I raised stunning young ladies, but they all wanted to possess me.

Chiyomiya Yusuke was being held by Gu Yan, kissed by Gu Yan, and enveloped by Gu Yan's spiritual power from the inside out.

This feeling reassured her more than any medication.

Gu Yan's fingers slowly untied the sash of her kimono.

The pure white fabric slipped off her shoulders, and in the dim light, her skin appeared almost translucent.

He looked at her with a gentle gaze, as if he were looking at something that he would protect for a lifetime.

Her shoulders were thin, her collarbones were deep, and the fair skin on her chest rose and fell gently with her breath.

She opened her eyes, and her deep brown pupils had regained their clarity, like two springs that had just thawed.

"Mr. Gu..."

Her voice was as soft as a sigh.

"Call me by my name."

Gu Yan said.

Yuzuru's eyelashes trembled slightly.

Her lips moved, and after a long while, she uttered the word in the softest, most delicate voice.

"Gu Yan..."

He kissed her again.

This time there was no spiritual power, no healing, only a man's purest and gentlest response to his beloved.

The sea breeze was still blowing outside the tent. Pei Youyi stood a few steps away with her back to the tent, looking up at the moon in the sky, which was half covered by clouds.

Her shadow was stretched very long by the searchlight, falling on a patch of sand dampened by the sea.

The moon slowly emerged from behind the clouds.

Silvery light leaked through the gaps in the tent roof, falling on the two people who were tightly embracing each other.

Yuzuru tilted his head back, letting out a very soft breath.

Her fingers dug into Gu Yan's hair, and her legs involuntarily tightened.

Her wounds were healing and her spiritual power was returning, but at this moment, her mind was filled with only a warm and blank space.

That was a peace that I could only feel when he held me, a peace deeper than any other peace.

As dawn approached, Yuzuru fell into a deep sleep.

Her breathing became steady and long, her face was no longer pale, and her lips regained some color.

She curled up in Gu Yan's arms, like a little animal that had finally found its home.

Gu Yan leaned against the headboard, looking down at her.

Her eyelashes were long, casting two small, faint shadows on her face.

The corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, as if he were having a sweet dream.

He kissed her forehead very lightly, then gently tucked the blanket around her.

He got up, dressed, and pulled back the tent flap.

Pei Youyi was still standing outside, like a quiet, waiting sculpture.

She turned around when she heard the sound and saw Gu Yan's tired but calm expression. She didn't ask anything, but walked up to him and handed him a bottle of water.

"It's almost dawn."

"Drink some water."

Gu Yan took the water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and took a few sips.

The sea breeze brushed against their cheeks, carrying the dampness and coolness unique to the pre-dawn period.

Pei Youyi reached out and gently straightened his collar, which had been ruffled by the wind. Her movements were very light and gentle, as if she were doing something she had done a thousand times before.

"She will get better."

Pei Youyi said.

"Um."

Gu Yan looked at the first rays of sunlight breaking through the horizon on the distant sea.

"It will be alright."

"We'll all be alright."

Gu Yan stood on the lookout tower of the beachhead.

The sea breeze made the hem of his military uniform flutter loudly. A layer of gray-white morning mist floated on the distant horizon, just like the sky before the Kuroshio Current, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.

He closed his eyes and sensed the spiritual energy within his body.

After being with Yuzuru, the power that had been suppressed seemed to finally find an outlet, and began to flow again in his meridians.

No, it's not just flowing, it's surging.

It was as if a river that had been frozen for an entire winter suddenly burst open when spring arrived, and the water rushed downstream with unstoppable force.

He stretched out his hand, and a faint, iridescent light shone from his fingertips.

That ray of light was more solid and pure than ever before, like a gem that had been refined countless times.

Between SS and SSS.

His mental strength has crossed that once unattainable threshold.

He didn't know exactly when he broke through; it might have been at the Nagoya Pass, or it might have been on the night he embraced Yuzuru.

But one thing is certain.

Now he has the ability to stand here, instead of hiding behind the glass windows of the bridge.

"Deputy Commander Gu."

A young staff officer's voice came through the communicator.

"All defense lines have been placed on high alert."

Please give me your instructions.

Gu Yan opened her eyes and looked at the sea in the distance, which was slowly darkening.

"All personnel, take your battle positions."

"Not a single shot is to be fired without my order."

There was a moment of silence on the communicator, followed by a hesitant voice from the staff officer.

"But the enemy has already entered their optimal firing range..."

"I know."

"Wait until they get a little closer."

Gu Yan's voice was very calm.

"We don't have much ammunition."

"Every shot must be used wisely."

The sea breeze suddenly stopped.

The whole world was eerily quiet.

Then the alarm shattered the silence.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"All units, move into combat positions!"

"Repeat. All units, move into combat positions!"

The beachhead came alive in an instant.

The soldiers in the bunkers pulled back their bolts, the tanks' guns turned in unison towards the sea, the missile launchers spread out in a fan shape, and the armed helicopters took off from behind, skimming low over the sea.

Gu Yan jumped down from the watchtower and landed steadily next to the command bunker of the first line of defense.

Directly in front of him, the black tide was advancing toward the coastline at an unprecedented speed.

"Fire!"

Hundreds of tanks fired simultaneously.

The roar of the cannonballs sent sand and dust flying everywhere on the beach. The rune-inscribed cannonballs exploded in the densest area of ​​the Kuroshio Current, sending up black water columns tens of meters high.

The rocket launcher vehicle followed closely behind, with dozens of rockets streaking across the sky and raining down on the sea like a storm.

The missile launchers began firing in unison, medium-sized rune missiles drawing dense parabolas in the air, and towering walls of fire rising from their impact points.

The armed helicopter flew close to the sea surface, and the spent shells from the rotary cannon poured down like a waterfall, shredding the front swarm of bone-eating insects into fragments.

But the Kuroshio Current did not stop.

They surged forward, stepping over the remains of their companions, wave after wave, as if they would never tire or be afraid.

The swarm of bone-eating worms surged onto the beach, and worm-like calamities burst forth from the sand, filling in the anti-tank ditch.

The skeletal knights followed closely behind, their hooves crushing seashells and bullet casings on the mudflats as they charged toward the infantry bunkers.

The steel behemoth emerged from the sea mist, its gears at its joints emitting a deafening roar.

A skeletal dragon hovered in the sky, its breath scorching the beach black.

Gu Yan closed her eyes.

When he reopened his eyes, a burst of seven-colored light silently erupted from the depths of his pupils.

The light spread outwards from him, instantly covering the entire Shanglu beach.

All the bone-eating insects that had rushed onto the mudflats stopped at the same moment.

Their central nervous system was forcibly invaded by a vast and irresistible spiritual force, stripping away their bloodthirsty will and replacing it with a submission deeper than death.