[Fantasy] Divine Capital (Book) - 22-24

Chapter 21.

I stared blankly as the familiar girl transformed into an unprecedented monster, a voice screaming wildly from within. The scene before me made me wonder if it was all a dream, though whether it was a nightmare or not, I couldn't say for sure.

The creatures swooping down from the sky couldn't slow down in time when they saw Asaga unleash her power, for Asaga, now a colossal beast, had already pounced on them. Her

scythe-like limbs vibrated with a high-speed buzzing sound, instantly engulfing the one at the forefront within her attack range. Countless attacks shattered his protective shield in a second, then sliced him into a pile of mangled flesh.

His companions frantically attacked Asaga with high-intensity energy blades, but the girl's mutated body returned to normal in the blink of an eye. As the proliferating parts creaked and retracted into her body, numerous energy blades whistled past the now petite girl, unable to strike her original massive target.

Just after one round of attacks, Asaga fell from the sky to the ground, then transformed back into a monster and leaped into the air before hitting the ground. She switched between these two forms with lightning speed, completely overwhelming the remaining four opponents single-handedly.

I stared in disbelief at her dazzling figure. If she weren't my ally but an enemy, I really wouldn't know how to deal with something like this.

Those guys, true to their reputation as a team that had won two consecutive matches like us, hadn't completely lost their minds in this situation. They regrouped, forming a defensive formation, and began to retreat.

Asaga weaved through their attacks, manipulating her form like an artist, using her size advantage to scatter them once again.

The girl attacked one of them with all her might; the guy gritted his teeth and used his greatsword to meet the scythe slashing down from above. His companions, finding their balance in mid-air, quickly surrounded her, trying to divert her attention.

Immediately afterward, the girl's tail, encased in layers of armor, whistled through the stomach of an unsuspecting victim.

The creature, impaled on Asaga's tail, let out a piercing scream before being flung away and slammed to the ground.

Every part of her body had become a deadly weapon; Asaga was now nothing short of a meat grinder.

The entire battlefield had been ravaged beyond recognition by Asaga alone. The ground was littered with pieces of flesh shattered by her brutal attacks, and the surface torn apart by her dozen or so scythe-like limbs made the area look as if it had been plowed clean.

After shredding the last victim's torso, the grotesque, proliferating growths began to slowly seep back into the girl's body. Unlike her battle-ready transformations, this time the girl seemed to be in considerable pain; blood gushed from where her limbs had retracted. This indicated that her rapid transformations during the battle hadn't fundamentally altered her body's structure, but merely involved a simple contraction.

Now I understand why she was naked after rescuing me from gambler Paul and Kuku… she must have used the same tactic then. So, just like then, the girl's clothes were now torn to shreds by her actions.

Although we didn't acknowledge any relationship, I had a strong possessive desire for her, considering her my woman. So even though it was Melfis, I really didn't want the girl's body exposed to anyone else.

It seems my worries were somewhat unnecessary; during the process of the girl regaining her human form, some of the proliferating material happened to cover the peaks of her breasts and the center of her valley. Although the material looked grotesque and terrifying, and the style couldn't be more revealing, I have to admit, it was really beautiful and alluring.

"What was that just now?"

I walked towards the girl and asked.

Asaga turned to look at me, her delicate, cold face slowly twisting into a gritted-teeth expression.

"You were faking it!"

A chill ran down my spine, and I shuddered. "I was trying to lure out the enemy who was following us."

The girl seemed completely oblivious to my explanation, her knee slamming into my stomach.

I was dizzy with pain, clutching my abdomen and nearly collapsing to the ground.

"Don't you know I can't use [Abyss Awakening] right now! It hurts so much! I shouldn't have used it if I'd known you were faking it!"

The girl cried out, tears streaming down her face.

I felt a pang of heartache, forcing myself to sit up despite the excruciating pain in my abdomen, and gently wiping her face with my fingers. Asaga cried even harder when my hand touched her face, like a child. She bit her lip, trying to remain silent, but the tears wouldn't stop.

That [Abyss Awakening] must have been incredibly painful for her.

Meanwhile, Hoshimi seemed to be settling scores with Melfis. I had never seen Melfis look so guilty, letting a girl follow behind and bombard him with energy blasts, then awkwardly dodging them.

You know, my pretending to duel with him wasn't a deliberate plan to fool both of them... To fool the enemy, you have to fool your comrades first, right...?

"I'm sorry, don't cry."

I helplessly tried to coax the girl in front of me in my clumsy way.

The girl lowered her head, wiping away her tears, turning her head away from me.

"Get me some clothes!"

the princess ordered. I quickly took off my armor, removed the clothes I was wearing underneath, and carefully draped them over her. This time, Asaga's emotions finally calmed down a bit.

"Such powerful strength... if you could always use it, we probably really could win the championship,"

I muttered.

Asaha's eyes were red. "Originally, before entering the Abyss, Riolet couldn't use [Abyssal Awakening]. As a princess, I could barely use this technique by drawing energy stored in the Abyss by the Devourers. And to use it here, someone in the Dark Side needs to act as a medium to transfer the energy to me. I originally thought I couldn't use it, but it seems... someone in the Dark Side is indeed acting as a medium for me. This is the second time I've used [Abyssal Awakening], so I must have been targeted..."

"Targeted! Targeted by whom?"

I frowned.

The girl seemed to sigh. "I am a princess. I am one of the most promising candidates in Riolet to successfully enter the Abyss... and the most likely to succeed in replacing my father and sitting on the Devourer's throne... In the Dark Side, there are naturally countless people who want to possess my power and body."

"Like that Shiron on the ship..."

I felt my mood turning sour.

“He’s just a nobody. But some guys aren’t… Luckily, they shouldn’t be able to get here. The stronger the Riolet, the harder it is for him to pass through the gate linking our two worlds. As long as I stay here, they can’t do anything to me.”

Looking at the girl’s somewhat mischievous expression, I seemed to understand something.

“So that’s why you brought the magical beast here back then? The mission was just an excuse; it was actually to avoid those guys?”

Asaga didn’t hide anything. “If I completed that mission, the Devourer Clan wouldn’t have to get into war with the Eye Clan. The royal family has enough power to protect me, so I don’t need to worry about those who covet me.”

I nodded, then glanced at her plump, exposed breasts. It was a man's instinct, I gave myself an excuse.

"Asaja, that form you were in just now... was that your true form?"

I asked hesitantly.

"Of course."

The girl looked at me matter-of-factly.

I felt a chill run down my spine. If that was her true form, then her current human form was just for convenience... My mind started to go blank.

Asaja looked at me for a while, then couldn't help but giggle.

"Just kidding! Actually, [Abyss Awakening] is similar to your Soul Redemption Armor. Your expression is so funny! Hahaha!"

The girl laughed heartily, but I remained silent. This girl had already learned to tease people in this way. If this continued, I wondered how she would play me...

On the other side, Melfis was talking to Hoshimi in the distance, and the two weren't fighting. Hoshimi's expression was very complicated, while Melfis had his back to us, so I couldn't see his expression. I don't know what the two of them were talking about, but I had a feeling that Hoshimi was desperately suppressing her feelings, trying to prevent Melfis from noticing anything.

Melfis is an extremely selfish person; that's the conclusion I've drawn from my understanding of him. This so-called selfishness isn't just defined by the values of ordinary people like us. In Melfis's value system, everyone is selfish. Whether you help others or make self-sacrifices, in Melfis's eyes, it's all just to satisfy his own moral desires and beliefs.

He risked his own safety to save me from Dreams, yet he didn't think it was anything I should be grateful for. Similarly, if he knew what Hoshimi's feelings for him were, he would definitely use her to death, while Hoshimi would be unable to refuse Melfis's demands in order to prove herself. Melfis

doesn't feel guilty or remorseful for using someone who loves him, nor does he feel morally superior for giving everything to someone he loves. That's the kind of person Melfis is.

Hoshimi understands Melfis better than I do, so to protect herself, she absolutely cannot reveal her feelings for him.

From Hoshimi's perspective alone, Melfis is an absolute scumbag. But no one has the right to judge him, including Hoshimi. No one forced her to fall in love with Melfis; it was all her own choice.

I looked at the girl beside me.

I lost Yingfeng, left Fey, said goodbye to Xiaxi… but in the end, I still had Asaga by my side.

I can't say whether I can interpret her possessiveness and bond as her feelings for me, but I feel that having her is already very lucky, luckier than many others.

We left behind a pile of corpses and continued on our way. Neither Melfis nor Hoshimi looked at Asaga for a long time after we rejoined the team, but neither asked her what she had just done. As assassins accustomed to hiding their secrets, Melfis and Hoshimi didn't have the habit of probing others' secrets.

"Can she use that... casually?"

Melfis asked casually as we walked side by side.

I shook my head, and then he didn't say anything more.

**********

After traveling for almost a day, we found the portal to the next arena space. On our journey, we saw flashes of light and energy tremors in the distance, indicating that as we approached our target, more and more teams were encountering and engaging in fierce battles within the dome's perimeter.

Undoubtedly, another victory would bring the density of teams together enough to trigger a multi-front war.

This time, we were still waiting for challenges, suggesting that the system's rules weren't as simple as a rotating challenge system.

We waited for challengers to appear in a pale world. Last time, I had four people sitting beside me, but now only three remained.

Hoshino and Melfis seemed to have completely forgotten Moth's existence, while I was still grieving the loss of my companions. Perhaps to assassins like them, the fall of a comrade was perfectly normal, so there was no need to show emotion.

I had only known Moth for a short time; I didn't understand him, and he didn't understand me, but I knew he was a true friend of Elegy. Unlike Melfis, Moth was the kind of friend Elegy acknowledged.

He possessed remarkable strength; I had never been able to defeat him in sparring. Putting aside his magical advantage, I couldn't gain any advantage in close combat alone, especially since he had many hidden killing techniques as a mercenary that he hadn't even used.

But Moth was dead, and I was still alive. If this could be considered some kind of luck, I should probably thank the gods of this world.

However, there are no gods in this world, I've always believed that. Even if there are, they're just disgusting beings who manipulate humanity at will.

Watching Hoshimi and Melfis meditate with their eyes closed, I couldn't stop imagining what it would be like after I died. Hoshimi, needless to say, and Melfis certainly wouldn't be saddened by such a thing. It's not that I'm superficially fixated on others' lingering affection for me, but rather that the feeling is very subtle.

Humans instinctively fear their own death; that unpredictable unknown creates one of humanity's greatest fears. I'm afraid of death, terribly afraid, otherwise I wouldn't have become a battery struggling between life and death.

When I'm forced to contemplate my own death, I often unconsciously hope that I can leave something behind after I die. The more I pondered the vastness of time, the stronger this desire became.

Humans always die; a hundred years of life is but a fleeting moment compared to endless time. But after death, that endless time becomes meaningless… I believe everyone has had this thought.

Yet, if one's companions remember them, life seems to be extended… Everyone hopes to be remembered; perhaps this is a product of the struggle for the continuation of life… mating and reproduction, publishing books, leaving a mark on history—it's all the same.

I looked at Asaga beside me; perhaps the one who will remember me the longest is you.

“You're here.”

Melfis opened his eyes, and then a challenge message appeared before me.

I dismissed those pointless thoughts and looked up at the floating screen.

The challenger's team was named "Shura." This time, Melfis didn't ask if we'd heard of him, nor did he solicit our opinions on the battle location.

He directly selected the plains on the screen, without even making tactical arrangements, and we were teleported into the scene.

Melfis wasn't in good condition. Our previous heated arguments weren't entirely acting; I simply had no way to help him. As an assassin, I think he understands better than I do the impact of emotions on combat effectiveness. I can only hope he hasn't lost his most basic judgment.

The plains are completely exposed, with only a few sparse trees standing forlornly as decoration. Visibility is excellent; even the enemy's energy crystal in the distance is visible.

The three black dots in the distance were undoubtedly the enemy's figures. Of course, they must have seen our situation clearly as well.

This plains map seemed designed for direct, unreserved combat. There wasn't much time to set traps, nor was there anywhere to ambush; the real challenge on this map was how to destroy the enemy's crystal in a high-intensity head-on confrontation.

"Melfis, we..."

I began, trying to confirm our next move, but Melfis simply flew towards a few energy stones scattered nearby.

Although we were far from the enemy, no one wanted to leave their teammates alone, so the three of us followed.

We calmly charged our energy, and the enemy seemed ready for battle, flying towards us.

"Let's meet them,"

Melfis calmly gave, a command that reassured me slightly.

Our two groups began to approach each other, slowly increasing our energy. I drew my Divine Palace, and Hoshimi cast an extra shield for us.

We had a numerical advantage; a large-scale melee was highly advantageous for us. However, when I saw their faces clearly, I reached out and stopped Melfis, who was about to rush forward.

"What's wrong?"

Melfis turned around and looked at me expressionlessly.

"I know them. Don't make a move yet."

After saying that, I descended from the air and walked towards the three opponents, while the others followed behind me, ready to provide support at any time.

Singafolo, Yuying, and another person I had seen before did the same thing when they saw me descend.

Their team was called Shura, so I also knew the other guy's name. Singafolo was the one who spoke to us before Asa and I boarded that cruise ship. His short, stick-like weapon, the folding shield attached to his arm, and the small braid at the back of his head made it easy for me to recognize him again.

It seems that Singafolo, who lost a companion, and this guy who was determined to join someone else's team formed a new team after that voyage, which was quite suitable for them.

However, I was quite surprised to see that their haphazardly assembled team had come this far.

"What a coincidence."

I nodded to them as a greeting.

"It's not a coincidence, it was intentional."

Singafaro smiled at me, as did Yu Ying.

I thought about it carefully. Perhaps Singafaro asked Asaga's name when I wasn't paying attention.

Another possibility is that Yu Ying overheard Shirou calling Asaga's name. Either way, since they chose us, they're definitely going to have a fight.

"Why did they choose us? I'm not planning to hold back in a place like this."

I smirked.

Singafaro looked at me with interest. "Of course I wouldn't have such thoughts. But I'm not planning to simply admit defeat to repay you. Everyone was exhausted on the ship, and now that we have the chance, I'd like to test your strength."

I shrugged. "Whatever you want, how do you want to fight?"

"Best two out of three!"

Yu Ying interjected. The girl looked at me and smiled, as if she had some small scheme. It seems she has temporarily escaped from that terrible memory.

"What if it's a tie?"

I asked.

“You win,”

Singafalo said.

I looked back at Melfis, who remained expressionless but nodded slightly at me.

“It’s settled then,”

I replied.

Perhaps they really wanted to repay me indirectly this way, but they were concerned about my pride, so they chose this method.

