Chapter 188 | The Otherworld Journey That Starts From a Slime

Few people noticed that while condensing 【Light Ray】, Zhang Ye had also cast 【Refreshment】 on Gajeel, forcing him to wake up.

Lying on the ground, Gajeel struggled to open his eyes, only to find a vast expanse of blinding white before him, so bright it made his eyes sting.

But immediately after, he felt a chill run through his entire body.

Not just because the violent white light was about to blast into him, but even more so because of the patch of blackness within that white light.

Amidst the blinding brilliance, those eyes were like black holes; even though the white light illuminated heaven and earth, it could not obscure them.

The eyes stared straight at Gajeel.

The abyss in his eyes was soul-stirring!

Were those truly human eyes?

Just what kind of existence had he provoked?!

In the next instant, the white light arrived, but Gajeel did not move. He simply froze in place, his face completely blank.

The beam of light traveled at the speed of light, and with Zhang Ye's magic being an instant cast, the referee had absolutely no time to block it for Gajeel.

In the blink of an eye, the beam of light reached Gajeel.

“Hum—” Suddenly, a wave of black energy erupted from Gajeel's body.

A massive power condensed on his body, transforming into a translucent black barrier that blocked the terrifying light ray for him!

Ripples cascaded across the barrier, and even the barrier surrounding the arena fluctuated wildly from the shockwaves, teetering on the edge of collapse.

Finally, after the beam of light faded, Zhang Ye landed on the ground, panting slightly.

The pitch-black shield on Gajeel was still intact. After all, it was a shield from a powerhouse of the Black Dragon Empire, with a strength likely above Six-star Saint-tier. Even though his three-thousand-fold Light Ray possessed immense single-target damage, without the empowerment of the power of laws, it was impossible to break through the shield and kill Gajeel.

But he had achieved his goal.

He wanted to use this method to tell Gajeel that he had the ability and the intent to kill him!

Without the Saint-tier protective power, Gajeel, you are absolutely nothing!

This was exactly why Zhang Ye wanted Gajeel to wake up!

He wanted to not only break Gajeel's body but also destroy his state of mind. Killing the heart was the most lethal strike of all!

“No. 88 wins! No more attacking!” The referee mentor quickly blocked Gajeel and said to Zhang Ye.

But Zhang Ye had no intention of attacking again. Having depleted a portion of the protective power within Gajeel's body, his goal was already met.

Because every time it was triggered, the protective power inside his body would weaken significantly. Resisting further external attacks would only weaken it more.

Thus, after a few more attacks like this, Gajeel's protective power would surely dissipate.

When that time came... Zhang Ye would have plenty of ways to deal with him!

Gajeel's injuries were far more severe than Lina's.

Especially the final 【Refreshment】, which forced him to stay conscious. One had to know that fainting was the body's protective mechanism; being forcibly awakened from unconsciousness caused Gajeel to feel incomparable agony all over again, his body already riddled with wounds.

Zhang Ye had landed countless punches on him. Although there were no open wounds, almost every inch of his skin had turned black and purple, his subcutaneous blood vessels ruptured, and blood even seeped from his pores.

Furthermore, the force of Zhang Ye's punches had penetrated his body, directly devastating his internal organs and causing severe internal bleeding. Even if healing magic could save him, the loss of life energy would take a very long time to recover.

It could only be described as a gruesome sight.

The intense pain made Gajeel tremble all over, but the fear in his heart was even greater. He opened his mouth wide, wanting to scream, but in the next instant, he caught sight of Zhang Ye's eyes.

They were still pitch-black like ink, flickering with a red light and harboring an immense terror, instantly sending a chill through his entire body and choking the scream back down his throat.

His gaze was like looking at a bug, filled with incomparable disgust and contempt.

What would an ordinary person do if they found a disgusting little bug in their house?

Ignore it?

No, they would crush it directly!

Gajeel felt exactly that way now. He could clearly feel that Zhang Ye wanted to kill him, as if he could end his life at any moment.

A tidal wave of fear enveloped him. Gajeel's eyes rolled back, and he passed out once again.

Snorting coldly, Zhang Ye jumped down from the arena and went to Lina's side. With Leona's Saint-tier healing, Lina's external injuries had already been repaired. Now, she just needed to rest quietly for a few days.

Zhang Ye asked softly, “Does it still hurt?”

Lina shook her head gently. “It doesn't hurt as much anymore.”

Zhang Ye let out a small sigh of relief. Looking at Lina's tattered school uniform, he took off his own school uniform jacket and draped it over her.

This action made Lina daze for a moment, her pretty face flushing slightly, but the smile on her face grew even more brilliant.

Suddenly, Zhang Ye remembered something and asked Lina, “Lina, I remember you have defensive treasures and some magic garments among your Treasures. Why didn't you use them?”

As the most beloved little princess of the Lionheart Royal Family, Lina naturally possessed a mountain of protective treasures. Even if one didn't count anything else, even Zhang Ye had 【Parallel Guardian】, so Lina surely had magic garments of even higher quality than 【Parallel Guardian】.

If she had worn her magic garments and used her protective treasures, it would have been absolutely impossible for Gajeel to injure her like this.

Hearing this, Lina shrank her neck slightly. “Doesn't the Monthly Test emphasize relying on one's own strength? So I wanted to see how far I could go without relying on external forces...”

Her voice grew quieter and quieter.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Zhang Ye's brows furrowed. He poked Lina's forehead with his finger, his face filled with anger.

“Are you stupid?!”

“Emphasizing relying on one's own strength doesn't mean defensive treasures and magic garments are banned! Pre-battle preparation is also a part of one's strength. It increases your win rate and survival rate, yet you didn't use them?!”

“Other people would kill to have them but can't!”

“You really are...” Having said this, Zhang Ye took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Everyone looked at Zhang Ye, knowing he was truly furious.

“I'm sorry, Brother Ye...” Lina said cautiously.

“Don't say sorry to me. The only person you're letting down is yourself!” Zhang Ye said in a deep voice. “While pursuing personal strength is important, it is absolutely not more important than your own life!”

“The reason humans are different from beasts is that humans can apply their wisdom, utilizing the things and tools around them to turn them into their own strength!”

“From now on, you can pursue strength, and you can take necessary risks, but you must ensure your own safety to the absolute greatest extent possible. You cannot ignore your own safety just because risks are inevitable!”

“Everything must be predicated on your own safety!”

“If you can't even protect yourself, don't even think about becoming a powerhouse!”

“Do you understand?!” At this moment, a powerful aura radiated from Zhang Ye, his expression incredibly solemn.

“I understand!” Lina said loudly, her face filled with determination.

“You all too!” Zhang Ye turned to look at Renomon and the others.

Everyone couldn't help but tense up, immediately responding, “Yes!”

Because Lina was injured, Zhang Ye prepared a sumptuous lunch at noon to nourish her body. He also made a dessert specially for her: a pudding made from the nutrients within magic cores, which was ultimately delicious and highly nutritious.