Volume Six: What She Lost, What I Gained - Reporting the Battle and the Fish That Got Away

Xiao Wu also noticed the old woman's presence at the same instant. She was startled at first, then immediately realized something was wrong! Unleashing the full power of her legs, she rushed ahead of Fisher—

"Stop right there!!"

However, Fisher's loud shout made her stop in her tracks.

"... What do you want to do?" Xiao Wu glared fiercely at Fisher, Fisher revealed a smile that seemed to indicate that his suffering had finally come to an end.

"What a pity, Urushihara. It seems Lady Luck is on my side! As clever as you are, you should know what I'm about to say, right?"

"You bastard..."

"Go ahead and yell at me now, but... hehe, does kind-hearted Ms. Xiao Wu really want an innocent old man to get caught up in this and lose his life? Of course not, right?"

"..."

"Very well, calm down... Trister! Send your men over here—yes, aim your weapons at both me and that old woman! Keep your force just enough to inflict a serious injury on me!"

In a flash, several believers followed Trister's instructions and aimed their Light Gun -like weapons at Fisher and the bewildered old man.

"Fisher, you—"

"Shut up! Get back!"

Xiao Wu was about to move forward when she was stopped again.

"See? Urushihara? As expected, the hostage tactic may be cliché, but it's always the most effective! Right now, my only target for taking damage is that old woman. If you try to restrain me, they'll immediately shoot at her! Conversely, if you try to save her or take a bullet for her, they'll shoot at me! Even a 'serious' injury to me would be enough to kill that old woman!"

"..."

"So? If you're finally done causing trouble... then get out of here! The farther the better. All I want now is to leave safely!"

Fisher knew he couldn't make demands that were too high. What if he really pushed Xiao Wu to the brink and she made a suicidal decision?

"... Tsk!"

Xiao Wu was momentarily at a loss. Because of the hostage, it was impossible to attack Fisher directly. But no matter whether she tried to capture Fisher or rescue the innocent old woman, the old lady would die in vain!

But... what if she completely disregarded the old man's death and went straight for Fisher? Trading an old man who seemed close to death for Fisher's life... that trade certainly seemed very worthwhile, but could a living life be sacrificed simply because it seemed worthwhile?

"Hypocritical..."

Xiao Wu's hands were trembling slightly, from anger and self-loathing.

"I'm such a hypocrite... but... damn it..."

Seeing her wavering, Fisher and Trister's smiles grew even more confident.

"Well, have you thought it through, Urushihara? If you feel you've run out of options, then you'd better behave yourself—"

"That's right, you'd better just listen to Fisher, as long as you—"

"... Qi, Yuan?"

"--?"

A sudden, unfamiliar voice interrupted them.

It was a very old, very hoarse voice.

The three of them looked at the person who spoke at the same time.

"Qi... Yuan? You... are you really... a... you?"

The old woman approached shakily, her cloudy eyes staring directly at Xiao Wu, her withered limbs trembling uncontrollably.

"You... huh?"

Xiao Wu was startled.

Why...

Why... do I feel a strange sense of familiarity with this old lady I'm meeting for the first time?

Her long hair had turned completely white; her eyes, once seemingly black but now clouded, were now swollen and cloudy; her frail body could barely support the white clothes she wore... white?

Hey, hey, hey, could it be...?

"... Bright Moon?"

"Huh!!!!????"

Upon hearing Xiao Wu's response, a glimmer of light seemed to appear in the old man's cloudy eyes, while Fisher and Trister were completely unable to keep up with the unfolding situation.

"Wait... Haoyue Tartaglia?"

"The intelligence said she was a 20-year-old woman? Why—ah!"

Fisher suddenly remembered.

Casey.

Casey, who can seal a person into an alternate dimension where one minute is equivalent to ten years.

Anyone who is affected will starve to death or die of old age in this alternate dimension.

If,

What if Tartaglia was affected by Casey's power, but the other Extra Weapon failed to protect Casey, who was in a state of suspended animation, and he was killed?

And if I remember correctly, the things released from his alternate dimension would randomly appear anywhere within a few kilometers of Casey.

"Trister, stay away from her—"

"... Moon Fail."

Suddenly, a three-colored halo appeared beneath the old man's feet, and rolling moonlight surged forth, instantly enveloping Fisher and Trister! The moonlight quickly solidified, binding the two completely like shackles!

Xiao Wu was almost speechless.

She had no idea what had happened to Haoyue, or what she had been through.

But—she survived and even got herself out of trouble; that was enough.

"Bright Moon!!!!"

Xiao Wu practically pounced on him, embracing the aged Haoyue tightly in her arms, and Haoyue trembled a few times—

... Gah!

"Hey, hey, hey, hey? What happened to you? You dislocated your bone with just that little bit of force? Ahhh, wait, I, I'll help you put it back on-"

"Hiss... you... Xiao Wu..."

"Don't speak yet! Your current situation is very bad!"

Xiao Wu could hardly believe that the person in her arms was Haoyue, but she had no choice but to believe it. She quickly felt around Haoyue's neck and left chest, checking for pulse and other vital signs. Although Xiao Wu, a martial arts expert, didn't know how to treat illnesses, she was quite skilled at assessing the human body. She was surprised to find that Haoyue's body was now nearly ninety years old, and his physical condition was much worse than that of a typical ninety-year-old.

"What exactly are you...?"

"I'm... not dead yet... Quickly... take me... to... see... Xiao Ye..."

When the old man mentioned Xiao Ye, tears welled up in his cloudy eyes.

