Chapter 374: Useless!

She pushes her speed to the limit, turning into an orange stream of fire that darts straight for the giant insect's lower abdomen!

The giant insect seems to sense her intent; its massive body twists with uncharacteristic agility, its snarling maw snapping open, and purple‑black energy inside wildly converges into a heart‑pounding vortex—it prepares to blast a high‑concentration corrosive energy cannon!

"Want to spit? Here's some extra seasoning!"

Gui Naifen not only doesn't slow down; during the high‑speed dash she swiftly pulls several oversized Firecrackers wrapped in red paper from her waist with her empty hand and, with a deft motion, hurls them all into the gaping maw!

"Go for it!"

The cannon hasn't even formed before a foreign object blocks the barrel.

"Goo… Pff! Bang! Bang‑bang‑bang—!!!"

A series of muffled rumbles comes from the insect's throat, like indigestion hiccups, accompanied by internal flames and smoke spewing from the gaps of its maw.

Its massive body convulses in pain, and the gathered magical energy scatters in chaotic bursts.

"Effective!" Gui Naifen's eyes brighten; the spear gathers Flame, ready to strike hard.

But the giant insect is utterly enraged!

It lets out a silent roar, its abdomen contracting violently; then massive amounts of purple‑black liquid laden with insect eggs pour out from all over its body like a downpour, hatching on the ground into dozens of calf‑sized, hard‑shelled combat larvae that screech and rush toward Gui Naifen!

"Even bringing live births on the spot?! That's absurd!"

Gui Naifen's scalp tingles as she swings her spear to sweep away the incoming larvae while quickly scanning the surroundings.

She sees a towering building beside her that, after the earlier fight, is already teetering and half‑collapsed.

"Got it!"

She steels herself, daringly drawing the attention of several larvae and the giant insect toward the precarious tower while fighting her way back.

When the giant insect swings its blade again and she barely evades, the blade embeds deeply into a nearby support column at that instant—

"This is the moment!"

Gui Naifen slams the Flame Spear into the ground, grips the shaft, lets out a fierce shout, and unleashes her whole strength, using the spear as a lever, combined with deft force and the impact of Flame, to hammer the already fragile support structure!

"Knock it down—!!!"

"Rumble—!!!"

The already precarious tower lets out a strained groan and crashes down toward the giant insect with a thunderous collapse!

Countless bricks, steel‑reinforced concrete cascade like a waterfall onto the insect, burying most of its body and kicking up towering dust!

"Phew… phew… finally…" Gui Naifen leans on her spear, gasping, watching the mound buried under the rubble.

But before she can catch her breath—

"Crack… Boom!!!"

The ruins explode!

The giant insect, far from being crushed, actually expands again amid the smoke and dust!

It breaks the fifty‑meter barrier!

Moreover, its outer shell takes on an ominous crystallized purple‑black hue, its aura growing even more ferocious!

It seems to have fully awakened the dual ferocity of "Breeding" and "Destruction", intent on crushing the "little insect" that keeps provoking it!

A larger, purple‑black‑energy‑wreathed blade rises again, and a shadow of death looms over the exhausted Gui Naifen.

"No… it can't be… this is all useless?!"

Gui Naifen looks at the sky‑blocking colossus and feels true Despair for the first time, and… mental fatigue.

How unlucky can today be?!

"Lancer!!" Ailisi Feier exclaims.

"This can't go on like this!"

Tengwan Lixiang anxiously watches Gui Naifen's perilous battle in the distance, glances at the Command Spell on her hand, then turns to Ailisi Feier, "Miss Ailisi Feier! Lancer's Noble Phantasm! Do you know what her Noble Phantasm is? We must use a Noble Phantasm now!"

Ailisi Feier pauses, quickly senses through the contract, then shakes her head blankly: "No… I don't know. Her profile shows the Noble Phantasm is 【???】. I've never seen her use it, nor know its true name or effect."

"Question mark?"

Tengwan Lixiang is startled, but the dire situation allows no hesitation, "Never mind! Strengthen her with a Command Spell! Let her unleash her Noble Phantasm! This is the only chance!"

Ailisi Feier looks at the back of her hand, where three Command Spells remain.

She hesitates not, raises her hand, and red light shines: "By Command Spell—Lancer! Release your Noble Phantasm, show your true power!"

"Again by Command Spell—pour all my magic into you, help you achieve victory!"

Two Command Spell lights flare in succession, turning into a surging magical torrent that travels through the contract's channel, across space, and pours into Gui Naifen's body far away!

Facing the expanding giant insect, Gui Naifen, feeling today's misfortune to the extreme, is jolted violently!

A massive, warm yet strangely imposing magical force rushes into her limbs and bones like a breached river!

At the same time, she hears Master Ailisi Feier's clear voice: "Use the Noble Phantasm!"

"Noble… Phantasm?"

Gui Naifen looks bewildered.

What is a Noble Phantasm?

She only feels the already odd power inside her, now stimulated by the foreign magic, begin to boil and surge uncontrollably, as if to break through some shackles!

She subconsciously tries to control the power, but at that distracted Shana—

"Roar!"

The giant insect's blade, bearing Destruction's purple‑black light, slashes down hard!

Gui Naifen hastily raises her spear to block, but is blasted away by that overwhelming force!

Like a cannonball, it pierces the half‑collapsed wall behind her, topples another ruin, and finally ends buried under bricks and dust, with haze everywhere.

"Lancer!" Tengwan Lixiang and the others feel their hearts tighten.

However, the expected signs of Lancer's Spiritual Core collapsing or being gravely injured do not appear.

Conversely—

Within the ruin, a faint gold‑silver light abruptly lit up.

Immediately after, the light spread like ripples from a stone tossed into a still lake—gentle yet unstoppable!

The wind stopped.

The suspended dust solidified in the air.

All the battlefield noises—chirping insects, explosions, shouts—seemed erased by an invisible hand.

The light between heaven and earth was tinted by a higher‑order presence, dyed with holy pure white and noble gilt tones.

The light was not blinding, yet it carried a warm power that dispelled filth.

Above Gui Naifen's position, an incredible scene slowly emerged—

It was not a physical object, but a "miracle" forged from light and belief.

A towering castle's phantom rose from the ground, its spires like a forest, walls massive, radiating sunlight‑like warm brilliance.

Below the castle, successive phantom knights appeared.

They wore armor forged of light; their forms might be less distinct than their true bodies, yet the orderly formation's aura, the loyalty, bravery and lofty conviction that even a mere light‑shadow exuded, felt undeniably real.

Faintly, twelve of the most solid silhouettes seemed to stand within the formation.