Did the Top-Ranked Girl Get Exposed Today? [HoloVerse] - Chapter 22

“Meow~”

The white cat leaped out from her collar, its tail gently brushing past Feng Xiaoxiao’s face.

“Where are you going? Come back…”

Feng Xiaoxiao resembled an elderly person paralyzed in the lower limbs, watching helplessly as her only caregiver (the white cat) was about to leave her.

She feebly flailed a few times on the platform, eyes wide as she watched the white cat gracefully hop down, its paws stepping onto the magic circle.

She was prepared to witness the cat’s demise.

Feng Xiaoxiao closed her eyes, unable to bear seeing the cat’s tragic end.

Sasha, holding the infant swaddle, barely spared a glance at the suddenly appearing cat.

She was now fully focused on the final stage of the ritual: using the newborn’s vibrant life force to completely awaken her “deity.”

Contrary to Feng Xiaoxiao’s expectations, the white cat did not age into an old cat and turn to dust.

The magic circle’s power of regression seemed to have no effect on it.

Or perhaps…

Feng Xiaoxiao’s lifeless eyes slowly widened, her lips parting unconsciously.

She watched as the cat that had followed her all this way gradually transformed into a slender human figure, rising from a few inches above the ground to stand upright, cold eyes looking down upon the human and monster before it.

Its right hand reached into the air, and a feathered bow nearly as tall as a person appeared in its grasp.

Bony fingers gripped the bowstring, nocking and releasing an arrow that shot toward Sasha with an unstoppable force, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound!

Startled by the sudden turn of events, Sasha instinctively dodged but was still grazed by the arrow, a horrifying blood trail winding down her arm.

Clutching her arm, Sasha tossed the infant back into the unconscious Wen Li’s arms and slowly raised her head.

“You’re the first person in three hundred years to dare injure me.”

Di Xiang didn’t spare her a single glance, effortlessly kicking up the short sword that had fallen to the ground and catching it. Without looking back, she accurately threw the sword toward the ropes binding Feng Xiaoxiao, severing the knots.

[System Prompt] Player [Di Xiang] has gifted you a bottle of Soul-Returning Pills (Supreme). Will you accept?

[System Prompt] Player [Di Xiang] has forcibly gifted the item. You cannot refuse. It has been automatically claimed and used for you!

Her dwindling strength gradually returned. Feng Xiaoxiao picked up the short sword beside her and swiftly cut through all the ropes, then patted her clothes and jumped up.

After consuming the Soul-Returning Pill, she felt brimming with energy, capable of taking on ten opponents at once!

The red thread that had long vanished from her fingertips reappeared the moment Di Xiang showed up, connecting the two. Standing not far apart, Di Xiang positioned herself in front, shielding Feng Xiaoxiao behind her.

Feng Xiaoxiao untied the silk ribbon from her wrist, and a peach-red hue filled the air like falling petals in a vibrant display.

The “Mountain God,” stimulated by the blood from Sasha’s arm, contorted its face in anger. It drew a white bone from its own marrow, transforming it into a long sword, its gaze fixed firmly on Di Xiang.

[System Prompt] Side quest progress has reached 85%. Please defeat the “Mountain God” and eliminate the final curse of the Snowy Valley!

Even without the system prompt, Feng Xiaoxiao and Di Xiang wouldn’t let this fake Mountain God go.

If for no other reason, it was because a health bar had appeared above its head.

As a full-immersion game player, anyone who could resist using skills and attacking a boss with a visible health bar was truly a master of restraint.

Especially now that she had the top-ranked player on the Celestial Feather leaderboard by her side, a free labor force.

Feng Xiaoxiao cheered from behind, “Go for it, Master! You’re amazing!”

Di Xiang’s bow-hand trembled almost imperceptibly. With her back to Feng Xiaoxiao, her expression remained hidden as she nocked another arrow and loosed three shafts toward Sasha.

The “Mountain God” deflected and shattered the arrows with its longsword. Its crimson silk hair ribbon danced wildly in the cold wind, the only splash of color in the gloomy sky.

