Volume Four: Withering in the Human World - It Had to Be Done

Minutes before Yu Jie and Nid's fierce battle was interrupted--

"Ye! The Qipao Woman!"

"... Don't worry about us, you should worry about yourself first."

Even though she's being attacked by all sorts of bizarre, mutated organs, and she's in a real mess, she still can't help but care about our situation. Just how kind of person is Xiao Wu?

Although... I really wish someone could help me.

Right now, I'm probably facing the biggest problem of this trip.

"No, no... my body can't take it... gurgle... sob sob sob..."

Haoyue now resembles both a marionette and a broken robot. Her torso, limbs, and every part of her body defy her will, moving under the control of a spinal cord-like object embedded in the back of her neck.

Although her hand holding the sword was trembling, the prominent veins on her hand showed that she was gripping the sword with great force. Was it because some other being had taken over control of her body and she had lost control of her strength? If so, it would be dangerous for both of us.

The spinal cord is part of the central nervous system and has multiple functions including reflex, conduction, movement, and regulation. It is an irreplaceable and vital organ.

The dark red spinal cord, clearly from Sin Annihilation, was embedded in the back of her neck, effectively severing the transmission of nerve signals. In other words, Haoyue's body was no longer her own.

"Xiao Ye... quick... run!!!"

Her usual stunning beauty and captivating charm were completely gone; just look at her contorted expression to know how much pain she was in. The intense conflict between the strange intruder and her own will, the terrifying chunks of flesh that kept trying to penetrate her body and completely take over her nerves, even eroding ordinary epithelial and muscle tissue—all of this combined made it possible for her to barely maintain consciousness; it was truly a terrifying display of willpower.

Or is it really just the utterly clichéd "power of love"?

Despite the crisis, my mind remained remarkably clear.

I was so calm that it scared even myself.

However, there was a strange sense of sadness.

Why is it that beautiful beings are always the ones who suffer cruelty?

Back in the capital, in order to protect me, who was still very weak at the time, from the clutches of I·B, she exposed herself to danger, using her battered and broken body to shield me from attacks.

At the Central United Academy, for my safety and to prevent the situation from escalating, she willingly offered herself to me when I was in a semi-rampant state, allowing me to violate and satisfy my lust.

It all feels like it happened just yesterday.

If it weren't for her sacrifices in the past, I wouldn't be who I am today.

"From both a moral and logical standpoint, I can't afford not to put in more effort..."

"I told you... run!!!"

A familiar Gold Silver Orange halo unfolded beneath her feet, with runes constantly appearing. Perhaps related to her mental state, all the runes trembled slightly, like machines about to break down. I initially thought the spinal cord could only control her body, but it seems it can also force her to use supernatural abilities? I really don't understand its structure...

Controlling her spinal cord—or rather, Sin Annihilation itself—of course didn't know how to use her powers. A large number of orange and silver runes rose up simultaneously, attaching themselves to the longsword Snow Moon without regard for whether they conflicted with each other. The cluster signified the obliteration of the individual; the accumulation of numerous runes suppressed the different properties of each rune, turning it into a simple mass of power.

Because the function of each rune is unknown, should we sacrifice efficiency and diversity in pursuit of pure destructive power?

"... That weird gray-haired girl is all yours, Xiao Wu."

The blood in my body began to burn quietly.

"Quickly—dodge!!!"

The longsword swung down with lightning speed, and all the accumulated runes exploded. For a fleeting moment, I had the illusion that space itself had been sliced open vertically.

Boom!!!!

I dodged to the side at the last second. Although it was a powerful attack, it was ultimately a straight-line attack, and I could have avoided it with just minimal movement.

A deafening explosion came from behind me, along with the rumbling of many buildings collapsing. I turned my head slightly to look back, and from where I had just been standing to the seemingly distant city wall—it had been completely cleaved vertically.

... So that's how it is. If Haoyue were to unleash her power recklessly without restraint, it would have such destructive force.

"Please... please... Xiao Ye... quickly..."

"Well, instead of telling me to run away, you should calm down first."

Soothing others has never been my strong suit, but saying something is better than saying nothing, right?

"Xiao Ye..."

This time, a large number of silvery-white runes floated up, intertwining into a large ball of silvery-white light. A buzzing sound spread through the trembling air, reminiscent of an imminent volcanic eruption.

"Calm down, calm down, Haoyue..."

I took a small step towards her.

The movements were very gentle, as if approaching a shy cat.

"But, this, if we let it out..."

Her face had turned deathly pale; it seemed that being controlled to release power so recklessly had had a significant impact on her.

"It's okay, as long as you first let yourself—"

The blood that had been congealed and compressed in his legs suddenly burst into flames.

After a flash of light,

My hand was already on her shoulder.

"--Calm down."

Boom!!!!!!!!!

The abrupt shift from extreme stillness to extreme motion was almost unbearable, even for me, the instigator. The surrounding cityscape and battlefield scenery instantly transformed into blurred speed lines; the invisible air seemed to have acquired the hardness of a wall, and the tail of Blood Flame became an extremely ferocious propulsion force, turning us into a dazzling meteor. In this high-speed sensory world, only the warmth of being held in one's arms felt real.

