at this time, are you trying to laugh at me?"

"Just a little curiosity. You're young yet you have ample combat experience. You possess formidable strength and possess unique skills. Someone like you should be highly valued."

"From what you just said, you must be a knight, right? If you just don't get along with the Knights, you can find any job you want. Why do you have to do this?"

Bai Lin's words were meticulous and innocent, sounding completely genuine, just pure curiosity. Xifa, who was in a serious state, was also stunned for a moment. He tilted his body slightly and said,

"What do you want to say? I can't survive if I continue to live with others in that city..."

"There are plenty of ways to go it alone," Bai Lin interrupted. "That agency is like that. You just go to the stewardess on your own and get some commissions. So, do you hate humans so much that you want to kill every single one of them?"

Chapter 253: Thinking about Shadow

Seeing that Xifa's tone seemed a little soft, Bai Lin immediately straightened his attitude and pursued him fiercely, trying to test his opponent's fundamental thoughts. Xifa smiled contemptuously after Bai Lin's question, adjusted his attitude, and said easily,

"If it doesn't interfere with me, there's no need for me to do anything. What? Are you trying to persuade me to surrender?"

Bai Lin shook his head. "Persuading someone to surrender is not something I'm good at. I just want to hear your thoughts. After all, this is a special time. If a powerful warrior changes his ways, it will be a good thing for humanity."

Xifa couldn't help but laugh. "That's obviously going to disappoint you. Now that we've come this far, there's no turning back. Stop all that boring chatter and let's get back to fighting!"

As he spoke, Xifa's shadow instantly detached from his body, attacking Bai Lin from both sides. At this moment, strange changes also occurred on Bai Lin's body.

Like an engine, a roaring sound echoed the earth's vibrations. A faint light began to radiate from Bai Lin, dissipating some of the temperature in this cold place. And when the engine rapidly beat to its limit, naturally—

A machine powerful enough to rival that roar took action.

In that brief blow, Bai Lin's armor underwent a drastic transformation. First, green magic patterns appeared, and then a fiery orange glow faintly lit up at the core. It quickly devoured the fine green patterns, devouring most of the magic patterns as if burning them while the color remained unchanged.

The lines of orange light are much rarer than the green ones, and one can clearly observe the liquid-like magic flowing within them. The closer to the core, the faster the flow, as if there is a huge thrust transporting this energy.

The light was blazing and dazzling, and in an instant, the black armor could no longer withstand it. A large amount of black debris, accompanied by wisps of orange light, exploded outward with great force, and Xifa and his shadow were once again swept back. The space within the shadow world rippled, trembling and swaying, as if afraid of the light.

Bai Lin clenched her fists and raised her head. The armor's eyes were now filled with a rich orange-red, a blend of red and orange light flowing throughout her body. Furthermore, the armor's design had also become more ornate.

The shoulder armor flapped back like wings, yet still tightly wrapped around Bai Lin's shoulders. The elbows were much thinner than before, allowing for more room for movement. While it still looked like a tin can with LEDs, the visual effect was much better.

Magic Pattern Armor Explosion

"You little sippy girl, are you toying with me? After showing me pity, you're going back and forth to flaunt your newfound strength as a defense against my attacks. Don't you have a knight's sense of justice?"

Xifa shouted furiously, as if finally, under Bai Lin's repeated torture, the wall of his heart was broken. A smile appeared at the corner of Bai Lin's mouth, and hidden under the helmet was a look of triumph.

From their first impression, Xifa was a ruthless villain who spoke little. But when he met Bai Lin again, the situation was a little different, and Bai Lin immediately applied a universal formula for understanding this situation.

If the villain is determined to kill you, and you manage to escape alive, then whether they're targeting you specifically or trying to communicate with you, it's a sign of their concern for you, which is...

The villain and his protagonist made eye contact.

Clearly, Bai Lin's understanding was correct. Whether it was the recruiting, the gradual advancement of his skills, the increasing talk, or the growing emotional fluctuations, all of this confirmed that Xifa was beginning to care about her. And as everyone knows, protagonists rarely agree with the villain's values; they generally use opposing beliefs to trigger a war between them.

Bai Lin is naturally the protagonist outside the norm.

She has a deep understanding of her own poverty and weakness, so when her repeated attempts to provoke Xifa to anger failed, Bai Lin began to find another way.