I didn’t care; in this game, individual strength wasn’t the deciding factor. It wasn’t that I underestimated them—the fact that the three of them could keep up with our pace spoke volumes—in a best-of-three, one-on-one match, I didn’t think any of them could defeat Melfis or Hoshimi.

Asaka hadn’t been in good spirits since using [Abyss Awakening], so I had no reason to let her fight.

To decide the outcome quickly, we quickly chose our opponents and then left the others a good space to “move around.”

The two girls became opponents: Melfis stood in front of Singafalo, while I chose the unfamiliar Shura. Whether it's Singafolo or Yuying, I just can't bring myself to turn against those I once stood with.

Shuna still seemed as nonchalant and amiable as ever; he appeared to have no objection to Singafolo and the others' choice.

"You really found companions, and you've come this far. That's remarkable,"

I said, planting the shrine in the ground.

Shuna smiled. "Good luck. Singafolo and the others trust me a lot. To live up to their trust, I have to take them as far as possible."

"It sounds... like you see them as just two burdens,"

I joked, deliberately using provocative language .

Shuna, however, showed no arrogance, as if stating something perfectly ordinary.

"They're not burdens. Singafolo's combat skills are already quite good, and Yuying's support spells and crowd control are also very helpful. However, their levels aren't enough to guarantee our victory in a battle where we're outnumbered."

Looking at him, I frowned. He might be lying, or he might be exaggerating to scare me. But if what he said was true, then Shura should possess the overwhelming strength to fight multiple opponents single-handedly.

"What level are you?"

I couldn't help but ask, though I knew he was unlikely to give me an answer.

Shura laughed heartily, "Don't take levels so seriously. Low-level warriors can defeat high-level ones too. Have confidence."

This was tantamount to declaring that his level was higher than mine. I hadn't revealed my power, so his condescending attitude annoyed me. However, if he could say this with such certainty, and believed his level was definitely higher than mine… could it be… he was a level zero super monster?

It was certain that even someone like Melfis hadn't heard of Shura. If he truly was a super monster who had broken through level boundaries, Melfis had no reason not to know him. Besides, Melfis hadn't shown any unusual expression or attitude when he saw him. Just as

I was lost in thought, the two groups in the distance had already started fighting. The explosions from the energy storms carried by the wind across the plains reached my ears, and the fighting spirit within me began to ignite.

“Looks like we’ve been wasting too much time,”

Shura said with a smile.

I nodded, then raised my energy to nearly 80% and slowly lifted the Divine Palace.

Shuna drew a short staff from his waist, from which a blade of pure energy shot forth—the staff was actually the hilt of a sword. The prop on his left arm emitted a textured mechanical grinding sound, transforming into a hollow disc, which was then completely covered in energy.

The charged sword and shield looked like a high-level set of equipment.

"Singafaro and Youying seem prepared to let you win outright, so they should surrender soon. But I'm different from them; I'll seize any opportunity to enjoy the battle.

You, be serious, or you'll regret it." Shuna spoke arrogantly and casually.

I was slightly taken aback, then cursed myself inwardly. It seemed that spending so much time with Melfis had fostered some bad habits, such as hiding my strength. In the past, I would have gone all out against any enemy. But this opponent seemed to leave no room for carelessness.

Thinking this, I began to summon the Soul Redemption Armor, but a chilling sound came from behind me.

A raven's caw.

Forgetting the threat of my opponent, I abruptly turned my head towards the direction of the sound.

A familiar black energy blade, accompanied by a raven's cry, shot straight into the sky, shattering several high-flying white clouds overhead. Singafro's body had been torn in two, the blood gushing from his severed body instantly evaporating into the air.

Unable to believe what I was seeing, when I came to my senses, my body had already involuntarily lunged towards that direction, completely forgetting that my opponent would take this opportunity to attack me from behind.

Yu Ying let out a heart-wrenching scream. Her face was already soaked with tears. The girl cried out as she made a hand seal, her hands instantly condensing into two dazzling orbs of light, while her hair rapidly turned white as magic surged wildly.

Just before she loudly chanted the incantation for some kind of super-advanced spell, a hand covered her mouth.

Xingjian had already darted behind her, a short knife plunging into the desperate girl's body three times in quick succession. Kidneys, liver, and left chest—the precision was beyond words.

A torrent of blood gushed from between Hoshimi's fingers as she clutched Yuuki's hand. Hoshimi drew her dagger and wiped the blood onto Yuuki's clothes before she fell from the sky.

I slowly stopped, standing helplessly in place, watching Yuuki's body crash heavily to the ground.

I glanced back; the smile on Shura's face was gone. He stared at us blankly for a moment, then chose to surrender, disappearing from this world.

He made a very wise choice, while I didn't.

"Why did you do this!"

I roared at Melfis.

Melfis had sheathed his Raven Feather Blade after Shura withdrew. He had a wound on his shoulder; not many people could injure Melfis. He looked at me, the murderous intent still lingering on his face.

"It's just a battle. Battles kill people. It's that simple."

The man spoke in a tone I had never heard before, a tone that made me tremble with rage.

I glared at Hoshimi. The girl's face was expressionless, but she turned her face away when my gaze met hers. I knew she didn't want to kill Yu Ying. At that time, Yu Ying had already used some kind of technique I didn't understand, one that cost her own life force. If she were allowed to complete it, I believed that even if Melfis didn't die, he would definitely be in big trouble... So, for Hoshimi, she didn't have many choices.

I looked at Melfis again, trying to control my trembling hands, and said as slowly as possible, "You know in your heart... you don't need to kill him... Singafolo and the others originally wanted to do us a favor..." Melfis's murderous aura lingered around me, like being in a shark tank.

"I want to kill, is there a problem?"

Melfis said without any hesitation.

Yes... does he need a reason to kill? He's a professional killer, it's as simple as eating for him. And he's always been known in this world for his bloodlust, what he does isn't something I can't understand... But...

"But those two are my friends, Dead Raven Melfis!"

I roared.

I clearly saw Melfis's face twitch.

"Your friend, what does that have to do with me?"

He seemed to pause for a moment as he said this.

Upon hearing this, my hand immediately reached for the shrine, my reason completely overwhelmed by the anger and disappointment in my heart. If I used the Soul Redemption Armor combined with the power of the Light Flow Blade, I...

But I couldn't draw the sword from its sheath. I remembered that even within my own Light Flow Blade, there was a trace of Melfis's blood. What

I couldn't accept wasn't that Melfis killed Singafero. If it were a duel where lives were at stake, I wouldn't have uttered a word about Singafero's death, and might even have rejoiced in Melfis's victory. What angered me was that Melfis, even knowing I had connections with them, still killed Singafero out of spite.

I felt that, at that moment, I was nothing in Melfis's eyes.

I stood facing him, but I lost the desire to draw my sword. I retreated from the plain and returned to the buffer zone.

The others did the same. I watched Melfis enter the buffer zone and then exit the game, feeling a rift that seemed irreparable had formed between us. Before exiting, Hoshimi glanced at me. I shook my head at her, indicating she didn't need to blame herself for what she had done; the girl simply pursed her lips in response.

While Melfis and I were arguing, Asaga watched us without saying a word. After they left, the girl sat down next to me. "This is the first time I've seen you like this," Asaga said. "Singafero probably didn't even use his true power to fight Melfis before he died, yet Melfis killed him outright..." I said in a low voice, feeling a strong sense of guilt wash over me. "I shouldn't have let Melfis fight him. In Melfis's state, I should have realized what he was going to do!" "You can't change anything..." "Yes! But isn't that what's most infuriating? We can never change those things!" I shouted. Asaga opened her mouth, at a loss for words. The girl was learning to comfort others, but she was still far from it. Did she really understand my anger? I had once saved Yu Ying, and she had indirectly died because of my decision. I was glad she hadn't looked in my direction before she died, otherwise I think I wouldn't have been able to forget her eyes for a very long time—it must have been very similar to the way Wange looked at me before she died… Asaha leaned against me. She was clever; when she realized she couldn't calm me down with words, she chose to offer me a little warmth in this way. It worked; my breathing began to slow down, and the remaining anger in my chest gradually subsided. Should I blame Melfis? I began to question myself after I calmed down.

My conversation with Singafalo didn't seem particularly deep. Perhaps in Melfis's eyes, he never considered us to be friends in any way.

Moth died, encountered Yamian… ever since then, Melfis has probably been suppressing his murderous intent. Unable to vent his anger on his enemies, it's easy for him to kill indiscriminately in the next battle.

But that's not an excuse for me to forgive him. If he doesn't control this willful mentality, will he kill Asaga next?

Moth told me that a huge monster lurks within Melfis. He said I could help him, but now, I feel I simply can't.

I'm even starting to seriously doubt whether he truly cares about my existence.

Perhaps it's time to become strangers with Melfis. Helping him complete this competition, as payment for saving me, would even things out… even though some things may be impossible to repay in this lifetime, if I continue to be his companion, I think one day something I'll regret will happen. Six hours later,

Melfis

and Hoshimi logged into the game around the same time. We didn't say anything, but exited the buffer space and continued our journey.

I noticed that Hoshimi's face was pale, with two sickly flushes on her cheeks, and a faint bite mark on her neck. She floated slowly in the air, giving me a feeling that she was about to collapse.

I didn't ask her anything. Although she was my companion, that was still because of Melfis's existence. If Melfis and I were truly on opposite sides, her dagger would immediately seize any opening and try to pierce my body.

As for now, I didn't need to worry about her, I only needed to worry about myself. Because when such a large gap appeared in the team, I didn't know if we could survive the next battle.

Just as I was lost in thought, Asaga suddenly tugged at me.

I looked up and saw that the terrain of the [Dome] had begun to change. A wide, huge canyon stretched far ahead, and we hadn't found any portals along the way.

As we approached, the canyon grew increasingly larger in our view. At first, I was calculating the energy required to jump across the crevice, but after a few minutes, I realized it was simply impossible.

The canyon was hundreds of meters wide and so deep that we couldn't see the bottom, yet we could still hear the roar of the rushing water from below. Falling down like that, even with enough energy to cushion the fall, would definitely result in being swept away by the current.

While I hesitated, Hoshimi spoke.

"Which way do we go?"

the girl asked, a question I had wanted to ask.

We only had two choices: descend to the bottom of the canyon, cross the river, and then climb back to the other side;

or continue walking along the canyon until we found a place where we could directly cross the crevice.

The former would waste a lot of time and energy, but it guaranteed a 100% success rate. The latter was entirely based on luck; we didn't even know if the system would actually provide a direct way to cross the canyon, and exploring along the way would inevitably lead to encountering many other teams.

"Let's go down,"

Melfis said, seemingly having made up her mind long ago.

Interestingly, as we approached the cliff edge, the system prompted us that we could exchange the points we had earned earlier. I clearly remembered seeing some climbing gear among the exchange options, which might explain why Melfis made that choice.

The system offering this possibility was perhaps a way of guiding us in some direction. But who could say for sure if there were traps involved… In the past, I would have liked to discuss the situation with Melfis, but now I had no interest.

We silently began assembling the rappelling equipment using the exchanged ropes and carabiners, and threw the large bundle of ropes off the cliff. Watching them slowly disappear into the darkness, I suddenly felt tense.

“Ashaja,”

Melfis suddenly called to the girl next to me, whom I was helping with her zipline. “The three of us will go down first. You stay up here and keep watch. If anyone appears in our line of sight, fire an energy blast down to warn us. We’ll be prepared to prevent them from cutting the rope. If it’s safe, fire two blasts in quick succession to signal us to continue descending. We’ll fire an energy blast from below after we reach the bottom, then you can come down.”

“She doesn’t know how to use the zipline. You guys go down, I’ll stay up here,”

I said to Melfis. This was the first thing I’d said to him since that argument.

Melfis looked at me for a moment, and I looked at him too, but I couldn’t see any emotion in his eyes; he was just deep in thought.

Finally, he shook his head. “Her regenerative abilities are strong, so she faces the least risk in these two situations where she’s alone.

You teach her how to use the zipline now.” I have to admit, Melfis’s judgment was the most appropriate. But I was very worried about Asaja covering our retreat alone.

Asaja squatted down and watched me operate the zipline intently, placing her small hand on my shoulder, as if trying to reassure me.

“Are you okay?”

I frowned as I demonstrated how to use the zipline.

The girl tried it once and then nodded.

Everything was ready, and the three of us gripped the ropes and stepped off the cliff edge, beginning our descent. I looked up; Asaga was looking down at me. Her face grew smaller and smaller until I could no longer see it clearly.

The canyon was incredibly deep; even as the edge of the cliff blurred, I still couldn't see the bottom.

The wind howled past us, the rope around my waist vibrated incessantly, and the cold, wet rock beneath my feet was slippery. I turned my face away, avoiding the earthy, pungent wind.

Melfis was about three meters away from me, squinting in the wind as he slowly released the zipline and began his descent.

“You like watching movies,”

he suddenly said.

I paused, then realized Melfis was talking to me. I wasn't sure if it was a question, but I nodded anyway.

“I used to.”

“Have you seen *Blade Runner*?”

An old 20th-century science fiction film. In 2019, humanity created replicants to explore the vast universe, but their yearning for human rights led to a massacre of them. The protagonist, a professional replicant hunter, met the woman who captivated him; the prey of the killing field became the target of his love, and the hunter and prey were both caught in a cycle of being hunted.

2019 is history. In 2019, humanity failed to create replicants, and manned spacecraft failed to leave the solar system. It turns out that *Blade Runner* was just a movie. And the reason this film remains so memorable after countless years is not merely due to its far-fetched imagination.

"Melfis, what are you trying to say?"

I asked coldly.

He didn't answer me, but instead recited a classic line from *Blade Runner*:

"The attack ship burned fiercely beside the shoulder of Orion, and I watched the blazing light shimmer in the darkness of the Gates of Heaven. All moments will be swallowed by the torrent of time, like tears falling in the rain..."

“The time for death has come.”

Melfis and I uttered the last words in unison, then looked at each other.

Melfis turned her face away and continued pulling on the clasp to lower herself down, and I did the same.

“Actually, I really hated that movie. The hunter becomes the hunted, all because of a woman.”

“But you still watched it, and you even remembered the lines so clearly,”

I said.

There was something in Melfis’s eyes that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.

“Sacrificing oneself for love… that kind of cliché is disgusting. But do you know why I kept watching that movie? Because of the choice the replicants made after they were banished…”

“They went back to Earth, to get the Designers to help them find new energy sources.”

“Yes. They would have died in distant space, and they would have been slaughtered by humans when they returned to Earth. But they still came back, carrying some unrealistic hope… and the ending…”

“They all died.”

