“You’ll have to be faster than that!” Jiro called out, his voice carrying over the sounds of their battle.

Noa felt a surge of frustration but quickly pushed it down. ‘Stay calm… focus.’ She knew she couldn’t match his speed, but she didn’t need to.

She just needed one good shot. She activated the charge function on Ol’ Betsy, feeling the weapon vibrate as it began to build up energy for a more powerful blast.

Jiro noticed the glow intensifying around her gun and narrowed his eyes. “Charging up for something big, huh? Alright, let’s see what you’ve got.”

He disappeared again, zigzagging toward her, his movements erratic and unpredictable.

Noa tracked him as best as she could, her finger hovering over the trigger. ‘Just a few more seconds…’

Suddenly, Jiro was right in front of her, his speed astonishing. Noa had no time to react as he swung a kick aimed at her midsection.

The blow connected, and she was sent sprawling backward, sliding across the ground. She winced in pain but managed to keep her grip on Ol’ Betsy.

Jiro closed the distance in an instant, appearing over her with his hand outstretched, ready to strike again. “It’s over, bitch!”

But Noa smirked. “Not yet, it isn’t.”

She squeezed the trigger, and Ol’ Betsy unleashed a massive blast of pink energy at point-blank range.

Jiro’s eyes widened in shock as the ball of energy engulfed him. He tried to dodge, but it was too late.

The binding energy wrapped around him, constricting his movements, pinning his arms to his sides.

“What the—?!” Jiro struggled, but the more he fought, the tighter the bindings seemed to become. He gritted his teeth, trying to use his speed to break free, but the pink energy was relentless, holding him in place.

Noa got to her feet, breathing heavily, a determined look on her face.

Jiro glared at her, fury in his eyes. “You think you’ve won? This won’t hold me forever!”

“It’ll hold you long enough,” Noa replied, charging another shot. This time, she aimed for his legs.

She fired, and another pink ball of energy shot out, hitting Jiro squarely in the knees. The bindings wrapped around his legs, locking them in place.

Jiro’s speed was useless now. He was completely immobilized, trapped in the glowing pink energy. He struggled against his restraints, his face contorted with rage.

Noa kept her distance, knowing better than to get too close. “You’re finished, Jiro. Surrender now, and maybe I won’t blast you into pieces.”

Jiro sneered. “Never!” He let out a burst of energy, trying one last desperate attempt to break free, but the bindings tightened even more, and he cried out in pain.

Noa steadied Ol’ Betsy, her finger on the trigger, ready to fire again if needed. “Last chance, Jiro. Stand down.”

Jiro glared at her, his pride wounded. But he could see he had no choice. For now, he would have to concede. “Fine,” he spat. “But this isn’t over, Noa.”

Noa nodded, keeping her weapon trained on him. “You’re right about that,” she said. “Not by a long shot.”

As she closed the distance, she put away her gun and raised her hands instead.

After saying a short mantra under her breath, she unleashed several more thick binds around the short man.

Jiro was tightly tied together this time like a packed-up riceball.

‘I won’t kill him yet…’ She thought to herself, ‘We may be able to use him.’ She had more of a level head.

After her training through the months with Hanzo and the others, Noa had become quite a formidable force as well.

She walked even closer to Jiro, no fear in her mind anymore.

However, as she got mere inches from reaching down and picking him up, she felt the tips of her fingers sting slightly.

She was taken aback in slight surprise as she straightened her posture.

Time felt as though it slowed down as she noticed her hair beginning to slowly float for some reason while looking at the peripherals of her vision

She then noticed a transparent black dome slowly begin to form around her, and the baby hairs on her arms suddenly burned off…

“NOA!” Hanzo’s voice screamed from afar, pushing Noa out of her daydreaming state where time felt slow.

*BOOM*

A 20 by 20 feet dome of black Aura exploded around Noa and Jiro.

Hanzo landed on the ground right afterward, his face contorting with a harrowing fear.

With eyes dancing in worry, he ran over to Noa and knelt beside her.

The young woman’s skin had been fully scorched. Her heartbeat was still fine, but she was in a horribly critical state.

Hanzo’s heart, on the other hand, played like a drum nearly jumping out of his chest as she placed his hand on Noa’s head.

He closed his eyes tightly, ‘Oh Mother Gaia, please, don’t let her die.’ A burst of green energy was unleashed from his hand.

‘Oh, mother of all those living… save her now. Do not let her die…’

The green energy flowed heavily with several long green streaks spreading through her body.

‘Oh mother of fertility and life… give me the strength I need to save her. Do not let her die…’

He paused, gritting his teeth as he saw blood begin to pour out of the cracks in Noa’s skin.

He couldn’t bear to look at her state right now, so he only focused on her forehead.

‘Do not let her die…’

He kept saying to himself over and over.

‘Do not let her die… do not let her die… do not let her die!’ He exclaimed with frustration.

Above him, Camadral slowly lowered from the sky with a nonchalant look in his eyes.

Hanzo’s eyes began to tear up as Noa coughed out lumps of blood.

‘Damn it!’ He yelled to himself, ‘Don’t die! Just stay alive!’

He closed his eyes as tightly as possible, ‘Gaia! Do not let her die… do not let her… don’t you dare let her die! This is up to you! I won’t forgive you, damn it!

Save her! Save her now!’

At that moment, the streaks of green coming from his hands and surrounding Noa’s body began to materialize.

The Aura became green, lively, and thick vines as though from a real plant and embraced Noa’s burnt body.

Hanzo felt his entire body go weak as this happened, however, he didn’t care about that right now.

He opened his eyes, a faint smile beginning to form on his face as Noa began to heal in the embrace of Mother Nature.

Her entire body was covered apart from her head, like a small cicada of green vines glowing with life and Aura.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep