Douluo: Manifesting the Black Abyss and White Flower at the Start-Chapter 323 - 322: Space Gate

On the battlefield, Xiao Wu's form became a pale-blue afterimage of divine light, crossing a thousand meters in an instant, bearing icy divinity and killing intent as she streaked toward the gravely wounded, dying Cú Chulainn.
On the other side, though his breath was faint, chest collapsed, and blood spilling from his lips, Cú Chulainn's fingers remained firm on his spear.
The crimson tip glimmered with the desperate light of a dying beast.
Even if death was certain, the Hound of Culann would die in a fierce, all-out battle—never with his hands bound and neck bared.
"Come—fight to the end!!"
A feral, crazed grin split Cú Chulainn's blood-smeared face, adding a savage edge. His eyes, still burning with unyielding will to fight, locked on the onrushing Xiao Wu.
"Strike Air!"
At that razor's edge of life and death, a cool, steely woman's voice cleaved the battlefield.
An invisible tornado, ferocious enough to rend heaven and earth, sprang from nothing and swept precisely into Xiao Wu mid-charge.
This tempest was no act of nature but wind power compressed and controlled to the extreme—faster than thought—ensnaring Xiao Wu before she could react.
Rumble—!
Crushing wind pressure seized her form and hurled her like a catapulted boulder into the ruins of a half-collapsed megastructure.
Stout steel beams and heavy concrete were shredded to powder in the annihilating vortex, screaming with teeth-grinding shrieks.
As dust billowed, a petite figure strode from the storm's heart, silver-blue knight's armor gleaming, blue cape snapping in the turbulent air.
In her hand was a holy sword shrouded by roaring wind—only a hint of gold showing—then she came to Cú Chulainn's side.
Her gaze swept over the blood-drenched Lancer, breath faint yet spine unbowed. Her voice was calm, without ripple.
"Who would have thought—the famed Child of Light—reduced to such a sorry state."
"Saber… it's you…"
Seeing Artoria Pendragon, Cú Chulainn froze, then showed clear displeasure and chagrin.
"Tch. Saved by you in the end… and you had to see me like this. Damn… how galling."
Anyone would feel vexed to be seen by an acquaintance so beaten and near death.
For one as proud as he, a hound who prized a warrior's honor as life itself, being rescued could taste even worse than defeat.
Artoria did not answer his lament. She slightly lifted the golden-bright holy sword, released the Barrier of the Wind King, and leveled the radiant tip toward the ruins where Xiao Wu had been hurled.
Pure golden light lit her resolute features and emerald eyes. Since she had chosen to intervene, this battle would naturally be taken up by the King of Knights.
Boom—!
From the distant rubble, sea-blue divinity exploded, shredding and scattering the lingering invisible winds.
Xiao Wu emerged. Her hair was tousled from the impact, hem dusted, but her beautiful eyes were colder than before—ice that hadn't thawed in millennia.
She stared frostily at the sudden Artoria, feeling the other's sovereign aura and sacred power, different yet no less vast. Divine might within her surged and boiled anew.
This battle was far from over.
"Will Saber… really be okay facing such an enemy alone?"
Nan Qiuqiu trailed close behind her mother, Nan Shuishui, but couldn't stop glancing back at Artoria's resolute figure vanishing into smoke and dust, her young face etched with worry.
Though she hadn't spent long with the famously big-eating king, she truly respected—even idolized—this stern, steadfast monarch.
In the days training under Artoria, watching her fight and choose; and after all the shocks and sacrifices of the Mingdu cataclysm, Nan Qiuqiu felt she'd learned far beyond her years.
From an impulsive, rash girl reliant on her mother, she was beginning to understand responsibility, duty, and steady resilience—like a rebirth.
"Don't worry, Qiuqiu."
Sensing her daughter's concern, Nan Shuishui stopped, gently stroked her soft pink hair, and spoke warmly, voice quietly reassuring.
"She is strong—far stronger than we imagine. That fight is beyond Titled Douluo—it carries powers and convictions we can't fully grasp."
She paused, gazing toward the source of the terrifying energies, her tone deepening.
"And this is her battle—her chosen path and pride. What you must do now isn't fret over a fight you can't join, but protect yourself—do not become a burden that distracts her in combat."
Nan Shuishui knew Artoria's pride and resolve. She would not let her daughter rush into a clash far beyond the Earth Dragon Sect's scope.
It was too dangerous. With their current strength, even watching that level of battle was taxing—intervening was out of the question.
Even the stray shockwaves could shred any Soul Master below Soul Douluo.
For Nan Qiuqiu, the greatest help was to survive, stick with the sect, and leave Artoria free of worry.
By now, under Nan Shuishui's lead, Earth Dragon Sect's disciples and elders had linked up with the Heaven Dragon Sect's remnants—battered but with their main force intact.
After brief talks, the two sects chose to move together—trusted allies whose combined strength meant greater safety.
Before Artoria left to join the war for the Grail, she, with Nan Shuishui and her daughter, had escorted a group of civilians through the chaos, finally finding a temporary haven protected by Haiyuan City.
Because this refuge lay off the main fronts ravaged by the antimatter legion, few voidrangers had approached it. The relative safety had drawn crowds of displaced survivors seeking shelter, forming a cramped but increasingly orderly camp.
Thus, assured that Haiyuan City forces kept order and the place was safe for now, Artoria could focus on the Servants' war.
Zhang Lexuan, coordinating, did not turn away the survivors—sect members, academy elites, and common folk alike. She displayed excellent organization, directing Haiyuan personnel and volunteer Soul Masters to keep order, distribute scarce supplies, and treat the wounded.
Noisy, but not chaotic.
At the camp's center, a near-miracle was unfolding.
Herta employed a portion of the Key of Infinity authority to open a colossal space gate, thirty meters high.
A soft, steady, pale-blue light rippled like a tranquil lake, swallowing group after group of arrivals and sending them to Haiyuan City, thousands of miles away—utterly safe.
To the natives of the Douluo Continent, it was godlike.
Among those transported were elite disciples from top sects and famed academies of the empires.
Anyone qualified to compete in this tournament was a peerless talent—the future of their powers.
By saving them in the near-apocalyptic calamity wrought by the antimatter legion, Haiyuan City had bestowed a monumental favor—one tied to the very future of these forces.
For Haiyuan City, it was a sure-win strategic investment.
These young geniuses might be limited in current combat power, but the networks and resources they'd command in time far outweighed present costs.
Influence works best when woven wide and dense.
Haiyuan City never sought to dominate the world by force and make enemies of all, but to stand through conciliation, mutual benefit, and interlinked interests.
With today's lifesaving debt laid down, future plans—continental unification, resource integration—would face fewer headwinds from native powers, making progress smoother and saving blood and trouble unseen.
Nan Qiuqiu took one last, long look at the battlefield wreathed in smoke and energy storms. Towering flame and tides of terrifying power spoke of a clash both savage and awe-inspiring.
She bit her lip until she tasted iron. A blazing desire to grow stronger surged within her like fire.
If only she had enough strength—she wouldn't have to watch Artoria rush into peril alone, nor be a protected, transferred burden.
Seeing that fierce resolve blaze in her daughter's eyes, Nan Shuishui smiled with deep pride.
To recognize and accept one's weakness is no flaw. That clarity breeds the firmest, greatest drive to become strong.
Her daughter's growth exceeded expectations—faster and finer than she had imagined.