Melfis nodded.

“Their will to live was so strong. And I, I’m not even sure if I’m alive.”

“Of course you’re alive.”

“Maybe. And I still hold onto a sliver of hope…”

“What hope?”

“The hope that Yamean didn’t betray me.”

I was speechless, because that wasn’t something I could comment on.

“I even hoped that Dragon Sparrow’s death was just a dream I hadn’t woken up from, but the reality is, no matter how bright your hope seems, it’s ultimately just a laughable fantasy. Like those replicants in the movies, clinging to the hope of living, and then sending themselves to hell.”

Elegy’s death was just like that for me, so I felt I could understand what Melfis was thinking.

“I never thought I would actually see Yamean, and I never thought that Moth would die at her hands. I didn’t want to kill her, but she seemed to be doing things that forced me to kill her…”

As Melfis said this, a strong murderous aura emanated from her again.

“Perhaps to prove that my sliver of hope wasn’t worthless, I tried to find evidence that I was still alive… just like I’ve done before, filling my stomach with the despair and sorrow of others… so I killed your two friends.”

My hand froze, my body stopping in mid-air.

“I don’t want to make any excuses, but the truth is, I didn’t realize you and they were friends at that time.

My mind was completely filled with murderous intent when you were talking. I’m sorry for their deaths.” Melfis apologized. I never thought that this willful, unrestrained guy would say an apology.

“Before Moth died, he said…”

I sighed, “There’s a monster inside Melfis.”

Melfis looked up at me but didn’t speak.

“When you killed them, I became certain of one thing… what Moth said was true.”

I continued, “But now, I’m also certain of another thing…”

“What?”

Melfis asked.

I shook my head without answering. What I was certain of was the second half of Moth’s statement; the one who could stop him was probably me. Because Melfis, who disregarded all bonds, apologized to me.

“So…”

Melfis said, “are we still partners?”

I nodded.

“And after the match?”

“I’ve accepted your apology,”

I replied.

Melfis’s insight and ability to see through people were truly remarkable. He seemed to have read my thoughts from my silence, which was why he asked that question.

It wasn’t that I was flattered by his rare apology, but rather that I didn’t want to see him become a monster.

Because Melfis’s ultimate fate as a monster would be self-destruction, taking countless people with him in the process. When he realized what I could do for him, parting ways became an impossible choice.

I hadn’t fully forgiven him yet, but when Melfis said those things to maintain our bond, the hatred between us vanished.

I glanced at Hoshimi beyond Melfis’s figure. The girl seemed to have heard our conversation, because she was also looking at me, her eyes showing a hint of surprise and astonishment, but more than anything, a renewed, vibrant light.

Later, when I talked to Hoshimi, I learned that she was overjoyed simply because Melfis hadn't avoided her when she said those things.

Just then, an energy blast suddenly shot down from above, narrowly missing us by about ten meters.

We exchanged a glance and immediately pulled out the pre-prepared rock spikes, driving them deep into the rock face with energy. If someone above cut the rope, we could use these spikes to re-secure it.

The surroundings suddenly fell silent; the howling wind and the creaking of the ropes seemed to grow louder, while the river in the canyon below continued its turbulent flow, unmoved.

"She's not stupid, she'll be fine,"

Melfis said, seeing my worried expression.

I knew perfectly well that Melfis's instructions to Asaga were essentially telling her not to cling to the rope's anchor points. With Asaga's strength, if she wanted to escape, no one could stop her, except perhaps a group of super monsters. Despite this, I still had a very bad feeling.

We hung on the cliff for about five minutes, but we didn't receive any signal from Asaga indicating that it was safe, and the rope showed no signs of breaking. My heart started pounding faster and faster; this unannounced waiting was exhausting.

Just as I was about to lose my mind, a distant and muffled explosion came from above. My heart tightened; Asaga had already started fighting.

"She's not going to fight someone head-on, is she?"

Melfis exclaimed, frowning.

"She's not that reckless."

Although I said that, I had no confidence at all.

Suddenly, a strong energy wave pressed down from above, the remnants of energy splashing in the air and dissipating...

Before I could react, two dark figures appeared in my field of vision.

Asaga, who had already used [Abyss Awakening], was plummeting downwards in free fall!

When she saw us, Asaga used her steel-hardened proliferating limbs and tail to plunge into the rock wall. The downward force continued to pull Asaga down after her limbs pierced the rock wall, tearing several deep cracks in the rock.

Large chunks of rock and debris flew wildly through the air, forcing us to set up our protective shields.

"Asaga!"

I shouted her name loudly in her direction, as the girl had fallen about ten meters away from us.

When I saw the other dark figure clearly, I couldn't help but gasp.

"Damn it! What is that?!"

Melfis couldn't help but curse as well.

A gigantic monster descended from the sky, its streamlined body covered in silver armor, countless tentacles made of bone protruding from the gaps in the armor. More importantly, in the very center of its body was a man's body.

It was another Rioret! The form of this Rioret was very similar to Asaga after using [Abyss Awakening], both being monsters mounted on human bodies. But most importantly, this guy was even bigger than Asaga after [Abyss Awakening].

"Greedy Wolf, save me!"

the girl screamed, uttering a cry for help she had never heard before. A second later, the Rioret collided with her. The result of the collision between the two gigantic monsters was a chilling, ear-piercing sound and flying fragments of armor. A large spray of blood was blasted into the sky, followed by a rain of blood.

Asaga's body was slammed into the darkness below like a cannonball, the Rioret following closely behind.

My heart clenched. I tore a large piece of clothing with my hands, wrapped it tightly around my wrists, and used energy to shatter the ziplines around my body, beginning a freefall.

My sanity remained, so during my freefall, I didn't forget to use my protected hands to occasionally grab the rope for cushioning. But when I finally saw the bottom of the canyon, my palms were a bloody mess.

I had no energy left to care about the wounds on my hands. The instant I saw the bottom of the canyon, I accelerated downwards.

The energy blasted a huge crater when I hit the ground, and my internal organs were almost crushed by the immense recoil. But I didn't slow down, because the girl's massive figure was already vaguely entangled with that unknown, terrifying enemy in the splashing water not far away.

"Now you understand a little, right, Light Chant?"

I heard the Rioret's voice, and then the entire battlefield was clearly displayed before me.

Asaga's proliferating limbs were mostly severed. She was pinned to the shallows by the Leorette, struggling desperately, but to no avail; her blood only stained large swathes of the river red. The Leorette leaned over, his human form reaching to touch the girl's hair.

"Mirror's Wrath! Let me go!"

the girl screamed, blood streaming from her forehead down to her chest. Her tail howled and coiled back, lunging at her opponent from behind.

The tentacles on Mirror's Wrath coiled around her tail the instant she pierced him. Asaga struggled, but couldn't move her tail even a centimeter further.

"I thought you'd gained some self-awareness by coming here, but it seems it's all in vain."

Mirror's Wrath glanced back at the tail spike, just centimeters from his eyeball, still gathering all its strength and trembling slightly.

Then, his tentacles twisted violently, tearing the girl's tail off alive. Asaga let out a blood-curdling scream.

My mind was blank; all I could do was draw the shrine, summon the contract armor, and slash my injured hand fiercely against the blade.

"Absolution - Light Flow Blade!"

The skeletalized shrine glowed slightly, and then the five flowing light blades on it were instantly activated. The different colored light blades shrieked and began to tremble around the shrine, drawing a trail of light in the air as I accelerated.

Mirror Abyss looked at me; he didn't move, but countless silver-white tentacles lashed out at me with a crackling sound.

I didn't know the special uses of these light blades, but they were enough to shred anything blocking my way for now.

When his tentacles were effortlessly sliced apart, Mirror Abyss seemed to frown. He moved, a thick limb supporting his body grabbing Asaka and leaping backward. The unconscious Asaka was held in his hand, her proliferating parts already fragmented and falling off. This was fundamentally different from her previous process of spontaneously reverting to human form. I had a feeling that this beast in front of me had already caused some irreversible damage to her after the [Abyss Awakening].

The wildly surging light blades left a large number of chaotic trenches where he had been. The river water, evaporated by energy, instantly turned into steam, and the visibility around us became so low that I couldn't continue to pursue him.

Melfis and Hoshimi had already landed, but they didn't come to help me because they were confronting several other people.

After seeing that Mirror Evil was out of my attack range, those people moved towards him, and Melfis and Light Chant also retreated to my side.

Mirror Evil made a stretching motion, and then quickly retracted the proliferated parts into his body.

Asaga was held in his arms, covered in blood.

Melfis used half of his body to shield me, and the Raven Feather Blade was also placed in front of me, otherwise I would have already rushed over.

"Release her!"

I roared.

Besides Jingyan, there were four other guys on the other side. We had hostages in their hands, and we were completely outnumbered. I don't know why I blurted out such a stupid thing... but often, emotions can't be explained by stupidity alone.

"Greedy Wolf? Interesting. You seem much stronger now than before,"

the leader of the group suddenly said.

I looked at him with red eyes and began searching my memory for his image.

"Kara Norton,"

Melfis gently reminded me.

I immediately remembered this guy's identity. Not long ago, Balgus and he put on a show in the square of Dragon Palace, forcing me to draw my sword against Azza.

"It's an honor that the captain of Dreams' assault team remembers a nobody like me,"

I said, suppressing my killing intent.

It wasn't that I had exceptional patience, but I knew very well that someone like the vice-president of Dreams' guild was not someone I could easily deal with now. Moreover, his teammates were certainly not nobodies, let alone Jingyan; that Leorette might even be stronger than him.

While we were talking, Jingyan didn't even glance at me. A bony tentacle extended from his back, wrapping around Asaka's waist and submerging her in the river.

Watching him do this, my instinct was to snatch the girl away. But reason told me that without a very high success rate, it was best not to act rashly.

The blood on Asaka's body was quickly washed away, and the girl awoke from her unconsciousness. She grabbed the tentacle binding her, trying to break free. However, the battle seemed to have pushed her to her limit; she even seemed to have difficulty lifting her arm.

Jingyan looked at her, then flicked his tentacle, pulling the girl ashore and placing her in front of him. Another tentacle climbed onto her neck. While not suffocating, this action left Asaka with no chance to resist.

“I told you,”

Jingyan said, looking at Asaka, “running away will only lead to wasting time.”

“I have countless hours to waste… why not…”

the girl murmured weakly, but there was no sign of weakness in her eyes.

“Your form of resistance is utterly pointless, don’t you know that?”

Jingyan seemed somewhat displeased, and the tentacle around the girl’s neck suddenly retracted.

“What…right do you have to tell me what to do…”

Asagi gasped for breath, but still managed to squeeze out a sentence.

Jingyan shook his head, then released the tentacles wrapped around the girl’s neck and waist. Asagi fell to the ground, desperately gasping for the precious air.

“Go back. With me here, the Eye King won’t touch you. I’ll also take care of bringing back the Eye of the Demon Dragon; this is the best outcome, you should know that.”

Jingyan looked down at the girl lying on the ground.

Asagi raised her head and smiled contemptuously.

“I’m sorry…”

she said softly, “You taste really awful, I have no interest in eating you.”

Jingyan’s face twitched, and I saw a raging fire in his eyes.

Several tentacles lashed out like whips, instantly binding Asagi’s limbs, while another stabbed towards the girl’s mouth.

The girl gritted her teeth, letting the tentacle squeeze and shove against her lips.

"Don't like the taste? Then please try it..."

Jingyan punched the girl in the stomach. The poor girl gagged from the blow, and the tentacle immediately forced its way into her mouth.

The light blade flickered a few times, seemingly about to disappear. This was my last bargaining chip; if I waited any longer, I would have even less chance to save Asaka.

Jingyan seemed to see through my intentions. He pointed at me with his finger, then expressionlessly pointed at Asaka's throat. My nails rubbed against the wounds on my palms, blood dripping from between my fingers to the ground. I

couldn't do anything... This feeling was like being torn apart by a swarm of ants in an anthill...

The thick tentacle recklessly stabbed down into the girl's throat, Asaka's neck even bulging out. She let out a pitiful moan, saliva uncontrollably drooling from the corners of her mouth.

"How is it? Asaka Guangyong?"

"Jingyan! I challenge you to a duel! Put her down!"

I couldn't help but shout.

Jingyan glanced at me. "You humans are always like this, it's ridiculous. I don't know how you feel when you see a rat baring its teeth at you. The only thing Guangyong learned from you is probably your arrogance."

I gritted my teeth, feeling a strong sense of humiliation. He really looked at me like I was a rat.

But he was wrong. I challenged him not because I was arrogant, but because there are some things that we so-called humans always want to protect with our lives.

The girl's body began to convulse from suffocation, and the tentacle had already reached her stomach. Asaka's eyes rolled back, she was close to collapsing. Her abdomen was swollen, as if she were pregnant.

"Guangyong, because of what you just said, I really want to wear you up here. But I'm a little reluctant, after all, you'll be mine sooner or later. If I destroy your noble self-esteem here, it will be too meaningless later. So remember, some things are better left unsaid."

The tentacle ultimately did not continue into the girl's intestines, but was slowly pulled out of the girl's mouth. Asaga's entire body was limp, convulsing slightly, completely at their mercy.

Jingyan stroked the small horn on Asaga's head, then licked it with his tongue. Asaga's fingers twitched; this was the limit of her resistance.

"Jingyan! Had enough fun? Time to get to work,"

Karanoton said to Jingyan.

"When did you start thinking you had the right to order me around?"

Jingyan turned to look at Karanoton.

Kalanodon seemed taken aback. "You're only able to maintain your physical form here thanks to the energy supplied by the Broken Harp! Don't forget!"

"Of course. Otherwise, you'd all be dead by now. That piece of trash you summoned last time almost defiled my things; that's enough reason to kill you a hundred times over."

Mirror's Wrath coldly said to Kalanodon. "Don't try to cause any more trouble. Maintaining my physical form with my own energy, killing you before being sent back isn't too difficult."

Kalanodon's face was extremely ugly. "But then you won't be able to retrieve the Eye of the Demon Dragon!"

"Similarly, you won't know how to use the Eye of the Demon Dragon. Or perhaps you regretted the previous deal?"

Faced with Mirror's Wrath's aggressive questioning, Kalanodon seemed to have lost the courage to take the risk.