Why do villains always die because they talk too much? She already had a certain understanding of this reason in the original world. Although the protagonist is the enemy, he is also someone you can confide in without hesitation when you are about to win. The villain is also a human being and needs an outlet.

So, from the very beginning, Xifa felt he was a sure winner, and after Qinoli's departure, he became even more talkative. He felt a clear victory. But Bai Lin's performance made him feel a renewed sense of crisis. When the protagonist approaches the villain, a tough battle is inevitable.

So the scene above happened.

Bai Lin lent a hand to Xifa and expressed her willingness to listen to his ideas, which was also the reason why his heart began to soften. She acted like a saint, and she had established the image of a holy knight, but when Xifa wanted to fight head-on, she used the transformation function to evade the battle many times.

No one is without double standards. Even if he is an assassin, there will be times when he feels fooled, which indeed leads to his anger. After all, he has established an image of a righteous man who is willing to sacrifice his life for his companions, but Bai Lin's true nature is naturally not like that.

"A knight's heart of justice? Uh... I can't even remember the entire treaty, but it certainly doesn't say you can't use special abilities in battle, right?"

Facing Bai Lin's indifferent attitude, Xifa gritted his teeth and said,

"Logically speaking, I've given it my all, so you shouldn't hide your strength. Don't you even follow that? Don't you have to act like a gentleman when your companions aren't around?"

Bai Lin scratched his head. "Your remarks are really meaningless. What's wrong with using vulgar means to treat despicable people? If you have the guts, don't attack me by surprise. Then I won't use any tricks."

Xifa slowly stood up, as if a surge of blood rushed to his brain. He replied, "Okay, then I will fight you head-on!"

As soon as these words came out, Bai Lin's mind and this space were immediately quiet for a moment. Bai Lin was stunned for a moment, it was a surprise. Obviously, Xifa would say such a thing, which was completely beyond her expectations, but...

This is absolutely a good thing! Bai Lin nodded quickly and said, "It's a deal!"

Chapter 254 Knight Duel

Even though Xifa had taken off his hood, Bai Lin still couldn't see through the expression on Xifa's face. He was like a mysterious man, making it difficult to understand his thoughts. Therefore, Bai Lin couldn't understand whether what Xifa said was true or false, so he could only choose to be on guard.

Xifa's shadow swirled like a vortex, forming a medium-sized shield dotted with black particles, a perfect match for his slender sword. Unlike Bai Lin, he held the sword in his right hand and the shield in his left, clearly favoring the offensive.

"Before a battle, both sides should theoretically exchange names, but you certainly know my name, and I know yours too."

"Of course, Bai Lin, you are currently just an unknown person, so what I want to know more is the name of your teacher."

For some reason, Xifa's demeanor suddenly became more serious, which surprised Bai Lin. But Bai Lin was also somewhat unable to answer this question. She could only say,

"I think Uncle Rhine from the village taught me a little bit, and I also learned a little bit from various people, and I also learned a little bit on my own. I don't have any real teachers."

Xifa sighed softly and said with a somewhat dejected tone, "Is that so? I just think that being a knight isn't the path for you. Of course, you wouldn't believe what someone like me says, would you?"

"I might as well tell you something." Xifa pointed to the ground and the sky, then said, "If you die in this space, your body will gradually twist within the shadows, eventually becoming part of them. So don't count on your abilities to revive you. Just fight with all your might."

Although Xifa's voice was calm and contained no murderous intent, instead hinting at persuasion, it was still inherently ruthless. Bai Lin raised her weapon, and a light-orange, transparent silk cloak emanating a faint glow emerged from behind her shoulder armor.

The deformation of this armor was essentially caused by Qinuofu. She has the ability to analyze and utilize the power in Bai Lin's body. Of course, she can also monitor Bai Lin's physical condition and analyze the most appropriate combat method based on the data.

Qinoli's magic pattern metal possesses a certain fusion property. It can slightly assimilate mudstone by intervening in the earth, and use it as a large amount of magical material. The reverse is naturally no exception. The small amount of Mi Yan in Bai Lin's body will also undergo a similar chemical reaction after reacting with the armor.

This could be considered the power of sisterly unity. Bai Lin's previous chat with Xifa was certainly not a joke; squeezing out even a tiny bit of magic power from Bai Lin's body required considerable effort. However, the effect was excellent.

