Volume Six: What She Lost · What I Gained - Ai

"... Neumann, are you in a fighting condition right now?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid... it's very difficult."

"Then run away quickly, stay as far away as you can, and don't get in the way."

"Miss Haoyue..."

Don't make me say it a second time!

Before Neumann could stammer, the moonlight enveloped her and launched her into the distance like a rocket.

All that remains are the bright moon and the Planet Will.

"Little Butterfly..."

What a twisted sense of humor, Jili.

In that instant, you could have easily killed me when I was caught off guard, and taken Little Butterfly with you at the same time.

But you insist on creating this situation where you have no choice but to draw your sword against your former relatives.

Haoyue took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, the concern in them had completely vanished, replaced by hostility—the look of someone looking at an enemy, not their daughter.

"Xiao Ye entrusted her precious daughter to me..."

The five-colored halo grew increasingly dazzling, and each rune trembled slightly, ready to strike at any moment.

"I can't face her if I don't take you back. Are you ready, Little Butterfly? It's time for a spanking now, okay?"

Regarding this--

"Enemy...human..."

The Planet Will, with its golden eyes locked onto the bright moon, tilted its head to the side, seemingly assessing the moon's combat strength.

Then, an immense, seemingly limitless energy emanated from her entire body. The once clear sky instantly turned a gloomy, leaden gray, and the relatively calm sea became turbulent, with waves tens of meters high raging alongside the storm. As expected of the Planet Will, even the surrounding environment and weather seemed to respond to her killing intent.

"Moonlight Tartaglia..."

Do you still recognize me?

Haoyue was startled. Could it be that Little Butterfly's consciousness still remained? Could she even still be consciously aware of the outside world? If so—

But the next sentence, cold and mechanical, shattered Haoyue's beautiful illusions.

"Moonlight Tartaglia... Assess... Among humans... a species of extremely high danger... Immediately... annihilate!"

"Ha... fairy tales, they never will. In that case... let's fight, Little Butterfly, for the day Xiao Ye and I are reunited!"

Pain! Pain! So much pain! Something, existing deep within my consciousness, awakens, spreads, like poison, occupying, eroding, overwriting, devouring, and destroying—

"Is it painful, Miss Ye?"

Nonsense, nonsense, nonsense! Shut up! Please, please stop! Don't sacrifice a living person for a dead woman. Don't use me as a sacrifice for your bullshit wish. I don't want to fulfill your pathetic selfish desire. Don't drag me into this!!!

"I know you must be furious right now. No one would be willing to sacrifice an innocent life for someone who is already dead, but... I, as the supreme ruler in the upper echelons of society, am more selfish than anyone else."

Pfft! Hand.

Yu He's hand.

It reached in.

It pierced my skull from the back of my head, going straight into my brain.

Out of the corner of my eye, I could barely see that his entire arm had disintegrated into banknotes, but how did his hand get in there? God knows. I only felt a hand scratching and moving around inside my head, finally grabbing something—

"It's almost over, soon... I'll never have to suffer again."

With this sentence as a turning point, the pain suddenly lessened, and consciousness dimmed.

It's like turning off a light or disconnecting the power.

It was a pleasant feeling of exhaustion, like finally lying in bed after a busy day, a feeling of unprecedented relaxation, both physically and mentally.

I was defeated—the moment I realized this, my consciousness completely shut down.

"... Alright, halfway done. Ye's consciousness has been completely corrupted by the Blood Fiend's influence."

"So, it was successful?"

The Sick Spider asked cautiously.

"I told you, it's only half done. Only when the consciousness is transferred into the Blood Fiend's body, achieving the unity of spirit and flesh, will it be truly successful."

"Then hurry up and stop talking nonsense!"

"Yes, yes... Follow my instructions, lower Ye's body a little further down so that their skin touches."

"I told you not to order me around..."

Despite saying that, the Sick Spider still moved its fingers, causing the silver thread suspending Ye to loosen slightly. Ye then descended another ten centimeters, pressing completely against Blood Fiend's face. Seeing that their lips seemed to have touched, the Sick Spider couldn't help but frown.

"Ha, as expected, Miss Ye was the first one to have skin-to-skin contact with the newly born Blood Fiend."

"That's really... um? What did you say? The first one? You've never touched Blood Fiend?"

"How could that be? From the beginning to the completion of this body's cultivation, everything was done in a container. After all, this is the body of Blood Fiend. Unless I get her consent, I wouldn't dare to soil her with my hands."

"What's with this virgin mentality... but at least you know what's good for you."

"I'm not a virgin, you know. I've bought physical pleasure with money before. In fact, I could easily throw out a few hundred million and countless people would be willing to serve me. But... it's not very interesting. Anyway, I get tired of sex after one or two times. It's not worth spending money on it."