Mirror's Wrath tossed Asaga towards us like a rag doll. I rushed over and caught the girl in mid-air, carefully holding her in my arms. Chapter 22,

April 19th : Jingyan tossed another pure black crystal ring over. "Guangyong, use this ring to say my name to return to the Dark Side. There are some things you can't escape forever." After saying this, Jingyan left with Karanodon and his group. Karanodon seemed to want to fight us, but Jingyan stopped them. The thing that was supposed to be summoned had become its master, and Karanodon's face looked like he had swallowed a fly. "Asha..." I gently called the girl's name, then used my sleeve to wipe the dirt off her face. The girl closed her eyes, buried her head in my chest, and her body trembled slightly. "He found me... It's all your fault... If I didn't use [Abyss Awakening], he wouldn't know where I was..." The girl sobbed, hitting her head against my chest with pitifully weak force. I was speechless and could only gently stroke her back. I could roughly guess what had happened. Mirror's aura was the one Asaka mentioned, the one who provided her with the medium of power. He found her location and was actively summoned through the broken harp of Dreams. Was all of this a coincidence? I felt as if a hand was manipulating our fate. After resting for a while, Asaka stood up and took my shrine from my waist. "What are you doing with that?" I tried to stop her, but her movements, though weak, were very determined, and I couldn't bear to stop her. The girl infused the shrine with energy and then swung it sharply. I stared in disbelief as she chopped off one of her small horns. Blood gushed from the cut instantly, and the severed horn landed right in front of me. "What are you doing!" I cried out, clutching the wound on her head, then bent down to pick up her severed horn. The girl knelt on the ground, her face pale with pain. "No more... He licked it... Disgusting..." The little horn she once cherished so much, the very reason Asaka and I met, was now severed because of that guy's lewdness... A deep hatred completely overwhelmed me. "If I had the chance, I would definitely kill that beast..." The girl caught her breath for a moment, then reached out and picked up the black ring from the ground. "You...you're going back..." Seeing her action, my heart clenched.

The girl held the object in her hand, looked up at me, and stared for a long time.

"I...I don't know..."

"Don't go!"

I cried out. I couldn't imagine what Asaga would face if she returned to the Dark Side.

The thought of her being bullied ignited an uncontrollable rage within me.

"Jingyan said...I can't run away forever..."

"What are you running away from?"

"I said, the contract. Jingyan is the chosen contractor of the Pupil Clan. He's too strong...and the entire Pupil Clan, even the Pupil King, is his backer...I don't want to sign a contract with him, I don't want to be defeated by him and become his possession..."

"Then sign with me! I will become stronger as quickly as possible, defeat you, give you power, and make you the Devouring Queen!"

Asaga stared at me for a long time, and I stared back at her as if awaiting some kind of judgment.

Finally, she spoke.

"Can I...trust you...? Can you really do it?"

Hearing this, I immediately relaxed. Asaga wouldn't leave.

"Trust me."

Asaga nodded through gritted teeth.

I knew there were still many crucial things she hadn't told me behind this. I wasn't sure if it was because she didn't want to talk or couldn't talk, but the only thing I was sure of was that I still had a chance to keep her by my side.

The

current was swift, but with the help of energy, we successfully crossed it. Then, quickly, we found the portal to the arena below the opposite cliff.

Finally, it was our turn to make our choices. While browsing the opponent list, Asaka exchanged for a huge amount of food and began to devour it.

She was extremely exhausted; the battle with Jingyan had severely damaged her. Although she didn't say it, I felt that [Abyss Awakening] was probably no longer usable for her.

Looking at Asaka's broken horn, I felt another pang of heartache. Her little horn had brought us many interesting memories, and seeing her so downcast made me very sad.

Melfis seemed to have given Asaka some time to fill her stomach; he wasn't particularly focused on browsing the opponent list. In fact, it didn't require much effort, as there weren't many teams left at this stage.

Jingyan was very powerful; he used almost no combat techniques other than his physical advantages. I didn't know how to defeat that being; I wasn't even sure if I could beat Asaga, who had awakened the Abyss. The Light Flow Blade could easily damage Mirror's tentacles, but that didn't mean it posed a real threat, because the tentacles regenerated incredibly fast.

I looked at my hands. After the seal on the Ring of Immortality was broken, I hadn't discovered its hidden abilities. If I could master fifty percent of its power, I could probably try to fight Mirror. But even Melfis only mastered thirty percent of the power of his Raven Feather Blade. He was a genius at exploring the secrets of combat; the gap between us was quite significant.

"Greedy Wolf, Star Viewer,"

Melfis suddenly called out to me.

"Hmm?"

I looked up.

Melfis seemed to have found something in the system menu. He frowned at the panel in front of him, waving us repeatedly.

Star Viewer and I went over.

"An extra option, what do you think?"

he said solemnly.

Besides the opponent selection, there was another option on the panel.

"600 points for exchange? The Battle of the Royal Capital? What's that?"

Hoshino frowned.

It seemed to be an option that only appeared after accumulating a certain number of points. If I had to describe it, this so-called Battle of the Royal Capital was a hidden level.

Teams that chose to participate in the Battle of the Royal Capital would be teleported to a special map with no limit on the number of participating teams. Teams that killed ten opponents could directly participate in the final battle in the Royal City of Acamoron.

This could save a lot of time traveling in the [Dome], but the problem was that the goal of the Battle of the Royal Capital was to "kill" ten opponents.

There were no restrictions from energy crystals, and no need to find charging stones; it was simply about killing people...

But the key was that defeating an enemy might not be difficult, but killing a high-level warrior was another matter entirely. As a mercenary, I knew very well how troublesome it was to kill a wanted criminal, especially if the other party was thinking of escaping. Even

with ten people surrounding a target of the same level, the target could still escape. Moreover, when the rules of the game become simply "killing," our first priority is ensuring our own survival, and we certainly can't relentlessly hunt down defeated targets.

Besides, the added condition of "no limit on the number of participating teams" means we could potentially face a terrifying number of enemies.

"What should we choose?"

Melfis wanted our opinions.

The Royal Capital Battle, in a sense, demands a high level of recovery ability, endurance, and the ability to adapt to unexpected events, while normal matches require more tactical considerations. From my perspective, the Royal Capital Battle mode isn't suitable, but this chaotic battle mode intrigues me quite a bit.

"If only Moth were still alive..."

Melfis sighed, "His attack array is best suited for this mode..."

"Then... give up on this?"

Hoshi asked.

"No, let's play the Royal Capital Battle..."

Melfis smiled.

I understood his smile. Like me, this guy couldn't resist the allure of a large-scale free-for-all.

In the end, we gathered all our points and teleported the team in.

The city… was a gigantic, deserted city…

The detector in my hand displayed a very detailed map, even marking every single street. When we zoomed in, we were astonished to find it was a massive, magnificent metropolis comparable to a national capital.

“A grand scale… this makes the fighting more exciting,”

Melfis muttered to himself.

The detector's menu continued to scroll down, revealing a list.

“The complete list of all teams!”

I couldn't help but exclaim.

The detector told us there were currently twenty-six teams on the map, even listing the names of the members in each team, totaling 91 people. Of course, how many had already been killed was unknown.

“Wait…”

Melfis suddenly realized something, “No, we're wrong… killing ten opponents… doesn't mean each team… it means each individual!”

On the list, each name had a separate counter after it. Our names were grouped together at the very end, all ending in zero. Before us was someone clearly from a team, whose name's combined counter exceeded 10. “Gambler Paul, eight-man kill. Bitter Bitter, nine-man kill…”

I whispered these two familiar names.

The list was arranged according to the order of entry into the battlefield. Their sequence was close to ours, yet they had already nearly killed four teams—it was truly astonishing.

I wondered if they'd be happy to see me…after all, I was prey that slipped through their fingers. Using me as their final sacrifice would probably taste quite good to them.

I suddenly felt my companion's gaze. Looking up, Melfis was staring at me with a complex expression.

"What's wrong?"

I asked, frowning. "Did Gambler Paul scare you?"

My lame joke didn't elicit a dismissive sneer from Melfis. He walked over and slowly pointed to a spot on the list.

I looked down, and my mind went blank.

Fronburn, four kills.

Shadow Eclipse Wind Howl, six kills.

Azza, seven kills.

Xia Xi, five kills.

Fey, eight kills.

Fey…she's here…

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

For some reason, my first thought upon seeing that familiar name was how to escape.

Perhaps it was because I couldn't find an expression I could use to face her, or perhaps it was because I was afraid that when she showed me her gentle gaze, I would forget the choice I had already made. Had

the girl who brought me out of the dark world, like an angel, changed? Would she want to see me? Or was she beginning to harbor hatred because I broke my promise? Would she still recall the warmth I gave her in the darkness?

I would.

So my second thought was the complete opposite of the first—I wanted to see her, even if only from afar.

"Stop daydreaming. If you happen to run into her, then we'll make a plan."

Melfis's words cut off my train of thought; he clearly knew what I was thinking.

I rubbed my face, trying to clear my head, but it didn't help much.

A murderous aura accompanied by the glint of a blade struck, and I shuddered, quickly dodging to the side.

Hoshimi held a short sword, having just finished her attack.

"You…"

I frowned at her, somewhat angry.

"Helping you regain your focus,"

the girl said expressionlessly, then sheathed her sword.

I sighed, because it was indeed effective. My instinct for combat did temporarily clear my mind of the mess, but my mood didn't improve so easily.

"We have no advantage in skirmishes, neither tactically nor in numbers,"

Melfis began to analyze. "So my plan is to familiarize ourselves with this area as much as possible, and then prepare traps and escape routes."

I nodded numbly. It was unrealistic for me to offer any constructive suggestions right now; frankly, I didn't have the brains for it.

Maintaining a high degree of vigilance, we began to familiarize ourselves with the terrain of the nearby streets. I didn't let Asaga come with us, but instead let her rest in a relatively secluded room. After all, she couldn't be of much help with magic arrays, and she hadn't recovered from the Mirror's attack.

At the tallest building nearby, Melfis and Hoshimi had set up a very vicious triggering magic array. Anyone who tried to go up there to scout the surrounding area would pay a heavy price.

I admit he was right, because if it were me, I probably would have actually gone up there to look for traces of the enemy.

“If Azza tries to snipe someone there, he’s in big trouble,”

Melfis said with a malicious grin.

I didn’t laugh. Azza’s level wouldn’t make such a mistake, and he wasn’t the type to ambush others, so Melfis was just talking nonsense.

Then, Melfis left the group to do something, handing over command to Hoshimi.

I had a feeling Melfis was going to cause some big commotion; whenever he acted this mysterious, he was bound to create chaos.

Various simple yet practical slowing, bright light, and alert magic arrays were systematically laid out on the designated streets by Hoshimi, and then Asaga and I accompanied her to set up small alarm barriers around the area we controlled.

If anyone approached our location from the ground, these single-walled, weak barriers would be breached, and Hoshimi would know of their presence. It seemed like a very ordinary thing, but the truth was, I had never seen anyone else use this ability besides Hoshimi.

A little thought reveals that this ability is terrifyingly perfect as a warning system. An assassin equipped with this ability can almost completely ensure the safety of those behind them.

"Where did you learn this?"

I couldn't help but ask.

"I learned it from a mage player,"

Hoshimi said casually.

"It must have been expensive, right? Tuition fee?"

My curiosity was still not satisfied.

"That guy used to be my comrade. We once fought our way to the bottom of some ruins and killed the final Shadow Lord side by side. I got this dagger, and he got a spellbook specifically about barriers. Then he sold me the method for using this barrier for 40 million gold coins, as a friend's price,"

the girl said.

"40 million...you're really rich..."

"40 million isn't much, and I got the money back after I learned it."

I was slightly taken aback. I'm not stupid; I understood what she meant. "You killed him."

"Of course. No assassin wants something like this on your path of stealth."

"I just hope you don't kill me for that reason,"

I said.

This was no joke. Hoshimi could kill a former comrade for a single spell, and she could kill a current comrade for any other reason.

Hoshimi didn't speak, but instead lowered her head to finish drawing the spell circle. After a while, she stood up.

"If I kill you, Melfis will probably kill me."

She turned to look at me.

"I don't think you're afraid of Melfis."

Hoshimi suddenly smiled. "You're mistaken. Because I'm thinking that if I could be killed by his own hands, that ending might not be so bad for me, because then he might remember me for the rest of his life."

Seeing that smile, I subconsciously placed my hand on the hilt of my sword. Although I knew she wouldn't do that now, Hoshimi's expression was truly terrifying. I had underestimated her; in the end, her behavior was still very much in line with the twisted profession of an assassin.

"To be remembered in this way, you're too pathetic,"

I said.

Hoshino chuckled again, her expression empty and helpless. "Do you think I'm not pathetic right now? He argued with you, and then took it out on me. But what's most hateful is that I can't convince myself to reject him."

There are some things I really shouldn't say, but it's hard to see this girl continue to suffer like this.

“Melfis is sometimes like a child,”

I said. “In a way, he actually depends on you.”

Hoshimi’s eyes brightened slightly. “You think so?”

I nodded with difficulty. “What I’m saying may not be right. But I can be sure that you’re not dispensable to him.”

The girl’s emotions seemed to have calmed down. I couldn’t say anything more, because my good words about Melfis might only make Hoshimi more unable to extricate herself from this distorted relationship. When she discovered that what I said was just a comforting lie, she would be in even more pain.

We continued on, making more magic circles.

I think Hoshimi must have killed many people, far more than I have. By ordinary standards, Hoshimi, Melfis, and I should all be considered outright bad people. Unarmed innocents, opponents who had lost the ability to fight back, and ordinary people we just didn’t like… we’ve all killed them. Whether

what we did was right or wrong is not what I want to say. What I want to say is that people like us have likes and dislikes that are many times stronger than ordinary people. Hoshimi's morbid infatuation with Melfis, Melfis's obsession with Ryuuki, and my longing for Elegy—these are all things capable of completely altering our destinies.

Whether these things will lead us to hell, we will never know.

Perhaps we are already in hell.

************

After nightfall, I stood in our room, watching the distant city light up with the glow of an energy explosion. The distance was so great that I could only see a faint white expanse, barely hearing the sound of the explosion.

Melfis returned before sunset. I asked him what he had been doing, and he only said he had made a magic circle.

Asaga sat in the corner with her eyes closed, her only remaining horn reflecting a faint light in the explosion's glow. I asked her why she didn't regenerate the horn, and she only replied, "Some things that are lost, even if you get them back, they're never the same again."

This girl sometimes seems confused, but sometimes she says things I can't predict, like this one.

Why can't I be with Fey again? This might be the answer.

Some things, once lost, can never be regained.

I still can't let go of Fey. No matter how much I deny it, I'm just deceiving myself. My feelings for her haven't really changed. But even if Fey is still as gentle and affectionate as before, even if she still has that smile that would make me abandon everything, how can I get back to her?

Can I just say "I'm back"? Don't be ridiculous.

