# 1144
Chapter 1144: One and Only
Thud, thud, thud—!
Several black shadows plummeted from the sky, debris scattering. Black wings unfurled, enveloping the heavily wounded Shen Qingzhu in endless shadow.
Crimson insect eyes locked onto Shen Qingzhu as he stumbled to his feet, these four-winged demons towering like ferocious stone statues, gazing down at him. Razor-sharp black claws slowly lifted...
"Tch..."
Shen Qingzhu clutched his wound, barely steadying himself within the encirclement of four-winged demons, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He spat out the burning cigarette, gripped the Straight Blade in his hand, and streams of flame compressed in the air, swirling around the blade's tip.
He wore a deep crimson cloak, like a beast driven to the brink, his eyes blazing with unprecedented madness and bloodlust.
He swung his blade to intercept the demon's claws!
Clang! Clang! Clang!!!
Blinding flames burst through the air. Shen Qingzhu blocked the strikes of two four-winged demons in succession, but a demon behind him ambushed him, tearing a large chunk of flesh from his back with one swipe.
Shen Qingzhu grunted, his feet stumbling, his face deathly pale.
He let out a low roar, slashing down the demon's hand with a reverse cut. Surging flames poured from the blade's edge, engulfing its body entirely.
But immediately after, several sharp barbs burst forth, piercing toward his body from different directions!
Shen Qingzhu's blood-soaked hands gripped the sword hilt tightly, his eyes revealing a helpless expression.
He, Shen Qingzhu, was only "Unmeasurable" — just two hands, just one blade.
Surrounded by so many four-winged demons, he couldn't hold out much longer... He was reaching his limit.
"Then... let's die together."
Two blazing infernos ignited in Shen Qingzhu's eyes, and the surrounding air began rushing toward him at terrifying speed.
At that moment, a deep crimson figure materialized from nothingness. A razor-sharp sword light sliced through several demon palms in succession, breaking the siege on Shen Qingzhu from one angle.
But there were simply too many demons, and the four-winged demons were far more powerful than the怨魂 demons. Even though Ame-no-Murakumo deflected some of the grasping arms, even more demons swarmed forward, clawing toward the front.
Pfft—!
Several soft sounds echoed as Lin Qiye's body was torn open in multiple places. Warm blood splattered onto Shen Qingzhu's pale cheek, freezing him in place.
Lin Qiye gritted his teeth, the golden light in his eyes blazing like a furnace. He stomped one foot on the ground, and the night wrapped around the four-winged demons like giant serpents!
[Star-Splitting Art]!
With a twist of Lin Qiye's hands, several demon bodies were torn apart from the center. Strands of starlight scattered like drifting snowflakes.
Lin Qiye stood before Shen Qingzhu, pulling out the severed demon claws embedded in his body. His gaze swept across the four-winged demons continuously pouring from the sky, his expression darkening.
He turned to look at Shen Qingzhu: "Brother Shen, are you okay?"
Shen Qingzhu sat in the rubble crater, staring blankly at the blood-soaked, pale-faced Lin Qiye before him.
After a moment, his hands clenched the dirt fiercely, veins bulging on his arms.
Between life and death, the self-blame,不甘, and fury he had suppressed in the depths of his heart erupted like a volcano!
"Lin Qiye!!" Shen Qingzhu glared at him, shouting into the wind,
"This is our final battle! The ultimate battle where we stake our lives and honor!! I, Shen Qingzhu, am also a man! I'm also a member of 【Night Watch】!! At a time like this! I don't want to be treated as deadweight anymore, protected behind your backs!!"
"I know my talent doesn't match yours! Sometimes I can barely help at all! I understand all of this, and I've never said a word about it! I just do what I'm supposed to do!!"
"But this time! This is the last time! I, Shen Qingzhu, want to die like a man! Dignified and upright!! Are you even going to give me this chance?!"
"On what grounds are you stopping me?!!"
The mournful wind mingled with Shen Qingzhu's roar, flooding into Lin Qiye's ears.
"Just because I'm the captain!!" Lin Qiye opened his mouth, roaring back into the wind,
"Just because I'm the captain of 【Night Watch】! As long as I'm alive, I cannot watch my brothers die before me! Whether it's you, Qingyu, or Jiang Er!
You want to die with honor, to be a hero!
Fine!
After I die, you can die however you want — I won't stop you!
But before I die, none of you are allowed to die! This is my responsibility as captain!"
Shen Qingzhu stood frozen.
Lin Qiye lifted his right foot and kicked Shen Qingzhu's chest with full force, sending him flying several meters. He landed directly on the ice above the blood pool.
The next instant, two thin beams of light pierced through the space where Shen Qingzhu had been standing, searing two bottomless black holes into the ground.
Two four-winged white angel corpses, their eyes replaced with crimson insect eyes, materialized from the empty air.
They stared fixedly at Lin Qiye, seemingly surprised they hadn't succeeded in their strike.
Blood-soaked Lin Qiye gripped Ame-no-Murakumo, cloaked in night. His身形 shot forward like a startled swan, transforming into an enraged King of Night, engaging both four-winged angels in combat.
A moment later, Lin Qiye severed both broken white wings. His chest, however, bore a fresh, scalding wound.
He staggered backward several steps, leaning on 【White Slash】 for support. His eyes locked onto the two angels as he rasped:
"Brother Shen, you listen to me carefully."
"I never thought you were deadweight. Without you, we couldn't have survived the 'Human Enclosure,' couldn't have destroyed the 【Believers】, and I might not have survived Cangnan Mountain at all..."
"Without you, Brother Shen, 【Night Watch】 would never exist in the first place!"
"A team doesn't need everyone to be a monster who can fight ten opponents. What we need is every unique individual. In terms of combat power, you're indeed not the strongest, but in terms of experience, personality charm, and ability to handle things independently, no one in 【Night Watch】 can compare to you!"
"So what if you lack talent? You, Shen Qingzhu, will always be the one and only Brother Shen of 【Night Watch】."
Lin Qiye poured out all the words he had planned to say to Shen Qingzhu once they returned to the ship. Though he hadn't had time to carefully craft his wording, he believed Shen Qingzhu would understand his meaning.
As his words fell, Lin Qiye raised his sword and charged toward the two angels once more!
Shen Qingzhu stared at Lin Qiye's blood-soaked fighting figure, his entire body frozen like a soulless statue, seated on the ice.
A long moment later, his lips pressed together. He rose unsteadily from the ice surface, a bitter smile forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Seems like I just got lectured..."
He shook his head, gripping his Straight Blade tightly. Just as he was about to charge forward to fight shoulder to shoulder with Lin Qiye, his peripheral vision suddenly caught something near him — a black crystal floating in the blood pool.