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

Gu Yan walked to the middle of them.

He kissed Cecilia first.

Her lips were soft, carrying the salty taste of tears and the scent of blood.

He kissed her very lightly, as if he were kissing a fragile piece of porcelain.

Her fingers gripped his shirt, tighter and tighter.

Then he turned to Elena.

Her lips were slightly cool, like a snowflake that had landed on them.

Her eyes remained open, his face reflected in her golden pupils.

She didn't close her eyes, as if she wanted to etch this moment completely into her memory.

The three people overlapped in the silvery-white sea of ​​light.

Light surged from their bodies, a mixture of seven colors, silver, and ice blue, intertwining like three rivers flowing into the same sea.

Cecilia's body tensed and relaxed in his arms, her fingernails leaving faint marks on his back.

Elena's breathing was light, but Gu Yan could feel her fingers tightening slightly around his waist.

Two completely different souls, two completely different temperatures, opened themselves to him at this moment.

Gu Yan's aura was rising steadily.

Half-step god level, the threshold of god level, the crack on the threshold.

With each fusion, the crack widens a little more.

He could feel something awakening inside him, something so enormous that it made his whole body tremble.

He held the two people in his arms tightly, pouring all his strength, all his beliefs, all his resentment and anger into this final step.

Beyond the void, on the battlefield.

Gu Tan's hair was completely white, but he was surrounded by golden-red flames.

That was his life burning.

He used his last strength to block the attack of the divine calamity, buying every second for those behind him.

His figure flickered in the flames, like a candle about to burn out.

"Xiao Yan."

"Grandpa believes in you."

The old man muttered something under his breath, then charged towards the divine calamity once more.

The god-level calamity laughed loudly.

The laughter shook the river so much it seemed to reverse its flow, and it even dispersed the dark clouds in the sky.

They ran away.

"Your hero has run away."

"They say it's impossible, but their actions tell a different story."

Its voice was full of mockery.

"Look, this is your last hope, humanity."

"A deserter."

The battlefield fell silent for a moment.

Some people are bowing their heads, some are trembling.

But soon, an old but firm voice rang out.

"impossible."

Gu Tan stood at the very front, covered in blood, but his back was ramrod straight.

"My grandson isn't that kind of person."

"That's right! Brother Gu isn't a deserter!"

Bai Zikong's voice came from the crowd.

"He'll be back!"

Lin Jinyu's voice was hoarse, but every word she spoke was filled with fire.

"He promised us."

Pei Yuran's voice was cold, as cold as the ice sword that had been re-frozen in her hand.

"Mr. Gu never goes back on his word."

Chiyomiya Hanyu's voice remained calm.

He will definitely come back.

Shen Youyao's two personalities spoke at the same time.

"I believe him."

Fu Wanqing said.

I believe it too.

Fu Shiwei said.

The laughter of the god-level calamity abruptly stopped.

It looked at those humans who were clearly desperate but still stubbornly refusing to admit it, and a hint of annoyance flashed in its golden left eye.

"Then you should all die with him."

It raised its hand, preparing to release the black orb of light.

Just then, Gu Tan rushed forward.

His life force burned at its brightest at that moment.

Golden-red flames erupted from his eyes, mouth, and ears, illuminating his body until it was transparent.

He used his own body to block the fatal blow of the divine calamity.

"Xiao Yan."

The old man's voice came through the flames, very softly, but everyone heard it.

"Grandpa is going first."

"Don't let Grandpa down."

His body slowly dissipated in the flames, turning into countless golden specks of light that drifted into the sky, onto the river, and towards everyone who was still alive.

The spots of light fell on the soldiers' wounds, and the wounds began to heal.

It landed on the gunner's arm, and his strength returned.

It landed on the hearts of all the soldiers, like a seed, planting something called "hope".

"kill!"

The entire battlefield erupted in deafening roars once again.

Gu Tan's body dissipated in the flames.

Golden specks of light rose from the riverbank, like a snowfall flowing backwards from the earth to the sky.

The points of light drifted over the heads of each soldier, landed on their shoulders, on their hands that held guns, and on their still bleeding wounds.

A young soldier with a face covered in ash reached out his hand, trying to catch a speck of light.

The point of light landed in his palm, flashed very faintly, and then disappeared.

His tears welled up instantly and he couldn't stop them.

"Old Master Gu..."

His voice was so hoarse that it was hard to hear.

In the trench, a female military doctor with gray hair knelt beside a stretcher.

She had just finished bandaging a wounded soldier, and her hands were covered in blood.

She looked up at the sky full of golden specks of light, her lips trembling several times before she managed to squeeze out a few words.

"Farewell, Grandpa Gu."

The wounded soldier on the stretcher opened his eyes.

His chest was wrapped in thick gauze, and blood was still seeping out.

He saw the points of light, and he also saw the tears on the female military doctor's face.

He opened his mouth, but his voice was so faint it seemed to drift from a great distance.

"Old Gu has passed away."

"Are we... going to be soon too?"

The female military doctor suddenly lowered her head and wiped her eyes hard with the back of her hand.

"Don't say things like that."

"Before he passed away, Grandpa Gu said, 'Don't let Grandpa down.'"

"We haven't lost yet."

No one is allowed to say anything discouraging.

At the gun position, a gunner with a broken leg leaned against the gun carriage.

One of his legs was gone below the knee, but his hand was still on the launch button.

He looked at the golden specks of light in the sky and suddenly smiled.

As she laughed, tears streamed down her blood-stained face.

"May you rest in peace, Mr. Gu."

"I'll fire a few more shots right now, to send a few more to your grave."

He pressed the launch button.

The shell was fired, exploding into a black and red flower in the Kuroshio Current on the opposite bank of the river.

The sound of artillery fire woke up the entire defensive line.

The crying continued, but then the gunshots rang out again.

The soldiers wiped away their tears and picked up their guns again.

The gunners pushed the loaded shells into the breech.

The tank's engine roared to life again.

The fighter jets took off again.

Everyone knew that Gu Tan was dead.

But everyone remembers the words he said before he died.

Don't let Grandpa down.

The god of calamity floated on the surface of the river.

It watched the humans pick up their weapons again, its golden left eye filled with growing disgust.

It spread its arms wide, and its voice, like thunder, rolled across the entire battlefield, shaking the river water.

"Did you see that?"

"This is what will happen to you."

"Your hero has run away."

"Your old hero is dead."

"Who's next?"

"it's me."

"You have no hope."

"Surrender, or die."

"I'm giving you ten more seconds."