Chapter 348: Allied Forces

Tengwan Lixiang, the last Master of Chaldea, now leans against an abandoned car, her orange‑red short hair a bit disheveled from frantic dodging, amber eyes fixed on the battlefield, a bead of sweat trickling at her hairline.

Her white Chaldea Uniform is covered in dust.

In front of her, the girl—Ma Xiu·Ji Lie Lai Te—wields a massive Cross Shield, fiercely blocking the Insect Swarm's assaults from all directions.

Purple short hair flies with her movements, the tight combat suit outlining her agile figure, purple eyes full of focus.

Each heavy impact of the shield against the ground repels or even shatters the insects, but their numbers are overwhelming, surging forward and compressing the two's maneuvering space.

"Mashu, we have to break out! If we keep this up we'll be worn out to death!"

Lixiang quickly scans the surroundings, trying to find a way through.

She tries to contact Chaldea: "Doctor! Da Fenqi, can you hear me? Something's wrong here!"

The comm channel is filled only with static hiss; the usual caring or teasing replies from Doctor Roman have vanished.

"Communications... completely failed."

Mashu grits her teeth to endure a heavy blow, a sour‑tinged scraping sound coming from the shield, "Senior, the spatial coordinates here are wildly chaotic; we may have been drawn into a powerful Abnormal Spacetime Node."

"So, we got lost into some strange Dongmu City, and as soon as we got off the vehicle we ran into a buffet?"

Tengwan Lixiang makes a wry remark, but her gaze shows no panic.

A Savior who has weathered great storms has long honed the ability to stay clear‑headed in dire straits.

But the Insect Swarm before us...

are truly beyond the usual specifications.

"Senior, watch out!"

Mashu suddenly shouts, swinging the shield to block a flying insect diving from a side roof, but another slightly smaller, extremely fast insect seizes the gap in her defense and thrusts its scythe‑like forelimb straight at Tengwan Lixiang!

"Damn—!"

Just as Tengwan Lixiang readies to dive sideways and Mashu tries to come to her aid but it's too late—

"Hey! Look here!"

A crisp female voice rings out!

Then a bright red object, its fuse hissing with sparks, arcs in a parabola, precisely passing over Mashu's shield, and with a "pop" lands between the ambushing insect and Tengwan Lixiang.

The thing is about fist‑sized, wrapped in coarse red paper, with a very short fuse—

The next second.

Bang!

Boom——!!!!

The deafening blast sounds nothing like a tiny Firecracker should!

Blinding red light and a raging shockwave erupt violently!

The ambushing insect takes the brunt, its shell shattering, juices spraying, its massive body flung outward!

Several nearby insects are tossed sideways by the blast wave!

Amidst the dust, Tengwan Lixiang and Mashu instinctively shield their heads and faces; when they lower their hands, the insects near the blast are either dead or injured, leaving a small clear area.

At the edge of the clearing, an orange‑haired figure wielding a crimson Flame Spear strikes a stylish finishing pose after a throw, a side ponytail fluttering in the residual blast wind.

"Yo! You two over there! Are you okay?"

Gui Naifen pulls back her hand, hands on hips, flashing a toothy grin at the stunned Tengwan Lixiang and Mashu, then scans the re‑gathered, enraged Insect Swarm; her smile turns eager, "Looks like it's not over yet—I'll handle the warm‑up!"

Before she finishes speaking, she dashes out!

The Flame Spear seems alive in her hands, no longer a mere weapon but an extension of her body.

She first spins at high speed, her long boots precisely kicking an insect's side face; using the momentum to turn, the spear shaft, wreathed in blazing fire, whirls like a windmill, sweeping away two insects attacking from the other side.

Then she adopts a standard thrust stance, but at the moment the insect blocks, she abruptly releases power, standing on one foot, her body arching back in a risky yet graceful curve; the spear, like a venomous snake, darts upward from a razor‑sharp angle, piercing the abdomen of a flying insect diving from the sky.

Facing a trio of insects, she plants the spear into the ground, both hands bracing the shaft's end, executes a sleek side flip over the insects' heads, and upon landing pulls the spear, its flaming tip dragging a scorch mark that trips a pursuing insect!

Her movements are bold and expansive, visually striking, yet precise and ruthless at crucial moments.

Flames spray outward with her motions, igniting insect shells and scorching their limbs.

The Insect Swarm's screeches, the flames' explosions, the spear's whoosh through air, and Gui Naifen's occasional "Hey ha!" intertwine.

This is no mortal duel; it's more like a... circus act!

Tengwan Lixiang and Mashu stare dumbfounded.

"S-senior... who is this?"

Mashu lifts her shield, asking uncertainly.

The Magic Reaction on the other's body unmistakably marks a Heroic Spirit.

"Don't know... but definitely an ally!"

Tengwan Lixiang quickly regains composure, "Mashu, go help! We can't let her bear the pressure alone!"

"Yes!"

Mashu immediately charges forward with her shield; the heavy Cross Shield acts like a mobile fortress, blocking a side‑rear ambush for Gui Naifen.

"Thanks! Shield girl!"

Gui Naifen, even amidst the chaos, gives Mashu a thumbs‑up, her motion fluid and unhurried.

With Mashu's solid defensive cover, she moves even more freely.

"Watch me—Chain Firecrackers!"

She flicks her empty left hand to her waist, and between her fingers she somehow holds three or four small firecrackers wrapped in the same red paper!

She quickly bites off the fuses with her mouth, flicks her wrist, and the firecrackers scatter like a celestial maiden's blossoms, thrown at various angles!

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of explosions, no less spectacular than before, bloom amid the Insect Swarm!

Flames sprayed in all directions, smoke filled the air, the insects were blown up, shrieking wildly, and the formation fell into chaos.

"So… so awesome!"

Tengwan Lixiang couldn't help but exclaim, this attack style is just… so distinctive!

Gui Naifen seized the chaos and charged, the Flame Spear whirled into a crimson storm, specifically harvesting the insects that were stunned or wounded by the blast.

With the two of them cooperating, this sizable Insect Swarm was swiftly wiped out.

The last insect was pinned to the ground by Gui Naifen's Counter Spear, and the Flame instantly devoured it.

The plaza temporarily fell silent, leaving only the crackling of burning insect corpses and the lingering scent of char and gunpowder in the air.

Gui Naifen performed a spear flourish, slung the long spear over her shoulder, and exhaled: "Done! Warm‑up complete!"

She turned, looking at Tengwan Lixiang and Mashu, her face breaking into that radiant smile again: "Are you two okay? No injuries?"

Only then did Tengwan Lixiang and Mashu fully see their savior's whole figure—splendid exotic‑style robes, a burning long spear, a lively orange side ponytail, and a relaxed expression utterly at odds with the fierce battle.