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ArabicArknights: I'm Pretty Strong With Minecraft — Chapter 3
Chapter 3: Rhodes Island
“Sky-Rending Judgment!”
Ivan’s figure blurred into a phantom afterimage. His wrist twisted with unnatural precision, driving the crude wooden sword through the air to draw blinding arcs of white light. With Ivan at the epicenter, the kinetic slashes expanded outward, intertwining into a deadly, inescapable net of pure force.
A sharp, piercing hum of a blade cutting through the atmosphere echoed down the ruined street. The blinding light weaved effortlessly through the ranks of the Reunion Movement soldiers.
When the brilliant flashes finally ceased, Ivan’s figure reappeared in the exact spot he had started from.
All around him, the armored bodies of the Reunion soldiers stiffened in unison. Their eyes rolled back, entirely unfocused. A second later, their weapons clattered uselessly against the broken asphalt, slipping from their numb fingers. Then, like disconnected puppets, the entire squad collapsed to the ground, completely unconscious.
At that exact moment, the wooden sword in Ivan’s hand reached the absolute limit of its durability and shattered into a dozen useless splinters.
“Holy shit…” Ivan muttered, staring at his empty hand. “Was that… really me? Am I actually that overpowered?”
A surge of power, originating entirely from instinct, had driven his muscles to execute the strike subconsciously. Was this Steve’s ingrained combat experience taking over? The sensation of that raw, unbridled strength flooding his veins left Ivan with an indescribable rush of exhilaration.
Before he could fully process the broken game mechanics he was now wielding, the rapid, synchronized thud of tactical boots approached from the distance.
The Rhodes Island Operators had finally broken through the outer barricades, spilling out from around the street corner. Seeing Ivan standing completely alone in the middle of a devastated road, the personnel immediately fanned out into a strict tactical formation, their eyes cautiously scanning the perimeter for an ambush.
Instead, they only found the unconscious bodies of the Reunion squad scattered haphazardly across the rubble. And standing right in the center of the carnage was a single, entirely unharmed young man.
“An entire Reunion patrol… did he take them all out by himself?” one of the vanguard Operators whispered, eyes wide behind his visor.
Instructor Dobermann’s sharp gaze locked onto Ivan immediately, the leather of her teaching whip groaning as her grip tightened on instinct. Several heavy-armored Defenders stepped forward, wordlessly adjusting the angles of their massive shields to form a protective wall in front of Amiya and the hooded Doctor standing behind them.
A tense, awkward silence permeated the dusty air. This unfamiliar Ursus youth had dismantled a fully armed squad with his bare hands? Who was he? A mercenary? A hidden threat from another hostile faction?
Only Amiya broke the tension. Her clear, blue eyes swept across the fallen enemies before landing squarely on Ivan. Ignoring Dobermann’s subtly raised hand signaling her to hold back, the young Cautus girl quickly closed the distance.
Her voice carried nothing but pure, unfiltered sincerity. “Um… are you alright? Are you injured anywhere?” She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sweeping over him to check for any hidden wounds. “If you’re hurt, please tell us! We at Rhodes Island can provide you with immediate medical treatment!”
Ivan’s eyes snapped to Amiya.
Those iconic, long rabbit ears. That painfully familiar voice, carrying a trace of youthful innocence yet anchored by an incredible, stubborn firmness. Ivan’s breath hitched, and he almost blurted out her name right there.
“Amiya…”
The girl froze, visibly stunned. Her long ears twitched in absolute confusion, her large eyes blinking up at him. She carefully scrutinized Ivan’s face, searching her memory for any sign of him. Confirming she had never met this young man in her life, she asked hesitantly, “You… know me?”
Ivan violently snapped back to reality, realizing his massive slip-up. He quickly swallowed the overwhelming excitement pooling in his eyes, forcing his expression into a calm, reassuring mask. A slight smile touched the corners of his lips as he gently shook his head, offering no verbal explanation.
Internally, however, his mind was screaming.
‘Damn it! It’s the real Amiya! She’s actually alive right in front of me! My daughter is so incredibly cute! Look at those worried little eyes! Those fluffy ears! Ahhh, I want to pat her head so badly!’
An immense wave of joy and an almost uncontrollable, fatherly impulse surged in his chest, nearly shattering his remaining reason.
Although Amiya was deeply confused by the strange, intense warmth in his gaze, Ivan’s sincere smile convinced her he wasn’t a threat. She temporarily pushed the questions to the back of her mind. There were more pressing matters at hand.
She turned around, her attention shifting to the Ursus mother and daughter still huddled defensively beside a pile of rubble in the alleyway. The mother was clutching her young child desperately, both of them coated in ash and dust. The little girl’s face was buried deep in her mother’s tattered coat, her tiny shoulders trembling with silent sobs.
Amiya’s heart ached at the sight. Softening her voice to its gentlest tone, she carefully extended a hand, wanting to help the exhausted woman to her feet.
“Please don’t be afraid, it’s safe now. We’ll take you to—”
“Don’t touch my child!”
The mother reacted as if Amiya’s hand was a searing branding iron. She erupted with a sudden, terrified strength, violently yanking her daughter behind her back. She scrambled backward against the debris, her eyes wide with absolute horror and wariness, staring fixedly at Amiya’s outstretched fingers.
Amiya’s hand froze in mid-air. The warm smile on her face instantly shattered.
She hastily tried to explain, her voice carrying the faintest, heartbreaking tremble. “Please, listen to me! We truly mean you no harm! We just want to protect you and escort you to a safe zone…”
“I am very grateful!” the mother interrupted her, her voice shrill and cracking with panic.
She struggled to her feet, her legs shaking so badly she nearly collapsed. Ignoring Amiya entirely, the woman turned toward Ivan and bowed deeply, bending almost ninety degrees at the waist.
“Young man! Thank you!” she cried out, her tone thick with desperate gratitude. “Thank you so much for saving my daughter and me!”
But the moment she straightened up and looked back at Amiya, the gratitude vanished, replaced entirely by a visceral, suffocating disgust. Her terrified gaze swept over Amiya’s youthful face, locking onto the faint, jagged traces of black Originium crystals subtly visible near her collar and cuffs. She then looked at the surrounding Rhodes Island Operators, spotting the telltale signs of the disease on their skin and gear.
The mother’s eyes turned incredibly cold, harboring a deep-seated, irrational fear of death.
“But you… and those people behind you…” Her voice dropped to a harsh whisper. “You’re all Infected, aren’t you?” She spat the word out like it was poison. “I’m sorry… I can’t trust you. Please… stay away from us.”
Without waiting for a response, she refused to look at Amiya’s instantly pale face, nor did she spare a glance for the heavily armed Operators watching with complex, hardened expressions. She gripped her daughter’s cold little hand with bruising force.
Almost dragging the crying child behind her, the mother stumbled away down the ruined street, fleeing in the exact opposite direction of Rhodes Island without ever looking back.
“Please, wait!” Amiya took a desperate step forward, her voice cracking with a quiet plea.
But her outstretched hand merely hung futilely in the empty air, grasping at nothing.
Watching Amiya’s trembling back, and then looking down the desolate road where the mother and daughter had vanished into the smoke, Ivan felt the gamer-fueled adrenaline drain completely from his veins. The overwhelming excitement he had felt just moments ago was instantly crushed by a heavy, suffocating pang of reality.
This land… Terra was far more cruel than a screen could ever convey.