It's so real that I have to be ruthless enough to destroy her.

It's not her will that's controlling her actions now; if it were Haoyue herself, I definitely wouldn't have succeeded so easily.

One of the purposes of my technique, which resembles a degraded version of Heaven's Gate, is to confirm some things—how will this "spinal cord" react to such a sudden event? If Sin Annihilation could control the spinal cord before, what about at this distance? If it's far enough away, will the spinal cord still remain active?

Our high-speed jet flight had been going on for several seconds, a period far too long for such an intense battle. Haoyue's body hadn't made any new movements, meaning her spinal cord had temporarily stopped functioning due to this sudden reaction.

It was as if they were stunned.

We can be fairly certain of it now.

Even if Sin Annihilation can control the spinal cord, there should be a distance limit. If one breaks free from Sin Annihilation's control... they'll probably only be able to act on instinct.

Faced with his companions being controlled by the enemy, the protagonist, after much inner turmoil, finally encounters a great opportunity to resolve the crisis, reclaim his companions, and achieve a happy ending—truly a storyline reminiscent of ancient Chinese shonen manga.

"But don't mistake me for a useless protagonist who would get caught up in this kind of thing... Sorry, Haoyue!"

Riding the momentum of high-speed flight, Blood Flame erupted from the sides of his feet, using the force to shift his body from a straight line to a spin. This instantaneous transition generated immense centrifugal force, which he then utilized—

Pull, fling!!!

At the last moment, I used the Blood Crystal to fix Haoyue's right arm holding the sword to my hand, and then used the enormous centrifugal force to throw her body away! Her physical strength was the lowest among the three of us, and she simply couldn't withstand such a tearing. With a crack, she flew downwards like a cannonball, a long trail of blood spurting from the cut on her right shoulder, while her right arm was still in my hand.

We can't give it any chance!

Flame Wings erupted from my back, propelling me downwards! The small figure below, still spurting blood, was suddenly enveloped in light. As I expected, countless runes rained down on me like a dazzling rainbow. With a thought, a massive pool of Blood Pool unfolded in the sky, its opening pointing downwards—

"Come forth, my legion!"

A blinding red light burst forth from the blood membrane, like an army attacking from another dimension. This time, the appearance of these Blood Beast was even more ferocious than before. They had arthropod-like bodies, compound eyes that flashed red light, huge and ugly mouthparts, and translucent wings that flapped at high frequency. They were the creatures that people usually called insects.

Is it true that insects are the apex creatures? I spent a lot of time secretly figuring out how to adjust the form of the Blood Beast to create powerful soldiers that combine speed, strength, agility, and vitality, but the final result was these ugly, giant insects.

"Superior!!!"

Hiss! Hiss! Hiss! --!!! Amidst the deafening chirping of insects, countless red and black aliens swooped down, violently colliding with the scattered runes, the two forces canceling each other out. Although they were elite soldiers, at this moment they were merely serving as shields; the important thing was that my path forward had finally been cleared!

As the Flame Wings exploded and the dizzying acceleration came to a halt, I was once again before Haoyue, seeing her blood-stained, pained face, and the resolute determination deep within her eyes—

Then, he severed her legs with the Void Greatsword.

Even I feel a little reluctant to cut off such beautiful legs that are a true gem of humanity.

But that's not enough.

Using blood as a cushion, I quickly slowed her fall. Then, with a Blood Whip, I whipped her through the roof of a house, pulled her out with my blood tentacles, and slammed her to the ground. The sound of a water balloon bursting echoed incessantly. Thinking that it was about time, I suddenly descended, my Blood Crystal Reinforcement foot stomping down like a battle axe, striking her left shoulder squarely.

Her mouth was half-open, emitting silent cries, but now she couldn't even struggle in pain; she was like a fish on a chopping board, completely at the mercy of others.

"I'm sorry..."

That's so tragic.

However, in order to completely seal the control of the spinal cord, her body must be damaged to the point that she cannot move even if forcibly controlled.

Her right arm was ripped off, both legs were severed, the bones in her left arm were shattered, most of her internal organs were broken, and she had fractures everywhere. She was now almost in a semi-shock state, her skin under the blood was as white as paper, and only her slightly flickering eyes indicated that she still retained a little consciousness.

I can read her eyes.

As the person who understands her best.

The spinal cord seemed to be making a final struggle. The already thin halo reappeared, and new runes were poised to be unleashed, still trying to squeeze out the last bit of power from the moon. However, this time the runes did not simply condense, but crawled all over the moon's surface like insects, flashing like a time bomb about to explode.

This guy... even at the very end, he still wants to drag Haoyue down with him?

But that's all for now.

Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!

Several blood spears pierced her body, and my blood, circulating through her bodily fluids, reached the site of the spinal cord erosion.

At this moment, Haoyue's battered body began to swell. Under the control of her spinal cord, more and more energy was being compressed into her body, turning her into a human bomb.

"That's enough! I'll settle the score with you later for having to bully my Yue-chan just to get rid of you, okay? Well then... let the surgery begin!"

Let's compare.

Between you and me, who's faster?

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Daily torture for Yue-chan... If the outcome is good, everything is fine.