According to Qinofu, this set of armor will also evolve some abilities, and these abilities will naturally be controlled by her, while Qinoli will be responsible for providing some information about the armor and her own experience.

With Qinuofu's external brain, Bai Lin no longer felt like she was fighting alone. Honestly, even if Xifa continued to use sneak attacks, it wouldn't be very effective for her. Judging from the situation, Xifa's items were almost exhausted, and any sneak attacks would be detected by Qinuofu's vision in advance.

Bai Lin had already mastered the basics of the double attack, the only one that had ever posed a threat to her. Firstly, with the new armor on, Xifa couldn't easily break through her defense, and Shadow was barely able to cut her, at most occasionally delivering a blunt attack. Furthermore, this double attack had nothing to do with a sneak attack.

Of course, in a head-on battle, Xifa still has one drawback...

With a flurry of fierce slashes and shield collisions, the battle between Bai Lin and Xifa began. Bai Lin's small round shield and medium-length sword were primarily for close combat, a steady yet dynamic attack. Xifa's mandarin duck shield and slender sword, on the other hand, were suited for charging.

Holding the shield in front of the body, holding the sword forward, and then advancing, this is the more common use of the mandarin duck shield. However, in the friction and collision of swords, Xifa mostly just controlled the appropriate distance, and the number of times he used the shield to hit Bai Lin to suppress him was very few.

If this continues, it'll almost turn into a Hollywood duel, with you hitting me, and no one being able to hit anyone else. After mobilizing the power of Mi Yan, although Bai Lin's speed still lags behind Xifa's, their strength is basically equal. Although Xifa has the upper hand in terms of the board, it's Bai Lin who has been actively attacking and has not yet fallen behind.

A diagonal thrust followed by a shield strike, a sudden circle, and then a step forward to strike simultaneously. Bai Lin silently chanted this thought as he flipped the shield, which was held against Xifa's inner body, outward. A small amount of energy leaked out, burning Xifa while Bai Lin's power temporarily prevented his shield-holding hand from returning to defend. Xifa hurriedly raised his sword, but Bai Lin's attack was unrelenting. Instead, he was forced back repeatedly by the shield coming from the side. But Bai Lin had already taken a step forward and thrust his sword fiercely.

With tight timing and perfect rhythm, Bai Lin didn't even use his circle, simply using his martial arts to inflict damage on Xifa. Blood dripped from Xifa's neck. If he had dodged a moment later, his life would have been taken.

This was Xifa's biggest flaw after he chose to fight head-on. He had no armor, and if he showed any flaws, or if Bai Lin controlled his rhythm once, he would immediately fall into a disadvantage. His hand trembled as he touched his wound, as if he felt something unreal. A shadow instantly wrapped around it, stopping the bleeding. He shook his head and said in a trance,

"You're still a bit rusty after all... Your sword and shield skills are very strong. It seems you're not just a Dark Knight who's temporarily practicing with shields. Next, how about a fight with just swords?"

Xifa raised his longsword with both hands. Bai Lin was completely confused by his meaning. Although she was a time traveler and had no sense of honor in battle, she couldn't take Xifa's life with just sword and shield. Bai Lin once again accepted his challenge and raised her transformed, tempered longsword with both hands.

The forward-facing opening stance met Bai Lin's sideways stance, where he lowered his center of gravity. In silence, the dark, pool-like world suddenly erupted into two intertwined splashes of water, breaking the momentary silence.

Their swords collided. Bai Lin took the initiative to retract his strength before thrusting forward. Xifa then took a step back and easily blocked the blow, and the two began a fierce battle again.

Happy birthday to myself. I will buy myself a set of baboon jk tomorrow as a reward.

Chapter 255: Silver Blade Glittering

Swords clashed, and flames erupted. Bai Lin's nerves were on edge. Although her martial arts skills had improved, that didn't mean she could surpass Xifa in every way. Swords flew, and Bai Lin and Xifa advanced and retreated, fighting back and forth.

Under Xifa's powerful blow, Bai Lin deflected slightly, twisting her blade and stumbling slightly. She raised her blade with an unsteady stance, ready to meet Xifa's follow-up thrust. In reality, her unstable center of gravity wasn't caused by a mistake; Bai Lin was simply calculating, hoping to create a flaw.

