Arcane Guardians: Season 1

Chapter 20: Silent Turmoil

LINZHI, YOUSHU, AND HITIAN VS YANAN AND NING

"Hitian, resist it!" Youshu shouted.

"Hitian, stop!" Linzhi echoed, her voice laced with concern.

But Hitian ignored them, turning around, his hands ablaze with fire. Youshu and Linzhi instinctively stepped back, glancing at each other, unsure how to proceed. Ning, standing behind them, controlled the metal door, slamming it shut, trapping them inside.

"Hitian, snap out of it!" Youshu pleaded, his voice growing desperate.

"It's no use. Yanan's already got him," Linzhi said, her face darkening with worry.

Suddenly, Hitian launched a fireball at them. Youshu and Linzhi dove in opposite directions, narrowly avoiding the scorching flames. Linzhi rolled to her feet and made a dash toward Yanan, but Ning stepped into her path, blocking her way.

"Haven't had a good fight with you in a while," Ning taunted as he advanced.

"Are you really so confident we won't defeat you again?" Linzhi retorted, backing up slightly. "This time, we might even take back the crystals."

Ning smirked, manipulating a metal bar from the debris around them. He hurled it at Linzhi with a flow of energy. With a swift punch, she sent the metal bar flying into the wall, embedding it with a resonating thud.

"I definitely don't want to get punched by you," Ning said, still smiling.

"And that's why you should keep your distance!" Linzhi shouted. She charged at Ning, her fists encased in rocky armor, ready to strike.

Meanwhile, Hitian unleashed a continuous stream of flames at Youshu, forcing him to conjure ice barriers to protect himself. The intense heat quickly began to melt the ice, and Youshu knew he couldn't hold out much longer.

"Hitian, please!" Youshu pleaded, his voice cracking with desperation as he felt his barrier weakening under Hitian's relentless assault.

He needed to act. With a quick glance toward Yanan, he teleported right in front of him, spear at the ready.

Ning saw Youshu's move and flung a piece of metal directly at him. The projectile struck Youshu's chest, knocking the wind out of him and sending him crashing into a wall.

"Youshu... be careful..." Quanrui whispered, his voice weak and filled with pain. He clutched the metal bars of his cage, trying to absorb some of its energy, hoping to weaken his confinement. But his body was already at its limits.

"Quanrui, stop!" Linzhi shouted, realizing what he was doing. She ran toward him, but Hitian, still under Yanan's control, blasted her with a wave of fire, sending her flying back into the wall.

Yanan moved towards the dazed Youshu, a triumphant look on his face. But Youshu recovered quickly, teleporting away just before Yanan could strike.

"Oh, you foolish children," Yanan sneered. "You're only prolonging the inevitable."

Suddenly, Quanrui's strength gave out, and he collapsed, unconscious in his cage.

"No! Quanrui!" Youshu shouted, rage boiling inside him. Fueled by anger, he teleported next to Ning, striking him with his spear. The blow caught Ning off guard, sending him sprawling to the ground. Without wasting a moment, Youshu teleported to Yanan, shoving him through a glass door. They both tumbled into the next room, glass shattering around them.

The impact snapped Yanan's hold on Hitian, and his eyes cleared. "Hitian, get Quanrui! I'll handle Ning!" Linzhi called out, still catching her breath.

Hitian nodded and rushed to Quanrui's cage. With a powerful punch, he shattered the metal, freeing his friend. As he picked up the unconscious Quanrui, he turned to see Yue Lin and Siyue rushing towards him.