People change. I once said I would stay with her, and I left.

People don't change. She chose to doubt me, and she will continue to doubt me in the future.

There's no question of forgiveness. At that time, neither of us did anything wrong. Even from Balgus's perspective, he didn't do anything wrong. But when her name appeared before my eyes again, everything became unbearable.

I stared blankly at the girl's name on the list, then my gaze moved upwards.

Xia Xi, another girl whose fate was once intertwined with mine. She was nearby, perhaps fast asleep, perhaps fighting someone…

Seeing her name, my heart ached, but also warmed. After all, our current situation wasn't the worst. I hope she found her rightful path, because a woman who has something to hold onto becomes beautiful and strong. Thinking of

this, I couldn't help but recall Wange.

What was it that made her so strong…?

My time with Wange wasn't long, and those memories were very ordinary. I smoked with her, occasionally fought, she watered my flowers—these things couldn't be more ordinary. She gave me a kiss, and I kissed her back. I wanted to know why she developed feelings for me… You see, I was just a low-level player, the only special thing about me was that I saved her once.

She used to have many qualities I couldn't understand, but now, as a warrior, I understand them. Wange's beauty didn't entirely come from her strength, but her strength undoubtedly gave her an extraordinary charm.

I can't even remember what her kiss tasted like anymore. I didn't cherish that kiss she gave me then, and I'll never have the chance again.

The wise say, don't make choices you'll regret. This applies to me and Elegy, and it applies now too.

Fey and Xia Xi will probably find my name, right? What will they think?

What about Azza? Will we be enemies or friends the next time we meet?

My hands are trembling slightly, because recalling my battle with Azza makes my blood feel hot.

He broke through his bottleneck; at this rate, with a little effort, he should already be a level zero warrior. But that's why I yearn to fight him again.

The detector emitted a faint sound at this moment, and I saw the number after Gambler Paul's name start to fluctuate.

Far away in the city, the explosions are becoming more and more frequent. I guess he's fighting someone there.

The number after Kuku's name has reached twelve, and Gambler Paul has reached ten. I noticed that several names on the list that I hadn't noticed before have disappeared; those must be their victims.

A few seconds later, the names of Gambler Paul and Bitter also disappeared. They had successfully advanced; that was the only answer. I couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief; it seemed I wouldn't need to face them in this battle.

Melfis was also looking at his detector. I had a feeling he was hoping to see Yamian's name.

But even if Yamian appeared here, I would do everything in my power to prevent Melfis from facing her.

Melfis had no chance of winning until he figured out how Yamian did that teleportation.

Now, the number of people entering the Royal Capital Battle had reached two hundred. People could break into the districts we controlled at any time, and when that happened, we had to wipe them out.

I walked to the far end of the room and sat down next to Asaga. Doing so always calmed me down, especially when I desperately needed to be calm.

"Are you in a bad mood?"

I asked her softly.

"Do you think I'm particularly stupid?"

The girl's tone didn't sound good.

"Why do you say that?"

"How can you feel good after being toyed with like that? Or do you think I'm so stupid that I don't even know what happened?"

Asaga's tone was tinged with a hint of agitation.

"It's just that you lost a fight. Everyone loses sometimes. As long as you win next time,"

I tried to comfort her.

“That’s all? If I lose next time, I might lose my freedom forever… Jingyan is a member of the Pupil Clan, they are the most arrogant, and they love to crush other people’s self-esteem. If the treasure in his hands is a princess, then it’s like a delicious meal for him. He will definitely enjoy my self-esteem for an endless time, until he crushes me into trash!”

The girl became more and more agitated as she spoke. I held her hand and gently stroked her back with my other hand.

“We both have reasons to become stronger,”

I said. “If we can’t become stronger, we will die on the path to becoming stronger. Neither of these two outcomes will lead to what you’re worried about.”

“I don’t know…”

Asahi murmured, “There’s a saying in both the dark and light worlds: There are some people you’re destined to never win against. This saying seems to refer to Jingyan to me.”

“A saying? What kind of story is it?”

I asked.

“I told you before, we in Riolette live in the Dark Side, while Rilin lives in the Light Side. We in Riolette have seven kings, while Rilin has three. These words were spoken by Cain Reynorn, the King of the Banquet in Rilin, the contractor who once defeated the Eye King. Reynorn possesses power that moves both the Dark and Light Sides; someone like Mirror Dislike is like a bug in his eyes. Yet, there are still people he cannot defeat, which is why he said those words.” What

I cared about wasn't this seemingly ethereal Riolette legend, but the fragile confidence of the girl before me.

If she didn't know how to defeat the person she wanted to defeat, then I

would do it for her. Becoming stronger, or dying on the path to becoming stronger, that's what I've always chosen to do. I often fantasize about one day actually killing the person I hate, but what are my chances of succeeding? If this world is telling some boring story, I certainly wouldn't be the protagonist—the truth is, this world has no protagonist.

Just as I was lost in thought, Hoshimi suddenly shuddered.

“Someone’s come in,”

she said, taking a deep breath.

We all stood up, looked at each other, and took our weapons.

“How many?”

Melfis seemed very familiar with Hoshimi’s barrier; he asked a pointed question.

Hoshimi held up four fingers.

Melfis nodded. “Just what I wanted.”

In the time beforehand, Melfis had already laid out tactics and countermeasures for enemies of different numbers and levels with us—it was incredibly detailed. As long as we could execute them, victory was a given. Even if the opponent was too strong, we could guarantee a safe retreat.

I instinctively believed Melfis, but to be honest, a sliver of doubt remained in my heart. After all, those who had reached this stage of the competition were already considered prominent figures in the entire capital.

At a street corner, Asaga came up, ruffled my hair, and nodded at me. Melfis gave me a look to be careful, and I took a deep breath.

This was the pre-arranged plan; my identity was the bait.

After boosting my energy, I flew off. I didn't use too much energy to accelerate, as that would be too abrupt, and besides, I wanted to appear as if I were being chased.

Unable to pinpoint their location, I didn't dare fly too high, lest I become a sitting duck for ranged attacks. Although I wasn't skilled in multi-person tactics, I understood that the one acting as bait in a trap is the most dangerous. At some point, I would suddenly face multiple enemies, and I would have to create a sufficiently enticing opening to entice them to pursue me.

The faint fluctuations in energy alerted me to their presence; they were getting closer and closer, and clearly at a high level of alertness, otherwise, there wouldn't be any energy leakage.

I clutched my chest, feigning injury, and flew unsteadily towards their location.

The instant I bumped into them at a corner, I deliberately feigned surprise and fear, then froze for a moment.

Using this time, I quickly observed them. All four were male; one seemed injured, but the other three appeared to be in good condition.

They were also stunned when they saw me, but because I was faking it, their stunned moment was much shorter than mine. I keenly sensed their intention to attack me from the change in their facial expressions, and immediately turned and ran.

My initial worry was whether they would chase after me, but when I turned to run, I realized that wasn't what I really needed to worry about.

As soon as I turned around and started to accelerate, a thick barrier rose up in front of me.

To lure them in, I had only increased my energy by less than half. So when the barrier appeared, I had no way to break through it.

However, I was also glad about it, because if I were faster, I would have definitely crashed into it and died.

My body slammed into the barrier, my head buzzed, and the whole world seemed to turn upside down. Fortunately, it was just a simple barrier with no attributes or special effects, otherwise I would have been seriously injured even if I didn't die.

When I fell to the ground, I felt four powerful energies appear where they had been. Without even thinking, I lay on the ground and used the Soul Redemption Armor without hesitation, and then used the Bone Prison to completely imprison myself.

The next second, a chaotic energy explosion rang out outside the bone prison. The bone prison shook violently, causing the ground to tremble incessantly.

I lay there for a good ten seconds before I could finally breathe normally again. It seemed that for some reason, the bone prison's sturdiness had increased. The fact that it could withstand such a dense energy bombardment for so long was beyond my expectations.

When the bone prison shattered, I had regained consciousness. I dispelled the bone prison as soon as the first energy blast entered through the rupture and immediately accelerated to escape.

However, before I could fully increase my speed, someone swung their sword at me in the waist. The attack was so sudden; I hadn't expected an enemy to appear from that direction at all.

My Soul Redemption Armor barely blocked the sword's edge, but it couldn't offset the impact on my body. A sharp pain shot through my abdomen, followed by uncontrollable gushing stomach acid from my mouth.

I gritted my teeth and swung my Divine Palace, forcing the pursuer back. However, in that brief respite, four people had already surrounded me from all sides.

"Not bad acting,"

one of the guys chuckled. "We almost believed him at first."

A chill ran down my spine; it seemed they'd realized I'd been trying to lure them. I clutched my wound, desperately searching for an opening, finally focusing on a small magic circle left by Hoshimi about ten meters away.

Hoshimi had designed it to be magic-activated so everyone could use it. A magic projectile aimed at it would trigger the circle's effect. Melfis and the others must have sensed the earlier battle; if I bought some time, they'd arrive to support me.

Just as I was considering my strategy, the enemy spoke.

"Let your comrade out. We could chop you up right now, but kicking a rat to death isn't much fun."

I paused, then couldn't help but laugh.

I used the Light Stream Blade and charged directly at the man who had spoken. His teammates immediately pounced on me as well.

I only had three Light Stream Blades; I had asked my three companions for more. Being insulted to that extent, and then just sitting around waiting for someone to rescue me—I simply couldn't do that.

Whether I'd be hacked to pieces was no longer on my mind. Rage drove my sword, and my mind was inexplicably clear at that moment.

The Light Stream Blades began to dart around me, causing considerable trouble for the four who were attacking me. Even I had difficulty controlling their trajectory, let alone them.

I pinned one of them down and unleashed a furious attack, while his teammates, hindered by the Light Stream Blades, couldn't get close to me. They began to bombard me with various energy weapons at mid-range.

My energy consumption skyrocketed, my Soul Redemption Armor began to crack, and my entire body burned with pain. But my only thought was to kill the target in front of me before I died.

This guy's melee ability was decent, but only average. With the advantage of my weapon, I forced him back step by step, sweat soaking his hair and face.

My energy and the enemy's energy tangled chaotically in the air, flashes of various colors making me dizzy. Blades of light tore through various temporary barriers and energy walls, explosions never ceasing from the start.

The muscles in my arms ached, beginning to affect my movements; the energy shocks from others seemed to have damaged my internal organs. My mouth tasted sweet, probably blood.

But I felt a long time since I'd felt this exhilarated, a desperate fight, a battle that could no longer be purely about killing; every cell in my body seemed to be screaming with ecstasy.

The enemy seemed unable to accept my madness; they attacked symbolically, unable to believe I was truly fighting with all my might until the divine dagger pierced their opponent's abdomen. I

'd already been helped countless times by Melfis or Asaka; now this battle belonged to me. I killed one; I won.

"Aaaaaah!"

My opponent roared as he saw his comrade killed. A massive, crimson energy ball hurtled down on me from above. I had no time to dodge and could only gather all my energy to create a protective shield.

The sun-like heat made my cheeks feel like they were on fire, and my body slammed uncontrollably towards the ground. I roared and used my hand to deflect the energy ball's impact. The energy ball exploded on the ground, launching me directly away.

My Soul Redemption Armor absorbed most of the damage, but it was a mangled mess. To my surprise, despite the impact, I hadn't lost consciousness—a truly morbid phenomenon.

I can do it. I can still fight. I told myself this, and then, enduring the excruciating pain in my injured leg, I sprinted in the opposite direction after landing.

"Come on! Attack me all at once!"

I yelled as I charged forward.

My opponents, their eyes bloodshot, charged at me, and they began to fight me for real. My Light Stream Blade blocked their weapons, but the energy blasts from the blades only filled my body with more and more wounds.

The excruciating pain, almost stopping my heart, and the scorching lungs from the burnt air… my body was reaching its limit, yet my spirit was at a terrifyingly high level.

While fending off the endless attacks from all directions, I ascended into the air, and as they drew near, I summoned the Bone Prison a second time. The Bone Prison emerged from the void, coalescing into a perfect circle.

The Soul Redemption Armor was exhausted of all its energy, but they were trapped in the air. I used my own energy to erect six bone shields before me, then slammed them against the inner walls of the Bone Prison.

Stunned by my actions, the Bone Prison, propelling us through the air, crashed into a building.

That tallest building—Melfis had set up some kind of magic array there; that was all I knew.

As the Bone Prison swept us into the building, I vanished it, then curled up.

Even with my eyes closed, I could still feel a powerful light.

A deafening roar followed, and the entire building was shredded into a pile of rubble by the magic array. The rubble formed four tentacle-like streams, whistling through the air and crashing down on us.

I heard screams, but only for a moment. I felt immense pressure on my back, my body, protected by my bone shield, piercing through layer after layer of floorboards. My ears were almost completely deafened, my brain a complete mess, but I maintained a semblance of consciousness, using my remaining energy to replenish the bone shield as it shattered.

Finally, my body slammed into the ground, the bone shield reduced to rubble, tons of rocks and wood burying me beneath. But my last energy shield, after flickering precariously, held firm.

Dust enveloped me, making it hard to breathe. With my last ounce of strength, I unleashed my energy, blasting a hole in the ruins.

I slowly rose from the rubble, looked up, and saw a crescent moon.

I was the last one still standing; I had won.

I stood amidst the ruins, roaring to the heavens, savoring the triumphant victory I had won with my life. My blood was burning fiercely; it was the blood of a warrior, and my favorite taste.

The feeling of victory was simply too good.

"Greedy Wolf!"

Asaga's voice rang out from afar.

I sat on the ruins, watching her figure appear and disappear in the darkness, with Melfis and Hoshino behind her. I raised my hand to them, indicating that I was alright.

Greedy Wolf, six-man kill... that's what the detector showed. If I'm not mistaken, the number of people the enemy had killed would accumulate to my count after I killed them, which wasn't bad.

But even Melfis probably didn't expect that I would take down four of them all by myself.

They underestimated me, thinking that four of them could easily defeat me. I dare say they didn't even use half their energy before they died. But they were wrong. In the end, I still managed to wipe them out with the help of the magic circle left by Melfis. The victor is king, the loser is villain. Even if you have countless reasons, once a person dies, they are all just excuses.

Asaga threw herself into my arms, almost crushing me to death.

"Why didn't you follow the plan! Are you crazy?"

Melfis's first words after landing were these.

I gave a weak laugh. "It's not that I didn't want to, but I got caught..."

"One against four?"

"One against four."

Melfis's lips curled up slightly, seemingly suppressing the smile that was about to appear. He didn't say anything more.

"Hey..."

I patted Asaga's back. "If you keep hanging on me, I'll be strangled."

