Life and Death at High Speed in the Northern Realm, Volume Two - Pink Hair and Burning Blood

The kind pastor said that God created the world.

The kind priest said that happiness is a gift from God to mankind.

The devout nun said that God protected humanity from darkness.

God is great.

God is perfect.

God is selfless.

God is absolute.

Regarding these doctrines, I have only one thought.

Boring, boring, boring.

Does God exist?

If so, who can confirm it?

Based on that so-called Prayer Goddess?

Is it a ritual to appease spirits? Or a divine decree?

Even assuming God exists, then—

The view brightened.

The desolate scene stretched to the horizon.

The ruined city was soaked in blood; men, women, the old, children, the guilty, the innocent—countless corpses piled up like mountains, all given an equal death.

Why hasn't he come to punish "me" who so wantonly tramples on living beings?

Red can symbolize many things.

For example, life, violence, passion, and celebration.

For example, "hot".

The heat was tangible, transforming into countless ribbons that enveloped the darkness, thread by thread, without beginning or end.

Are you feeling unwell? In pain? Sad? Tormented?

Fear? I don't know.

The chicks inside the cocoon are unaware of anything.

Fear stems from difference.

When a person becomes the very thing they fear, that fear vanishes.

Fear is like that, and so is the burning sensation.

Merge, merge, merge.

If you don't want to get burned, just become the flame itself.

In this way,

The intense heat no longer drives people mad, the burning sensation no longer instills fear, and the crimson hue no longer fuels despair.

Then--

In a world of red and black, the sound of crystals shattering could be heard.

"Hiss... Hiss... Ah..."

At the beginning, consciousness was still in a state of chaos.

Something that was encasing me shattered, and instinct compelled me to escape my cage.

"Um..."

Having regained a little self-awareness, and with great effort, he managed to open his eyes a crack.

However, the setting sun shone into my eyes.

Climb, climb, climb.

Right now, I feel like a newborn baby.

Pushing aside the warm, hard object, I fled the red and black world, and then collapsed to my knees.

The touch of soil and rock between my fingers signaled the arrival of the twilight scenery in the mountains. The sounds of wind and insects filled my ears, and my hazy consciousness finally connected with the outside world.

Ah, I remember now.

I risked my life to devour the Yan Yi Ming Hua, the alluring flower, the hellish Fierce Flame, my body burned to a crisp, the suppression of the Rakshasa True Word, the tug-of-war in the world of consciousness—my memories end here.

Then what happened?

The only thing I'm sure of is that I'm still alive.

So, I succeeded?

"... Ugh!"

That's when I realized something was wrong with my body.

It's so hot.

Why is it so hot in this windy mountain area?

No, that's not right.

I held my hand up to my eyes and examined it closely. My originally healthy light apricot skin had become even more delicate and tender, even with a hint of hazy transparency; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was like a dream.

I was stunned for a moment, then I realized where the heat was coming from.

That's me.

To be precise, it's... my blood.

No, calling it blood is no longer quite accurate.

It was more like a surging, roaring, flowing flame within the veins.

Thinking of this--

Hiss...

A few drops of blood, uncontrollably, seeped from my wrist, tracing a deep red path, and dripped to the ground with a soft sound, then—

Boom! It burst into flames.

The moment the blood touched the ground, it transformed into a dazzling flame. The flame was identical to the fire of Yan Yi Ming Hua, a blend of crimson, vermilion, scarlet, ochre, purplish-red, and pink, all the shades of red mingling together in a breathtakingly beautiful display. Yet, beneath its beautiful exterior lay astonishing ferocity; the stone surfaces it touched melted in mere seconds, and the scorching air scorched the surrounding vegetation.

"... Ugh!"

Unable to dodge in time, the suddenly erupting flames touched my hand. However, the intense heat that could melt rock in an instant had no effect on me; it felt like touching warm water, quite comfortable.

An extraordinary tolerance to high temperatures...? It seems not only the blood has changed, but the entire body has undergone alterations.

I staggered to my feet. Was it because I hadn't fully adjusted to my new power? My head was still a little dizzy. Speaking of which, why am I the only one here in this desolate wilderness? Where are the other three? Did something happen to them?

This is bad... I'm a combatant, after all. If I can't even protect my teammates... huh?

What pink thing flashed by in front of me?

I looked left and right, but there was nothing there.

I turned my head—ah, the pink thing appeared again!

Wait, it doesn't appear when the head is still, but it appears when the head is shaken. Could it be...?

I swallowed hard, picked up a lock of long hair, and held it in front of my eyes.

If I remember correctly, my hair was originally as black as the night sky.

Now, it's turned pink.

The evolution of long, straight black hair with side-swept bangs—long, straight pink hair with side-swept bangs—what the heck is this?!

The change in her image was so sudden!

The water surface, the water surface... Ah, I've got it!

I approached a small puddle and, in the dim light of the setting sun, carefully examined myself.

Her flawless, snow-white face, her incredibly red cherry lips, her bright, sparkling eyes, her delicate willow-leaf eyebrows, her lovely, petite nose, and her exquisite little ears hidden in her cascading hair, occasionally peeking out playfully, exuded a strange charm. Her incredibly refined features combined perfectly, making her as beautiful as Goddess.

A beauty that is almost violent.

So far, everything is fine.

The question is what comes next.

Her long hair and eyebrows had turned a shimmering pink, adding an ethereal beauty compared to her original black. Back on Earth, I'd only ever seen pink hair in CG characters. Even after coming to this other world, though I'd seen all sorts of hair colors, I'd never seen pink before. And now...

However, it feels... not bad?

I gently shook my head, my long pink hair swaying with my movement, reflecting the afterglow of the setting sun like a rare pearl, dazzling and radiant. After getting used to it, I seem to be even more beautiful now than before.

Ah, and eyes too.

Upon closer inspection, even the color of the eyes has changed slightly. Originally, they were jet black like black pearls, but now there is a subtle hint of dark red deep within the black pupils, giving them a rather eerie appearance upon closer inspection.

So, pink hair and red eyes are a classic combination, even though my eyes aren't even dark red yet, they'll probably change over time.

There's no one around now. Should I test my new abilities first, or hurry up and rejoin the other three?

Before I could even think it over carefully, Mother Nature made the decision for me.

"Aww~~~~~~~~Woo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"

"HOW HOW HOW HOW HOW HOW HOW HOW HOW HOW!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Hisssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!!!!!!!"

Countless eerie cries, some somber, some piercing, echoed from all directions. From the grass, the trees, and even the sky, countless monstrous beasts swarmed forth. Their eyes were bloodshot, their fur stood on end, clearly driven mad by some unknown reason!

"... Oh."

Not bad luck.

If we want to test new forces--

"--You cannon fodder are absolutely necessary!!!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The protagonist has now completed his upgrade. Congratulations!

Attached is a picture of the main character's new look; please imagine the eyes as dark reddish-black.

Attached is the original image.

Let's get some complaints out there!