It looked extremely miserable.

"Okay, I'll go right now--"

"--No need, I've already arrived."

I stopped the gushing Blood Flame from my back and landed steadily on the ground.

Before me stood a bewildered Xiao Wu and an aging... Haoyue?

"..."

Although I know it's harsh to say this,

It's unbearable to look at...

I can't think of any other word to describe it except "unbearable to look at".

Now I finally understand why aging is the greatest enemy of women—no, of all humankind.

"Ye..."

"Leave her to me for now."

"Xiao Ye..."

Haoyue called my name softly in a frail and weak voice. She looked so weak, like a withered wildflower, as if a gentle breeze could kill her.

At this stage, the most urgent task is to create a young body for her as soon as possible, but my current abilities are limited, and I cannot yet perform human reconstruction.

In that case...

"Xiao Ye... Xiao Ye... Xiao Ye..."

Looking at her sobbing softly in my arms, I was overwhelmed with emotion.

I had expected that after seventy years of loneliness, she would go crazy upon seeing me, but she didn't, nor did it seem to be due to weakness. She seemed to be avoiding my gaze, even trying to cover her face with her long hair—was she unwilling to let her aging appearance taint my eyes?

"Although you may have a lot to say to me, you should rest first. Sleep well, Haoyue."

"Um..."

She obediently closed her eyes, allowing me to pour large amounts of blood into her body through her mouth and nose. Within seconds, she was enveloped in a large blood sphere. Although this blood could not make her young again, it could help repair her body.

Then--

"Ye! Tsk, you guys have already taken care of it?"

"I heard a lot of noise and came over, so I have absolutely no idea what happened!!!"

Two new voices appeared; it was Sick Spider and Little Ying running towards them. Although I couldn't see them, I knew Neumann had arrived too. Sick Spider was covered in sweat but seemed alright. Little Ying, however, looked completely bewildered. What had she been doing all this time? Just passing by?

"Listen to me! The autograph session started ages ago, but you guys just wouldn't show up. I've been holding everything together all by myself! And then the radio suddenly started talking about a terrorist attack and had to stop it. Luckily, the fans are really enthusiastic, otherwise our plan to make a fortune would have been ruined! Aaaaaah!"

So, while we were risking our lives to withstand the Extra Weapon, you were just sitting comfortably outside the battlefield, adored by countless die-hard fans? Am I supposed to slap you in the face?

"Ye, what exactly is going on...?"

"I'll explain when we get back. The important thing is... it's finally over, right?"

I looked at Fisher and Trister, who were bound by the Shackles of Light and unable to move. Both of them were glaring at us angrily.

At this point--

The Extra Weapon; originally, there were eleven people involved.

"Everyone, let me give a brief overview of the situation," I said. "I'll start—"

Therefore, the results have been summarized.

Wanhua Xing, dead (died in a surprise attack by the Sin Annihilation).

Su Mengli, died (after her defeat, she was expelled from the party by Julia).

Chi Ying, dead (died in a surprise attack by the Sin Annihilation).

Tia Fais, dead (dismembered by Sick Spider).

Di Fei'er Fais, dead (dismembered by Sick Spider).

Valentina, dead (killed by me last night).

Yu Xun, dead (killed by me last night).

Casey Sedlia, dead (killed by my current self after the compressed space was released from her suspended animation).

Vic Fisher was captured (due to a number of factors).

Trister was captured (due to a number of factors).

Besides-- "...?"

Wait, where's Julia?

Also, where did Sin Annihilation go?

Speak of the devil and he appears.

A massive fireball radiating scorching heat suddenly descended from the sky, accompanied by a deafening crash. A small figure was thrown out – it was Sin Annihilation! Nearly half of her body was gone, and her body bore many bullet holes and laser marks that had not yet fully healed.

The fireball then revealed its true form; its metal shell, corroded by shredded flesh, crackled and popped out, revealing the battered mechanical girl inside. Clearly, Julia and Sin Annihilation had engaged in a fierce battle, both sustaining considerable damage. If I'm not mistaken, Julia had tried to leave midway, but Sin Annihilation stopped her... right?

"Sorry, Ye, I was a little slow--"

"We'll talk about apologies later, let's take this guy out first!"

Aside from the powerless Haoyue and the Sick Spider who refuses to use his abilities in public, now it's me, Xiao Wu, and Sin Annihilation facing the enemy together! This time, it's absolutely--

"Chirp chirp--Ahahaha, sorry, I didn't come here to see you!"

The tattered metal doll emitted a piercing laugh, and several cables shot out towards the restrained Fisher with lightning speed!

Don't even think about it!

At the same time, Xiao Wu her gun and fired. The cable had just become entangled with Fisher when Xiao Wu severed it. Just as Xiao Wu thought she had stopped Julia's actions—

"I'll just accept this defeated opponent for now."

A mechanical arm pulled Trister towards Julia. It turned out that her initial attack on Fisher was just a ruse; Trister was her real target! My Blood Flame roared towards the two of them, but as soon as Julia grabbed Trister, she took to the air, abandoning most of her body and equipment, and flew into the sky at top speed, disappearing from sight.

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

Holy crap... The mind-boggling Extra Weapon is finally over. Eleven people were involved in the Extra Weapon, each with detailed abilities that were completely integrated into the plot. Foreshadowing had been laid out for a long time, and there were various twists and turns throughout. It was really brain-burning to write, but now... it's finally over.

Of course, you absolutely have to beg for Monthly Votes!

Then there are a few lighter chapters, followed by all sorts of high-energy moments, so be prepared.