The girl raised her face, and before I could say anything, she kissed me.

Her little tongue was incredibly wild, forcefully shoving into my mouth. I no longer had the strength to entangle with her tongue, and could only let her act spoiled. However, the girl's fragile emotions seemed to be completely conveyed to me.

She was afraid, afraid that I would die in the fight just now. Worry, helplessness, the joy of regaining what was lost, and a little bit of resentment—I could feel it all.

I stroked her hair, stuck out her little tongue, and pressed my forehead against her head, gradually dispelling her unease. At this moment, words were unnecessary between us. Suddenly, I released her, my eyes widening. Melfis also placed his hand on his sword. We both saw several figures slowly emerging from the darkness into our view under the moonlight. I heard my own

heart pounding wildly ,

almost

crushing itself . ＊... Then came Shadow Erosion Wind Howl, still carrying his flute, standing silently beside Azza. Fronburn, the same as always, unchanged. My gaze fell on Xia Xi. Her cold eyes flickered with a tiny, crystalline light, and Xia Xi looked at me. She covered her mouth, trying to hide something. The girl was dressed very provocatively, wearing only a bra and shorts. But her exposed skin was covered with large patches of pure black magic runes, almost obscuring her original skin color. The magic runes covering her entire body, whatever their effect, were not to be underestimated. I nodded to her almost imperceptibly, and the girl slowly blinked at me. Finally, I looked at Fey, and then my heart began to ache, a pain so intense I could hardly breathe. Fey's skin had become terrifyingly pale for some unknown reason. A scar had appeared on her once delicate and fair cheek. The pupil of one eye, as if cursed, had turned a flawless, pure red. A scar stretched from her neck, which I had kissed countless times, all the way inside her clothes. Why was she hurt like this? What happened… because of me? Because of her? Who can give me the answer? I wanted to go to her, even if Azza still wanted to kill me, I just wanted to hug Fey. How much suffering had she endured? If I had known my choice would make her like this, I… I noticed something like despair quickly disappear from Fey's still bright and clear eyes. She suddenly took Fronburn's hand, pulled him close, and kissed him. Fronburn was stunned, then, as if he had found a long-lost treasure, he pulled Fey into his arms tightly and kissed her deeply in return. My mind went blank; time seemed to become a completely meaningless word. “I, Fey Millennium, will never love another man. From head to toe, I belong to you. From the next sunrise, my body…heart…soul…belong only to you… until the moment of death…” These are the words you once said…Fey…I haven’t forgotten a single word. “Your results look pretty good,” Melfis and Azza said, facing each other. “Yeah, with good luck, they should be able to advance within a day or two,” Azza said. Melfis looked at me, then at the others. “How is it?” He looked at Azza while placing his hand on my shoulder. “Your guild’s traitor is here. Now is a good opportunity to clean house. But if we’re going to fight, I won’t be a spectator like last time.” I mechanically turned my head away from Fey and Fronburn, who were kissing, and looked at Azza with murderous eyes. Level zero? So what? “Want to fight?” I glared at him. I touched the spot where the Ring of Undying used to be, recalling a spell I had never used before. Azza looked at me for a moment, then spoke. "You've already died once. And I'm not a Rayout anymore, I don't want to fight you." I turned my gaze to Shadow Eclipse Wind Howl, but he didn't react. I couldn't bear to look at Fronburn anymore; I felt like I'd go crazy if I did. "Since you're not going to fight, come with us. We have a place where we can sleep soundly," Melfis said to Azza. Azza shrugged and followed Melfis. "Just so you know, I don't have any money to pay off my debts right now." "Poor bastard," Melfis scoffed, without turning back. Hoshimi followed, then the others. Fey went with Fronburn, but I remained seated on the ruins. Xia Xi glanced at me hesitantly, but didn't get a look from me, so she left too. My mind was a mess, all the pain in my body seemed to be burning at the same time, and my heart began to rage terribly. Asa was looking at me. I glanced at her, then grabbed her shoulders and shoved her to the ground. I reached up and pulled open her robe, grabbing her soft breasts. A flicker of panic crossed Asa's eyes, followed by anger. "Let go," she said in a chillingly cold voice. I snapped back to reality, my rough movements ceasing. Asa slowly but firmly pushed me away and got up. Her bright, shining eyes remained fixed on me, making me feel guilty. The girl said nothing, straightened her clothes, and left me. Her gaze seemed to say it all. It was an interrogation, questioning what I truly considered her. And I couldn't face Asa's questioning gaze. I sat alone on the ruins, my heart completely empty. ********** ... My body slammed against the wall, I slid down, and then I closed my eyes. In the distance, faintly, I heard sounds. Fronburn held Fey's neck, greedily kissing her cheeks, his fingertips lightly stroking her earlobes. Fey was a very sensitive girl; she couldn't control the gasps in her throat, her pale skin slowly turning back to its former cherry-red. Fronburn pressed her to the ground, riding her with a manic fervor. The girl endured, biting her fingers, softly emitting uncontrollable moans.

The sweat on her skin made the girl look like she had just taken a shower, her vulva stretched into a round hole for the massive member to ravage her. She cried out like a dying bird, again and again.

Then I became the one riding her.

I forcefully penetrated her body, gripping her neck and roaring.

But I didn't hear myself clearly what I was yelling…

It seemed to be…

why… betray me…

A powerful wave of pleasure erupted, and I ejaculated inside Fey, conquering her once more.

Then I woke up. The sky outside was already beginning to lighten. I sat up and saw Xia Xi lying on top of me, panting ,

her cheeks flushed.

“Xia Xi?”

I couldn't believe my eyes. The girl bit her lip, her eyes misty as she looked at me, “I'm sorry, I just missed you so much… I couldn't help it…” I hugged her, and she happily let me hold her, rubbing her face against my hand. I shifted slightly, and Xia Xi let out a soft moan. I then realized my penis was still inside her. This girl… taking advantage of me while I was sleeping… My fingers gently traced her skin, covered in magical runes, and Xia Xi trembled. “I know you have a new woman now… I’m not here to steal you… I also know you only have eyes for Fey… I’m okay with that… I just…” I interrupted her by placing my finger on her lips, then gently kissed her. If it weren’t for everything that had happened, I would have loved to make love to her. But right now, I wasn’t in the mood. After the kiss, we slowly separated and straightened our clothes. Neither of us spoke, just silently looking at each other. I knew that if I asked her for anything, Xia Xi would definitely compromise herself to satisfy my desires. But I wasn’t Melfis; I couldn’t do whatever I wanted to Xia Xi without feeling guilty. “How have you been these past few days?” I asked the girl. Xia Xi smiled gently, a vibrant smile, finally an expression befitting her age. "It sounds like a greeting from an ex-boyfriend..." I smiled bitterly. "I'm fine. Like you said, I'm already finding my own path, you don't need to worry about me." "That's good..." I nodded. "But don't forget what you promised me..." the girl said again. "Of course I won't forget," I replied. The girl sighed, then gave me a relieved look and left the room. I leaned against the wall, quietly pondering something. Just now, Xia Xi had successfully diverted my thoughts from Fey, I admit that. But as her figure disappeared from my sight, my mind was once again completely occupied by that strange yet familiar figure. I wanted to ask Xia Xi what Fey had gone through. However, I couldn't bring myself to ask, because it would be unfair to Xia Xi. I couldn't give her what she hoped for, at least I couldn't let her feel too wronged. There was no escaping it, so I could only face it myself. I stood up and moved with difficulty towards the lobby of the building. I knew everyone would be there. It wasn't fully light yet, so everyone was still resting. Shadow Eclipse and Wind Howl were on guard, as was Hoshimi. Although the two groups were on good terms, not everyone could trust each other completely. Melfis lay in the corner, his arms behind his head, with Hoshimi sitting beside him, while Asaga was huddled in a corner, her head buried in her arms. Azza leaned against the wall, breathing heavily, while Xiaxi had just settled down beside him. Fronburn had Fey asleep on his lap, lost in thought, seemingly pondering something. His hand gently and slowly traced through Fey's hair, again and again. I walked towards him, and Fronburn only snapped out of his reverie when I stood before him. He looked up at me, his eyes filled with countless unreadable emotions. But there was no hatred in them. I think I was probably innocent in his judgment. I nodded to him, and he responded, nothing more. I knelt down, looking down at the sleeping face of the girl I loved so deeply. It felt so unfamiliar; her face had been ravaged beyond recognition. The sunlight that once shone in the darkness, I can no longer find a trace of it. It's my fault… isn't it? “Fey,” I whispered. The girl jolted, immediately opening her eyes. For a fleeting moment, a look of surprise and disbelief flashed across her still-intact eye, as if she hadn't yet recovered from a dream. But a second later, that brief glimmer of light turned to ashes. “Greedy Wolf,” she sat up, uttering my name softly. I stood up, looking at her. Fey read the message I was trying to convey with ease, as if we had never been apart. She also stood up, and then followed me away from the crowd, heading towards the deserted far end of the hall. Perhaps we should go somewhere secluded to talk, but the entire building had been set up with traps by Hoshimi and Melfis. If we forgot the location of the traps in our emotional state, it could easily lead to danger, so I chose this place; unless we shouted, no one could hear our conversation. Fey and I stared at each other silently, neither of us speaking. Neither of us knew where to begin, nor what expression to wear on our faces. If only I could give her a hug right now, but I couldn't, I didn't even have the courage to raise my arm. What should I say? Tell her I missed her? Tell her I still loved her? Say sorry? Tell her I still wanted to be with her? Those were choices that couldn't be reversed... from the moment she kissed Fronburn. "Fey, your eyes..." I forced my voice to stay steady and asked softly. "Do you care?" Fey's clear, watery voice hadn't changed at all, but it sounded hollow and accusatory. "I... care..." "Liar." Fey interrupted me expressionlessly, turning her head slightly away so I wouldn't see her red eye and the scar on her cheek. I took a deep breath, forcing my almost stopped heart to keep beating. "Why?" She took a step forward and turned back to look at me. I knew exactly what she was asking. We'd probably thought about this countless times before. We both knew exactly what the other would ask and what answers we wanted.

“Does it matter? You're already with him.”

I said weakly, glancing instinctively at Fronburn.

“You're accusing me of breaking my promise.”

Fey's lips trembled slightly.

I felt a deep resentment within myself, and I heard myself bitterly say, “Isn't that right?”

“Then what about your own promise!”

Fey's voice became distorted.

So this is how much she hated me, and how much I hated her. We hated each other for abandoning each other, hated each other to the point of no return.

The girl before me had once pulled me out of the darkness with her light, but the darkness I brought with me ultimately devoured her as well. I destroyed her gentleness and elegance, her composure and calmness, turning her into someone filled with intense hatred and sorrow, just like me.

In that instant, I really wanted to kill her, and then commit suicide. Seeing her become a collection of pain and contradiction, her original light and innocence shattered, I felt an unbearable weight of guilt pressing down on my back.

The Fey of the past was gone.

Was it all really my fault?

Fate is cruel.

Perhaps, if I had shown her even a little tenderness, she would have been healed and returned to normal. But she kissed Fronburn, she became another man's woman of her own volition… How could I do that? I

'm so ridiculous. I left Fey myself, and now I hate her because she's in someone else's arms. I'm a monster.

Memories uncontrollably began to replay countless scenes of Fey and me… Our first meeting, her angelic smile, her eyes clearly showing her love for life; her hair glistening with water droplets, sitting on a bench in the clinic inviting me to join; late at night, the two of us naked, embracing tightly, trying to press our hearts as close together as possible; her pulling the blanket up, leaning against the bed, gazing at me tenderly, her brows filled with immense happiness and the weariness after passion…

All the memories were so warm, so moving, so blissful, except for that last day…

Fey reached out and gently touched my cheek.

“You can’t forgive me, and I can’t forgive you either. So be it, Greedy Wolf. We’ll hate each other for the rest of our lives… that’s not so bad…”

“How much do we hate?”

“As much as we love.”

Fey withdrew her hand, and I nodded.

“Maybe I won’t be able to resist killing you,”

I said softly.

“Right now, you might not be able to beat me,”

Fey replied.

“That’s true…”

I exhaled, feeling my soul gradually becoming numb.

“Greedy Wolf! Is that her?!”

A familiar voice suddenly rang out. I turned my head and saw Asaga approaching step by step.

I wasn’t sure what Asaga meant, but I nodded subconsciously. Maybe I just didn’t want to admit that I already knew what Asaga was asking.

Was she the woman I couldn’t get over? Yes, so I nodded subconsciously.

Then I regretted it.

Asaga pounced on Fey like a leopard, her claws multiplying as she slashed at Fey. Fey drew her sword; she had changed weapons, the original massive greatsword becoming a smaller broadsword. But the magic crystals and runes on the sword indicated that it was several levels higher than what she had used before.

Asaga charged fiercely, slamming herself into Fey, causing both girls to blast through the wall and fly to the other side.

Fronburn rushed towards them, and the others were also awakened.

I stared dumbfounded at what was happening, completely unprepared for Asaga's willful and capricious side to erupt at this moment.

Perhaps what she meant by those words was, "Is she the woman you wanted to use to vent your frustrations?"

Asaga, being a witch, was naturally like this. Her gentle and serene side wasn't all she was, and I had completely forgotten that.

She might have wanted to kill Fey… I realized this clearly.

Anxiously following through the breach, I saw more holes in the outer wall. The sounds of energy impacts and explosions echoed throughout the building, making my ears ring.

"Where is she!"

Fronburn shouted at me.

I ignored him and rushed towards the sound as quickly as possible.

When I rushed to the battlefield between the two girls, they were locked in a stalemate.

Asaka's claws were held in mid-air by Fey's sword; she struggled to cut them off, but couldn't move.

The severe injuries she sustained in her battle with Jingyan had only superficially healed; the damage to her strength hadn't improved at all.

Fey looked at me, sword raised.

"Is she your woman now?"

A flicker of emotion I couldn't decipher flashed in Fey's eyes.

Before I could answer, I guessed Fey had already understood the answer in that instant…

Suddenly, a burst of lightning erupted from Fey's sword, deflecting Asaka's claws. A bolt of lightning, as thick as an arm, swept across Asaka's body, and the girl cried out in pain.

Then, Fey spun around with her broadsword. The blade severed Asaka's proliferating right arm, and then, as she spun back, cleanly plunged it into Asaka's stomach.

"Aaaaa!"

A broadsword, as thick as two arms, pinned Asagaa to the wall through her abdomen. Asagaa screamed, clutching the protruding blade, convulsing violently against the wall in agony.

I rushed over, Fey pulled out her sword and walked away, Asagaa's body collapsing to the ground.