"I really don't know how to evaluate you..."

Although the two kept talking about incoherent things, their hands never stopped moving. Yu He's hand was still inside Ye's head, his brows furrowed, his hand slowly moving. From the back of the head to the brainstem, then to the cervical spine, down a few centimeters along the spine, and finally reaching the back of the heart.

At that moment, the two of them stopped talking at the same time.

Yu He squinted, as if sensing something, and beads of cold sweat trickled down his cheeks.

A nameless pang of heartache made the Sick Spider turn her face away. Every time she saw Ye's pale, unconscious face, she felt a sharp pain in her heart. Was this really the right thing to do? Even though they were mortal enemies, even though they were adversaries, was it really okay to abandon her for Kasser? Even if Kasser were to be resurrected, what then? Could she break down the barriers and reconcile with her? And, although it was unlikely, what if Kasser really accepted Yu He's feelings? In that case... wouldn't she be doing all the work for someone else? If Yu He really succeeded in possessing Kasser's heart and body, then what would she be? A third wheel? Watching the person she loved be affectionate with someone else? What would that be?

(Tsk...)

The Sick Spider's fingertips twitched, and several silver threads crawled closer to Yu He from behind. She didn't believe such a low-level sneak attack could kill him, and even if Yu He did, what would be the point? Before Blood Fiend's resurrection, all her worries were unfounded. The key was—if Blood Fiend couldn't be resurrected, then everything was meaningless. Reconciliation, or becoming the only one by her side again, all depended on Yu He's success. What was she even worrying about?

Thinking of this, the Sick Spider lowered its head and retracted its silver thread.

Just as Yu He used her as a trump card to deal with Ye, she also used Yu He as a tool to revive Blood Fiend.

Mutual cooperation and mutual benefit, nothing more.

Yu He seemed to have completed his preparations.

"Blood Fiend..."

He murmured softly in a trembling voice, as if whispering.

"... At least give me a response, Blood Fiend!"

Splash splash...

Ye's body suddenly disintegrated, every inch of her skin and every muscle breaking down into countless gold coins and banknotes, which clattered as they fell directly onto Blood Fiend! The gold coins and banknotes that fell onto Blood Fiend did not bounce off or slide off, but instead penetrated her skin and entered her body!

"This is..."

"The final step."

"So, Ye—wait?"

Ye did not disappear, and there was no visible change in appearance. At first glance, her body seemed to have been broken down into countless coins, but in reality, there was no damage. Those coins actually "fell" out of her body. The whole process was very fast, and the more coins entered Blood Fiend's body, the emptier Ye's body felt. In contrast, Blood Fiend's body seemed more "real," as if some kind of defect had been filled.

"... Okay, all done."

After the last gold coin fell into Blood Fiend's body, Ye's body went limp and slumped down, dangling from the Sick Spider's silver thread like a disgraced puppet.

Clearly, there was nothing left inside.

The body's owner vanished completely, and without her will to suppress it, the Cold Blood Poison spread throughout her body at an alarming rate. Wherever the dark red markings covered, the skin, flesh, blood, and bones all melted into viscous blood, spilling onto the ground, never to return.

The Sick Spider glanced one last time at the remnant named Ye before forcing itself to look away, while Yu He paid no attention, his entire focus was on the person in the coffin.

The sealed room returned to silence.

Only the pounding of a heartbeat could be heard.

Do your best and leave the rest to fate.

Yu He has done everything he could.

The same goes for Sick Spider.

Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Anxiety and anticipation, worry and relief, fear and hope—all sorts of emotions collide and then vanish into nothingness, endlessly repeating themselves, stretching each second infinitely.

As Yu He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead for what seemed like the umpteenth time,

When the Sick Spider had lost count of how many times it had hugged its body to stop trembling,

Sand--

Those fair fingertips twitched slightly.

"!!!"

The Sick Spider immediately lunged forward, then quickly retreated, desperately trying to endure the pain. Yu He, on the other hand, stood still the entire time, his lips tightly pressed together.

The most terrifying thing is not the process of waiting for the result, but the moment when the result is about to be obtained.

Rustling... clicking...

That's the sound of joints that haven't moved for a long time moving.

First, it was her left index and middle fingers, then her wrist, and then her entire left arm. Her fair arm swayed and groped around, like a newborn animal. Her fingertips brushed against the warm, soft velvet and the cold, hard crystal coffin walls, the strange sensations seeming to confuse her. Her other hand slowly moved up, brushed her cheek, and then fell back down.

"Um..."

Her thin, red lips parted slightly, and she let out a moan. Her voice was somewhat similar to Ye's, but with a touch of mature huskiness, making it even more alluring.

This was a voice they both recognized.

The sound of Blood Fiend.