Feng Xiaoxiao had seen the Snow Woman’s illusion of the former Mountain God three hundred years ago, the deity had resembled the first green buds emerging from yang realm snow, the very image of a divine maiden.

But this new Mountain God created by Sasha using ancient methods was less a god and more like a handful of blood-soaked earth from the underworld, sprinkled with all the obsessions and resentments of the mortal realm to form a “ghost.”

It wasn’t a deity, merely a servile ghost that obeyed Sasha’s every command.

“Kill them.”

Sasha retreated behind the “Mountain God,” clutching her injured arm with displeasure.

Both sides had deployed their strongest combatants. Feng Xiaoxiao hid behind Di Xiang, occasionally casting skills to disrupt the “Mountain God.”

Until her flowing ribbons were seized and tightened by a pair of rough hands. Sasha shot her a cold glare.

“Your opponent is me.”

Feng Xiaoxiao snorted disdainfully. “Without your lackeys, do you think I fear you?”

She let her ribbons fly to either side, stepping through the gap to thrust her shortsword at Sasha. The “Mountain God” tried to intercept but was blocked by Di Xiang, who had transformed her bow into a sword.

Two longswords clashed. One combatant had crimson pupils devoid of any humanity or divinity, while the other’s eyes held snowfall like alpine jade flowers, brows perpetually etched with coldness.

Amid the metallic clangs, their gazes met, yet neither reflected the other’s image, both instead focusing on the person behind their opponent.

Feng Xiaoxiao stood with her back to Di Xiang, snow-white hair cascading down as ice butterflies swirled around her, frost dusting her lips, brows, and lashes.

Sasha radiated raw mountain wildness. Having grown up in these peaks as master of these endless snow-capped ranges, Feng Xiaoxiao found it difficult to land blows with her shortsword in close quarters.

Her opponent was too agile, after several exchanges, they had swapped positions.

Ultimately, the Flower Guardian class was a ranged mage, yet Feng Xiaoxiao was currently using it as a close-quarters swordsman.

First, because she hadn’t adapted to her new class yet. Second, because the remnants of her previous Sword Dream class ran too deep, she needed more time to balance the two classes’ differences.

Third, because her current offensive skills had all been nerfed.

Damn system.

Stupid developers.

Cursed game.

Thinking about it only brought bitter tears.

Feng Xiaoxiao silently wiped her face, sighed, and continued using her shortsword to give Sasha what amounted to a light scraping.

[System Alert] You dealt 125 damage to Sasha!

[System Alert] Sasha dealt 250 damage to you!

[System Alert] Your teammate [Di Xiang] dealt 123,680 damage to “Mountain God”!

Feng Xiaoxiao’s face momentarily twisted with envy.

Damn overpowered veteran!

Compared to Feng Xiaoxiao and Sasha’s minor skirmish, the other battle had escalated into full intensity.

The “Mountain God” fully frenzied, hair whipping wildly as cracks spread across its jade-like face like shattering porcelain, a broken doll.

It rolled its neck, pupils now completely blood-red, lips brilliantly crimson.

Emanating ghostly aura without a trace of divinity.

Di Xiang spread her wings, snow-white feathers blotted out sky and earth, the stabbed-off plumes drifting down mingled with specks of blood, creating another snowfall across the landscape.

She leaped into the air, her toes lightly tapping the void as she fired ten consecutive arrows at the “Mountain God” below.

The “Mountain God” was not to be outdone. Its long sword glowed crimson as multiple sword energies scattered in all directions, forming a dense web of blades that contracted to ensnare its prey. Each strike was aimed at Di Xiang in the air, delivering critical blows!

[System Notification] The “Mountain God” dealt 256,894 points of damage to player [Di Xiang]!

[System Notification] The “Mountain God” dealt 369,885 points of damage to player [Di Xiang]!

Feng Xiaoxiao, who had taken a moment to observe, felt a pang of frustration. The “Mountain God’s” critical hit rate was just too high.

Only someone like Di Xiang, with her thick health pool and high agility, could dodge such attacks. Anyone else would have been eliminated from the start.