I held Asagaa in my arms; she trembled, gripping my arm, the massive wound on her abdomen slowly closing. The girl's face was deathly pale; the excruciating pain rendered her speechless.

Anger tore at my nerves, and I looked up at Fey. She knew she was someone important to me, yet she deliberately killed her… If it weren't for Asagaa's special constitution, the girl would already be a victim of my hatred for Fey.

"Fey!"

I shouted her name angrily.

But to my surprise, tears of grievance welled up in Fey's eyes. She gritted her teeth, staring intently at me.

"She tried to kill me first, Greedy Wolf! Did I do anything wrong?! Why did you look at me like that?!"

My anger quickly subsided at her questioning. Fey's usually calm face finally betrayed her extreme pain; the girl's hand holding the sword trembled, and she bit her lip hard.

Not even having the courage to meet Fey's eyes, I lowered my head in avoidance, looking at Asaga in my arms.

The huge wound on Asaga's stomach had barely healed, but the spilled blood had stained her clothes. Her face was pale from extreme blood loss, yet she didn't simply lie quietly in my arms.

Her severed right hand had only sparsely and hastily regenerated into a tangled mass of flesh, yet I could clearly sense a terrifying power gathering there that I couldn't comprehend.

"Asha, no."

I grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to look at me, and shook my head forcefully.

The power vanished; the girl didn't intend

to defy me. Asa's regenerative power astonished everyone present, even Fey. I could see a hint of regret in her eyes after she killed her. She wasn't Melfis, after all; even if she wanted to retaliate by killing my woman, it was just a momentary impulse.

But she did it, did something I couldn't accept. Seeing Asa's pained expression, my mind uncontrollably began to consider how to get revenge on Fey. However, what froze me was that I had no way to retaliate. Because she had nothing, at least nothing as precious as Asa to me.

Kill Fronburn? That would only stir up endless hatred, and besides, he had once been my friend.

Fey left Rayout after the final battle in the Dragon Palace Square. When she abandoned the guild because of my death, there was nothing left for me to truly destroy. And most importantly, it was all because of me.

I no longer knew how to face Fey—hatred, lingering affection, disappointment, or relief?

I carried Asaga away from the shattered room and returned to the hall.

"Is she alright?"

Azza's voice sounded behind me as I tried to settle Asaga down to rest.

I turned to look at him; the man's concern didn't seem feigned.

I shook my head. "I'll let her rest and recover."

If only we had plenty of food now. With food, even if Asaga was badly injured, it wouldn't be a problem. But the problem now was, we didn't know how long we'd be stuck in this Royal Capital Battle map, and the food we'd stockpiled before entering wasn't enough for Asaga.

"To be honest, I was relieved when I was sure you weren't dead,"

Azza said.

"Afraid I'd become a ghost and come back to haunt you?"

I don't know why I was in the mood for such a lame joke, but I said it anyway.

Azza smiled slightly. "I don't know how you crawled out of your grave. I don't even know if the person standing in front of me is the same Greedy Wolf from before. But you don't sound like a wronged soul who died unjustly."

Betrayed by my former guild and dying once, logically I should have changed a lot. But after examining myself, I found that wasn't the case. If I had

to pinpoint the reason, it's probably because I had Melfis as a partner, and Asaga.

I didn't succumb to despair after being used as a pawn, and that's inextricably linked to these two.

I haven't changed, and that's already a huge change.

"Azza, Fey... what happened to her?"

Azza looked at me through his long hair, his expression quite calm, but I felt he was using this to hide his true feelings.

"Nothing, just fighting."

"That's all?"

"That's all."

"She's been fighting in this game for a long time, but that eye... and the scars on her face and neck... the injuries she's sustained during this time are enough to compensate for all the days before."

My speech became faster and faster.

“When a soldier seeks death rather than life, being left with only a few scars is already a blessing,”

Azza replied.

Fey, seeking death… I couldn’t even imagine what the girl was like back then.

“Why…”

“You know why, you just don’t want to admit it. If it weren’t for the few of us staying by her side, you would never have seen Fey again.”

Don’t want to admit… don’t want to admit what? I desperately dug into my heart the answer I might already know, with immense difficulty, my breathing becoming uneven.

“It seems you can’t do it,”

Azza said softly. “I don’t want to torment you with this. The answer is, after you died, she lost the will to live. But do you know what’s more important? During that time, all she had was grief. Later, all the intelligence networks issued wanted notices for you, Fey came back to life, dragging us around searching for you. But what truly plunged her back into hell was the sentence you had Xia Xi deliver to her.”

Yes… I had Xia Xi tell Fey to forget me. Although I couldn’t do it, and she couldn’t do it either, I now realize how cruel my words were to both of us.

"From then on, Fey began to torture herself in various ways. Her red eye was a mark left by an enemy using a cursed spell; just being exposed to sunlight would cause her excruciating pain, making it impossible for her to stand. During the day, she could only cover her body with a robe, which is why her skin was so pale."

"Why did she do this..."

Wanting to leave her was a lie, but wanting her to live was not. That was the most genuine thought in my heart.

"She felt she had made a mistake. In the days after Xia Xi returned with the message, Fey cried herself to death. The only thing she could say was that I shouldn't have abandoned him." Azza's emotionless voice sounded like he was narrating the story of someone he had no connection with. But I knew he didn't want to cause me any harm or guilt through these events.

That was impossible, after I learned what Fey had endured.

But unlike what happened between Xia Xi and me... I hurt her deeply, but our ending was gentle and warm. But Fey... we repeated all sorts of misunderstandings, then wounded each other beyond repair.

My message plunged her into darkness, and she went to kill someone important to me…

“Also… Fey saw you kiss that girl,”

Azza added. “It’s all probably fate.”

He left after saying that.

As a former friend, Azza had done his duty. But what he told me was too late.

I leaned weakly against the window, looking at the slowly rising sun.

Its soft color made me feel weak all over. The sun in the virtual world rises with such power; no force can stop its rise and fall, just like the irreversible separation between people.

**************************

After countless struggles, Melfis’s sword barely managed to reach his opponent’s throat. There was no more energy left to create a protective shield, and the blood gushing from his neck splattered all over Melfis.

“Don’t try to hold on!”

Hoshimi couldn’t help but shout from the side.

“What? You think I can’t do what he can do?”

Melfis gasped and turned to look at where Hoshimi and I were.

Half an hour ago, we encountered an "invasion" from another group of four. Azza and the others, to accommodate Fey, operated on a night-rest-day-operation schedule. So our group was deployed, and Melfis, upon encountering them, insisted on taking on all four of them, just like me.

I desperately wanted to call him an idiot, but no one could change his mind.

Unlike my four opponents, Melfis made no attempt to utilize any pre-drawn magic circles. Moreover, those four took turns attacking; a genuine war of attrition and a surprise attack are two completely different things.

However, just as rumored, Melfis once again began to create miracles before our eyes. His first three opponents were all at his energy level, yet he relentlessly eliminated them one by one.

Only one remained, but Melfis's energy was almost depleted.

"Impressive… truly worthy of the legendary Dead Raven Melfis…"

The remaining opponent appeared remarkably calm.

“If you try to escape now, my companions will make their move. I don’t have the habit of letting easy prey slip away. But if you honestly settle things with your sword, you can leave freely once you defeat me; my companions will absolutely not make things difficult for you,”

Melfis said.

The man wasn't angered by Melfis's insulting language; instead, he laughed. “You really think you can kill me with your current strength?”

I glanced at Hoshino; the girl didn't seem to have any particular expression, but I knew that if Melfis lost, this guy wouldn't be leaving this place alive.

Melfis didn't waste any more words. He stood on the ground, pointing his Raven Feather Blade at his opponent's face.

I knew that his opponent's death was practically a certainty. Melfis was definitely not the kind of arrogant madman who only spoke boastfully when he knew he could do something.

He didn't have much energy left; that was true. His magic was depleted; that was also true. That's why I was even more eager to see how Melfis would take his opponent's life.

Even though that guy was verbally abusive, I knew he wasn't underestimating Melfis when he started making hand seals. Thick energy armor covered his body; the pale yellow armor looked incredibly heavy, but I knew that was just our illusion.

Plain energy armor might not be as defensively powerful as the energy-enhanced heavy armor worn by advanced warriors, but it had a particular advantage against sword attacks. To successfully break through energy armor with slashing attacks, the attacker usually had to expend more energy to enhance their weapon, something Melfis couldn't do at the moment.

His opponent was experienced and high-level, and most importantly, he seemed to have thoroughly prepared for the moves Melfis had just used.

Against his first opponent, Melfis overwhelmingly defeated him with superior swordsmanship and excellent energy manipulation.

In the second match, he unleashed the power of his Raven Feather Blade, instantly disfiguring his opponent.

In the third match, his opponent was extremely powerful, but he used the rock-based magic arrays to their fullest potential, ultimately securing victory.

I knew that if Melfis wanted to defeat this fourth person, he would have to use some trump cards I'd never seen before.

His opponent wore energy armor and had filled his longsword with energy. He slowly circled Melfis, seemingly searching for a moment when Melfis's aura would falter.

I tried to focus on the battle, hoping to escape some of the inner turmoil. I knew it was just self-deception, but when those complex emotions surged within me, I couldn't face them honestly.

The guy moved. He lunged forward two meters, then drew a cross in the air with his sword, muttering something.

I immediately had a bad feeling, because I'd never seen anything like it in any of my previous battles.

As his sword swept through, an energy black hole was torn open in the air, and a huge suction force pulled us towards it.

I quickly crouched down to steady myself. The suction was strong, but not enough to leave us defenseless.

The suction force was merely a bonus of the energy vent. I saw a large limb emerge from it, followed by more.

Two-meter-tall humanoid monsters… I frowned.

If the opponent was a warrior skilled in melee combat using energy armor, there was no reason for them to have particularly outstanding summoning abilities. But judging from my eyes, this monster was definitely not low-level.

The monster's charge caused Melfis considerable trouble. Melfis desperately dodged the monster's attacks and began moving towards it.

Hoshino and I were both on edge, because Melfis still hadn't recast his shield, and his dodging relied entirely on his reaction speed and physical abilities, without using even a fraction of energy acceleration.

The monster attacked as Melfis moved towards it, and once it joined the fray, Melfis had to start using his remaining energy. Yet, he still managed to avoid direct collisions with the monster's weapons time and again, conserving his energy as much as possible.

If this continued, he would soon run out of energy. Even with his energy, he couldn't deliver a fatal blow.

Then, something astonishing happened. After his opponent and his summoned beasts began to attack Melfis from both sides, the battle took a surprising turn.

Melfis's weapon made more and more contact with the beasts' claws, but each attack unexpectedly landed on its master's energy armor.

This happened more and more frequently, and I could even see panic on the guy's face.

And I seemed to see something chilling in Melfis's movements.

His fluid movements were very similar to Mr. Fang's; I was certain Melfis was now using the pure fighting techniques he was familiar with in the outside world.

His opponent's energy armor began to show signs of damage. Compared to his opponent, Melfis's localized energy acceleration was like an old man with white hair and a cane racing against an athlete—his opponent simply couldn't touch him. It seemed that Melfis's energy would be completely depleted in the next second, but that so-called "next second" never came.

Just as the opponent's energy armor finally became unstable due to the attack of the summoned beast, Melfis' Raven Feather Blade suddenly flashed with black energy. The blade pierced the opponent's heart cleanly and swiftly, without even a trace of excess energy spilling out.

I wasn't surprised by this outcome at all; what surprised me was that Melfis still had enough energy to wield the Raven Feather Blade.

"Hahahaha!"

Melfis laughed wildly, kicking the opponent's corpse and pulling his sword back out.

The man's body fell to the ground, his eyes filled with resentment.

"You were too arrogant!"

Hoshino said angrily, "If he hadn't summoned that beast, how were you going to deal with him!"

After laughing, Melfis appeared unusually calm. "I recognize that chain on his wrist; it's an item used to summon beasts. I really scared him, so he would definitely use that against me."

I can only say that Melfis' confidence came entirely from his unparalleled insight and genius-level combat skills. If I were to fight him one day, would I even have a chance of winning?

It wasn't that I was overthinking things; it seemed like he and I were thinking the same thing, otherwise he wouldn't have staged such an unbelievable one-against-four showdown.

He and I were undoubtedly allies, yet we were both doing things with each other as imaginary enemies—it was quite ridiculous. But I didn't care, and neither did he.

I turned back to head to the camp, but then saw someone standing not far behind me.

I was startled, but then realized the person wasn't hostile. I cursed myself for being so easily alerted, and then started making excuses—the other person hadn't used energy to approach, so I hadn't sensed it.

Looking closer, I recognized it as Fronburn.

"Looking for you, been standing there for ages,"

Hoshimi said as she passed me.

So she had noticed Fronburn's presence all along, but I hadn't seen her turn around. How had she found him? I might never understand the world of assassins.

Fronburn and I stood facing each other, and after the others left, we started walking towards each other. If there was any connection between us now, it was undoubtedly only about that girl.

“You wanted to see me?”

I tried to keep my voice calm.

Fronburn nodded. “There are some things I don’t know how to say, but I’ll never be at peace if I don’t say them.”

“Speak.”

“I want you to let Fey go.” I stared at him for several seconds, then burst into laughter. I realized I could laugh so viciously.

“Hahaha! Let her go? Listen to what you’re saying! I haven’t chained her to me! Besides, she belongs to you now!”

Fronburn’s voice sounded a thousand times calmer than mine.

“I know very well. Her kiss was just a tool to get revenge on you. She used me, but I don’t think it matters because I love her. If she wants to do that, I’ll let her use me.”

Fronburn’s calmness unsettled me. I couldn’t laugh anymore; I just stared at him intently.

“You died, and she was heartbroken. You rose from the dead, and she regained her radiance. You left, and she became like this. It's all about you, Greedy Wolf. Your very existence is tormenting her.”

My cheek twitched. “So?”

Fronburn lowered his head, and when he raised it again, the light in his eyes had solidified into murderous intent. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword and slowly drew it.

My first thought was, let him kill me. That way, perhaps Fey would regret kissing this man for the rest of her life.

I never knew people could be so vicious, especially when you look at yourself.

“Do it.”

I looked at him and uttered two words.

“You won’t draw your sword?”

Fronburn asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Whether I draw it or not is my choice.”

“Coward…”

“You have no right to call me that. You treat Fey like a goddess, serving by her side, even afraid to touch her, and now you call me a coward?”

I challenged him expressionlessly.

“Shut up, draw your sword,”

Fronburn gritted out.