She thrust her right forefoot hard, preparing to land before the next clash. With this momentum, she transformed the horizontal slash that was gradually forming in her hand into a diagonal slash. While using her armor to offset some of Xifa's thrusts, she directly pressed down with heavy pressure, bringing Xifa's blade down. Then, taking advantage of this opening, she raised her body, turned her hand and pulled the blade in the opposite direction, striking Xifa.

This tactical strategy was both risk-free and highly successful. Bai Lin saw Xifa's body enter her defined range and quickly raised her hand. But at that moment, she noticed that Xifa's body wasn't standing directly in front of her, but slightly tilted, with the tip of his sword pointed directly at the intersection of Bai Lin's shoulder and body, where her main hand was exerting force.

It's over. Bai Lin thought to herself. Just as she was about to retract her sword, Xifa's black sword tip deflected and slashed across Bai Lin's collarbone, leaving a deep groove. Bai Lin quickly retreated and slashed upwards with her sword, but Xifa didn't pursue her. He made a sword flower, then stood there and continued,

"Before you reveal your flaws, you must think carefully about who your opponent is."

"What do you mean? Do you want to be my teacher?" Bai Lin extinguished the flames on his blade, shield in front and sword behind, and asked Xifa in a stance. Xifa's tone now sounded a little strange. He was like a dancer on a tightrope, swaying but with ample opportunities to walk across the seemingly dangerous tightrope.

An unpredictable opponent can be very formidable. Bai Lin knew this, but her goal from the beginning to the end was to take Xifa's life. If possible, she could make him a good man and then squeeze out his surplus value before taking action, but Bai Lin felt that the hope of doing so was even slimmer than killing him.

Xifa shook his head without much expression on his face, and said,

"It's hard to find an opponent. I've been a bit lazy these days. I've been immersed in battles of overwhelming strength all day long, and gradually I haven't made any progress."

Bai Lin was very interested in what she said. She raised her sword to her side and said,

"Oh? Are you using me to test your sword? Then be careful not to get bitten back by me."

"That's impossible." Xifa smiled brightly, and a serious red light emerged. Shadows once again wrapped around him, and his body became a little hazy again. However, even without Qinuofu's assistance, Bai Lin could still see his figure clearly. He continued,

"Now, use all your abilities to the utmost and defeat me by any means necessary. Of course, I'm after your life, but I'm too lazy to lurk anymore."

Bai Lin curled his lips and said in a long voice, "How kind of you to remind me that the battle has begun."

This level of leeway actually made Bai Lin feel a little uncomfortable. She lowered her body, drew her sword, and charged out. Her body, blazing with fire, slammed into Xifa like a train. After her charge, she collided with the werewolf's shadow.

What?! Although this wasn't the first time Xifa had used his Stand to attack alongside him, this time, he'd actually ignored the shadow's impact and shattered it, leaving it intact before Bai Lin. This tactic, which effectively weakened his own combat power, surprised Bai Lin, causing her to swirl her sword repeatedly.

Although she had no clue of Qinuofu's location, it was too late to react once she spoke. The most outrageous thing was that Bai Lin felt murderous intent directed at her from all directions. This time, she could only hope for the best. The feeling of the hit returned to her body, but Bai Lin felt no joy at all.

The target she hit was another shadow.

"Bai Lin, up there!" Qinuofu's voice came out anxiously, not knowing whether it was too late.

Just as Bai Lin was about to raise her head, she was struck hard from the side and back, leaving half of her shoulder numb. She quickly turned around and attacked, slashing out again, hitting another shadow. This time, the shadow underwent a strange transformation after being shattered. Instead of dissipating directly, it ignited from the ground like a scorching flame.

Dark shadows outlined the dark ground. Coalesced threads gathered from across the space, forming a black curtain that stretched across the sky. Bai Lin finally managed to look up and saw Xifa standing behind the top of the curtain, his sword raised sideways.

Although it didn't appear many times, the silver light shone again. Bai Lin felt a sense of foreboding and was about to jump through the curtain to interrupt Xifa's spell, but his feet were suddenly pulled. Bai Lin hurriedly began to attack the shadows that emerged from his feet, while in his heart he urged impatiently,

"Qinoli, quickly use that magic steel to fuse into the earth and create pillars to interrupt him!"