While evading Sasha’s assaults, Feng Xiaoxiao retreated from the battlefield, broke off a tree branch, and locked onto Di Xiang to cast the single-target healing skill “Willow Branch Nectar.”

Although her offensive skills had been greatly weakened, her healing abilities still proved useful. A soft green glow enveloped Di Xiang, restoring one-third of her health bar.

And so, Di Xiang hovered in the air, firing cold arrows, while Feng Xiaoxiao nimbly dodged attacks on the ground, occasionally finding a moment to heal Di Xiang.

Relying on this somewhat shameless strategy, the two of them managed to whittle down the “Mountain God’s” health bar to its final third.

But then, Feng Xiaoxiao noticed that Di Xiang could no longer damage the “Mountain God.”

No matter how many times Di Xiang’s arrows pierced the “Mountain God,” its health did not decrease by even a sliver.

On the contrary, Di Xiang’s winged form was about to fade, and she would soon return to the ground to face the “Mountain God’s” attacks head-on.

Feng Xiaoxiao frowned. Having spent years in the game, she could tell that the “Mountain God” had entered a damage-lock state.

Unless they found the key to breaking the stalemate, they would be worn down to death by the invincible “Mountain God,” resulting in mission failure.

What should they do?

Her “Willow Branch Nectar” could no longer keep up with the rate at which Di Xiang was losing health. Feng Xiaoxiao grew anxious, her mind racing as she recalled every clue since the start of the mission.

“‘I’ am willing to share ‘my’ years and power with you…”

A flash of insight struck her, and she murmured the first words the “Mountain God” had spoken upon opening its eyes.

“Share… ‘my’ everything?”

As Di Xiang dodged the “Mountain God’s” increasingly swift and vicious attacks with her sword, Feng Xiaoxiao kicked Sasha in the lower back.

Taking advantage of Sasha’s momentary imbalance, she turned and shouted to Di Xiang without hesitation,

“Beat her up!”

Di Xiang acted without delay, instantly redirecting her sword tip to strike Sasha, slicing away half of her health in a single blow.

Feng Xiaoxiao, who had been fighting Sasha for what felt like ages and had only managed to reduce a quarter of her health while sustaining countless injuries herself: “…”

Full-level experts are truly something else. Their damage output is insane.

The “Mountain God” grew visibly more frantic as Sasha was injured, attacking Di Xiang with almost frenzied hatred.

Di Xiang did not retaliate, instead focusing solely on dodging and leading the “Mountain God” away from Sasha.

After the “Mountain God” had slashed away most of Di Xiang’s health bar, Feng Xiaoxiao’s short sword pierced through Sasha’s chest.

The “Mountain God” slowly turned its head, its blood-red eyes gradually returning to their normal black and white, filled with disbelief.

It carelessly dropped its weapon, ignoring the relentless attacks from Di Xiang behind it, and rushed toward Sasha, who had collapsed on the ground, catching her falling body just in time.

Just like countless reunions in the flower fields three hundred years ago, it ran step by step toward Sasha at the center of the blossoms.

“Sasha…”

With blood at the corner of her mouth, Sasha smiled at it. Summoning the last vestiges of her strength, she pulled the short sword from her chest and plunged it fiercely into the “Mountain God’s” chest.

Just as it had been three hundred years ago.

“Die with me…”

Relieved of a heavy burden, she leaned against the “Mountain God,” coughing up mouthfuls of blood, yet her eyes were filled with the satisfaction of a wish fulfilled.

“…My deity.”

The light in Sasha’s eyes gradually faded, and her vacant gaze fixed in a certain direction across the stone bridge.

Who was she looking at in the end?

The snow woman who had allowed her to walk step by step toward destruction without intervening? Or the resting place of the true Mountain God at the end of the secret passage?

The last sliver of the “Mountain God’s” health bar vanished completely as Sasha’s short sword struck home.

Before it could utter another word, it crumbled to dust beside Sasha’s corpse, its head rolling to the ground.

The compassionate face of the deity’s statue lay opposite Sasha, gentle, serene, and gazing with benevolence.

My beloved, you came in haste, and departed just as swiftly.