“If you want to prove you’re not a coward, kill me now. If I draw my sword, Fey will be with other men from now on,”

I mocked.

“What does a warrior’s dignity mean to you!”

Fronburn finally bared his fangs, pointing his sword at my throat.

A warrior’s dignity is something very precious to me. I can be a bad person, but I am definitely not a warrior who likes to abandon his dignity. If I abandon my dignity, then I abandon my love for fighting.

But right now, I have no will to fight. The whole world seems to be drifting away from me; I’m so tired.

“Fronburn, what are you doing… put your sword… away…”

We both turned to look. Fey was wrapped in a cloak. The girl stood there, trembling from the sun’s rays.

My heart began to scream wildly. Why do I hate this girl? Why do I want to punish her with my own death?

Because I wanted her to care about me…it was that simple… my

mind was completely blank. By the time I realized it, I had already taken a step towards Fey. I stood with my back to the sun, facing Fey. The girl stopped trembling in my shadow, but still couldn't lift her head. “You know everything.” Fey sensed something from my actions. I reached out and violently ripped off the girl's cloak. The girl was startled at first, then an unbearable pain surged through her. Fey let out a heart-wrenching moan, instinctively shielding her body with her hands, her legs giving way as she collapsed to the ground. Before she fell, I caught her in my arms. Fey, in her agony, had no strength to resist. “Let her go!” Fronburn roared behind me. I knew his only thought now was to kill me with his sword. The reason I stopped him was that if he did, he might hurt the girl in my arms. The familiar scent, and the soft, petite body—this moment I thought I would never experience again. I was almost overwhelmed by Fey's fragrance, but I hadn't forgotten why I had embraced her. "An empty shell will become ashes, and only the soul can never die. Sacrifice it all, and I will bestow upon Death roses, lilies, and poppies, and Death will reward me with the highest glory of the Undying Kingdom: Nirvana!" I had used the "Nirvana" spell from the Ring of Immortality before, when fighting ice-type phantom beasts in the Phantom Beast Forest. Unlike the basic "Nirvana" activated with hand seals back then, this incantation could activate the highest form of "Nirvana." This was already one of the highest-level spells I could use, and I believed it was enough to neutralize the curse spell on Fey. The "Nirvana" spell, originally only usable on myself, could now be applied to others through an embrace. Using this move wasn't without its price; after using it once, all the abilities of the Ring of Immortality would be temporarily sealed, including the Soul Redemption Armor. As for when it would awaken again, I didn't know. Fey's red eyes emitted a flickering pale light, and the painful groans emanating from the girl's throat gradually faded away. I released her, and the girl collapsed to her knees, gasping for breath. Her red eyes vanished, and when the white light of "Nirvana" disappeared, she could stand freely in the sunlight. I stepped aside, and Fronburn immediately rushed forward. He knelt and embraced Fey, beginning to speak with concern. I didn't listen, nor did I turn back; I had done all I could. Perhaps losing the Rings of Immortality would cost me a significant amount of power in the upcoming battle, and I might even die because of it, but I felt indifferent. I felt I had done the right thing; at least my self-loathing was gradually lessening.

I wasn't helping Fey; I was just giving myself a symbolic explanation—I felt my thinking was becoming more and more like some bastard's.

On the way to the camp, I heard a sound like a wind instrument. I couldn't tell if it was a flute or something else, but I knew it was Shadow Eclipse playing his instrument.

Shadow Eclipse's music had nothing to do with being melodious or lighthearted; the faint music was like someone whispering in the ruins of this battle-ravaged city. It was beautiful, but it wasn't my kind of rhythm; the sound made me feel sad.

Perhaps after I cured Fey of the curse, even the last vestige of hatred between us would vanish completely. Becoming strangers who would never speak to each other again might be more cruel than mutual hatred.

Entering the hall, I sat down next to Melfis.

"Those four people added to my eight-man kill count; I only need two more to qualify for advancement,"

Melfis said, leaning against the wall, not even looking up.

I nodded, completely unconcerned whether he could see my gesture.

“Melfis, I probably won’t be able to help much in the later battles.”

“What happened?”

He didn’t seem particularly agitated.

“I used a spell, and the ring’s power was sealed.”

“I see.”

Melfis’s nonchalant attitude made me feel very comfortable. He never made a fuss about other people’s affairs, nor did he ever try to make decisions for anyone.

As a team, what I did actually had a huge impact. If an ordinary person were the captain, they would definitely be angry because of my decision. But in Melfis’s eyes, I had no reason to be responsible for others, just as he always had.

“I have no interest in commenting on what’s going on between you and Fey, but I want to remind you not to let this drag you down in the later battles.”

I gave a numb smile, glanced at Asaga who was gathering power in her sleep, and then closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall.

I think I need a life-or-death battle to get myself involved, because that way at least I won’t have to think about Fey for a while. However, the weapon in my hand felt very heavy at this moment. If I were to fight someone in my current state, I would definitely be the one who dies.

There are so many things I haven't done, so I can't die yet. Thinking back to the moment Fronburn pointed his sword at me, that fleeting urge to die filled me with self-contempt. It wasn't just the filthy thought of using my death to avenge Fey, but also my act of shirking responsibility.

To kill the enemy of Elegy… to keep my promise to Asaga… to prevent Melfis from becoming a monster… I can't just give up my life so easily.

＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊＊

I don't know when I fell asleep, but when I woke up it was already evening.

My alertness was so poor, I cursed myself inwardly, because I saw Azza and the others seem to have gone out and returned, but I hadn't noticed anything.

Shadow Eclipse was injured; although he seemed to be able to move freely, all the exposed skin on his body was wrapped in bandages. Azza had a wound on his forehead, and half his face was smeared with blood from wiping. But the others seemed fine; they must have won.

I glanced down at their kill counts; only Fronburn and Shadow Eclipse's numbers had increased by one, the others remained unchanged. It seemed the opponents were becoming increasingly difficult to deal with as time went on.

Turning to check on Asaka, I was startled.

Fey was sitting there, her and my position sandwiching Asaka between us, and I hadn't even noticed.

Instinctively, I wanted to reach out and protect the sleeping Asaka, but then realized Fey wasn't doing anything to her.

I looked back at where Melfis had been; he was gone, as was Hoshimi.

My gaze returned to Fey; the girl was looking at me too. Her eyes, now normal, shone in the dim firelight in the center of the hall, just as they had when we held each other in our arms and looked into each other's eyes.

"She's so cute..."

Fey's lips moved slightly, her fingertips almost imperceptibly touching Asaka's hair.

I wanted to tell her, "You're very cute too, just like before..."

but the words remained unspoken.

“She’s just a child, very willful, and completely clueless about matters of the heart. I didn’t expect her to attack you, yes…”

Fey immediately raised her hand, stopping me from saying the words of apology.

“Your apology on her behalf will only make me feel worse, so… don’t say it.”

I shut my mouth.

“Let’s go outside and talk… don’t disturb her sleep…”

Fey’s soft voice reached my ears. I couldn’t refuse, so I stood up with her and walked towards another room.

We avoided the trap and came to the room where I had been alone before.

Fey turned to the side and gently rubbed the scars on her face with her fingers. “They look terrible, don’t they?”

I wanted to apologize to her, that my departure had pushed her into that battle. But as she had said before, we could no longer forgive each other, so what was the point of saying those things?

Or should I tell her, “Whether there are scars or not, my love for you will never change”?

The girl didn’t expect my answer; she continued.

“I was jealous. I was almost driven mad with jealousy when I saw her kiss you. I just couldn’t understand why you could have her but didn’t want me anymore.”

Fey said this with a terrifying calmness.

“You chose the guild, not me, so I left you.”

I said the answer aloud. It might be cruel to her, or it might be a relief, but I never knew what the outcome would be until I spoke.

Fey turned to look at me, her eyes wavering.

“But you didn’t explain back then… not a single explanation… No matter what your explanation sounded like, as long as you said you didn’t do it… I would have stood by your side… Why did you admit it?”

I can’t forget a single word she said back then, “You said there must be some other reason why Greed Wolf did it,” but you didn’t say “He would never do it.”

“I just… was afraid that if you really did it, you would feel guilty if you heard what I said! You didn’t do it, why didn’t you say it!” “

…Does it still matter?”

“Yes… it doesn’t matter anymore…”

We fell silent again. What had already happened, no matter how many “ifs” or hypotheses we made, had lost its meaning.

“Do you hate me?”

Fey asked softly.

I nodded. "I hate that you kissed someone else, I hate that you killed Asaga, I hate that you didn't stand by my side."

"I brought this on myself..."

the girl murmured.

"Me too. I abandoned you for narrow reasons, kissed someone else in front of you, and then caused you unbearable suffering."

I forced myself to stop speaking at this point. Because if I continued, I feared I would say something neither of us could face.

"It's too late to go back, isn't it?"

the girl asked with difficulty.

I gritted my teeth, but couldn't muster a definite answer. "What do you think?"

Fey quickly wiped away the tears that were about to fall. "Do you really want me to say those words?"

"Because I can't bear to say them."

To say goodbye to someone you deeply love, even if it's already destined. I can't do it now, and neither can she. How much power does it take to seal away such immense love?

She took a step forward, and I felt my eyes welling up, my whole body trembling.

We rushed towards each other almost simultaneously, holding each other tightly in our arms. The frail Fey, I stroked her back, wanting to cry, but no tears came.

I kissed the scars on her cheek, and she wrapped her arms around my neck, her fine hair brushing against my face, slightly tickling. She didn't cry either, just held herself tightly in my arms.

We both knew this would be the last time we indulged ourselves so freely. After that night, we probably...

kissed deeply, savoring the girl's sweet saliva and tongue. My heart was pounding, as if it were about to explode.

Fey pulled my tongue out, looked up at me, and said, "I know you still love me... When you healed my curse, I felt your heartbeat..."

"And you..."

The girl didn't answer, but simply removed her armor.

As the armor crashed to the ground, Fey's battered body was revealed before me. Chest, neck, back, arms, abdomen... countless indelible knife wounds had ravaged her once smooth and flawless skin beyond recognition.

When I saw Fey naked, all I felt was heartache. I embraced her again, my fingers tracing all her wounds.

The girl grasped my fingers, her hands trembling slightly as she pressed them against the inside of her thighs. Her already wet lower body had answered my question.

I kissed the knife wound on her neck as I moved my fingers. I recalled the most sensitive parts of her body, then gently explored her slit with her favorite rhythm.

At first, the girl could gently lick my ear with the tip of her tongue, but after half a minute, the soft moans in her throat turned into uncontrollable cries.

Slippery, thick love juice gushed continuously from her tender little hole, flowing out along my fingers, glistening streams running down Fey's slender thighs.

The girl was burning hot from what I had done; she frantically tore off my armor and pushed me to the ground.

Unbuckling my belt, my hard penis sprang out. The girl looked at my face with trembling eyes, then laboriously swallowed my hot penis.

A pair of slender, scarred arms trembled as they pressed against my chest; I felt her narrow little hole almost being torn apart. Fey gasped for breath, thrusting her lower abdomen forcefully.

I grabbed her breasts and bit into her cherry-red nipples. Her honeyed hole, gripping my penis, began to contract forcefully as I tugged at her nipples; I could feel my abdominal muscles twitching with intense pleasure.

The girl struggled to lift herself up and sit down, and I embraced her back, beginning my violent thrusts. Her dazed moans gnawed at my nerves, almost pulling me into an endless void.

She seemed to have gone mad, abandoning all shyness and reserve, kneeling in my lap as if wanting to release all the desire within her body in this moment.

Her thighs and my lower abdomen were already soaked with her love juice, and the lewd sounds would make anyone blush. But we didn't care; we only wanted to connect with each other more deeply.

Fey finally stopped, exhausted. The girl's body was covered in sweat, and she leaned on my shoulder, breathing heavily. Her slender, tight legs spasmed involuntarily from the recent orgasm, gripping my waist tightly.

"Xia Xi said... you took her from behind..."

the girl whispered in my ear, biting my earlobe, her voice almost choked with breath.

"What did she tell you..."

I held the girl tightly in my arms, drenched in sweat, our wet bodies intertwined.

“That…it doesn’t matter…it’s just…I want to give you my first time…behind too…”

I remained silent, simply lifting her up. My penis withdrew from her flower-like opening, and copious amounts of nectar gushed from her parted lips. The glans scraped against her, causing her to clench her teeth, until our most intimate parts were completely separated.

I kissed her, gently rubbing her anus with my fingers. The girl’s body trembled reflexively with my caresses.

“It will hurt…”

I gently ran my fingers along Fey’s back.

“It can’t hurt more than this.”

Fey murmured, pressing her hand to her chest.

I turned her over, making her lie face down. The girl obediently did so, then opened her mouth wide and her voice became hoarse as I entered.

Entry was extremely difficult; even with her abundant love juices as lubrication, my tip was still painfully squeezed, let alone hers.

When I reached the deepest point, we were both exhausted.

“It’s all… in…”

The girl lay there, turning her head slightly to look at me, her face flushed crimson, her back covered in sweat.

I held her shoulders and began to thrust, and she cried out, a sound incredibly cute.

The impact against her buttocks made a slapping sound. Her delicate body swayed from my thrusts, her slightly distressed moans unable to conceal a hint of allure.

I thrust harder, and Fey tilted her head back slightly, enduring my ferocious assault, the sorrow and shyness in her brows making her look like a young deer caught in the hunt.

During our intercourse, I lay on her back, kissing her spine. The girl whimpered, almost falling to the ground.

“You’re going to break my back… it seems to be bleeding…”

she pleaded.

“But your juices are flowing onto the floor… you seem to like it…”

“Don’t kiss my back there…”

I rubbed her clitoris with one hand, while the fingers of the other probed into her vagina. Through the thin membrane of flesh, I could clearly feel that part of my body roughly thrusting in and out.

This assault didn't last long, because Fey couldn't hold on any longer. She finally collapsed to the ground, convulsing as she reached her second orgasm. I thrust violently in one last round, her cries of agony completely out of control. I pulled out and plunged back into her lower body, filling the girl's uterus with my semen.

Fey clung tightly to my neck, keeping me on top of her. My lower body throbbed involuntarily in her intimate embrace, savoring the fading tenderness.

She managed to steady her breathing, then kissed my forehead.

"It's over... Greedy Wolf..."

I kissed her neck.

"Yes, it's over, Fey."

We parted, and a few minutes later entered the hall, rejoining our ranks.

I thought this was the end for me and Fey. The possessive one possessed everything they could, and then lost it; the giver gave everything they could, and then left. All the passion and affection had already chosen to vanish at that moment, as if they were never precious things that couldn't be relinquished.

I was wrong.

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