Chapter 244
Codename J grinned, seemingly trying to suppress a laugh. "To be honest, I made some interesting deals with her last night—she managed to extract some information I wasn't so keen on revealing. She knows too much, so... oh right, I have another secret to tell you—I'm not very good at playing pranks, but I have one truly enviable talent: I have a photographic memory—even tens of thousands of lines of code, hahaha!"
Laughing, Codename J said, "Keep the copied files for yourselves."
In other words, the Codename J was just a prank on Fushihara Ayaka from the very beginning.
"I don't need to copy any files at all~ But just by making this request, you'll think it's a leverage you're using to trade for your men's lives, right? You think you've got the upper hand, right? You're relieved, aren't you?"
Codename J laughed loudly, completely unconcerned about the gun pointed at him. "Hope breeds despair, and those who are certain of victory lower their guard... How does it feel to kill your own men?"
"Is that so..."
Fushihara Ayaka coldly stared at the Codename J. She raised her hand, signaling the soldiers to lower their guns, then turned and left.
"Babble?"
Codename J frowned slightly.
Fushihara Ayaka's reaction was different from what she had expected.
"While it's good to be self-aware, it's really pointless for you to just run away like this. I thought you would rush over regardless of the consequences."
Fushihara Ayaka glanced coldly at Codename J.
"Heh... we'll see each other again soon."
Codename J watched with suspicion Fushihara Ayaka and the soldiers boarded the vehicle. Only after the armored vehicle had driven away from her did she click her tongue in annoyance.
"Tsk, what a spoilsport."
She raised her hand, and energy, along with wind pressure, gathered in her palm.
She squinted, aiming at the direction of the armored vehicle.
Just then, a piercing sound of air being torn apart suddenly descended—a warning bell rang in her heart, and she abruptly took a step back. In the next instant, a silver light flashed like lightning, and the spear pierced her nose almost perfectly. The ground shattered in an instant, and the raging hurricane tore bloody marks off her cheeks.
She looked up in astonishment, her gaze climbing up the spear to see Efnir's deep red eyes beneath her silver hair.
"An agent?! How could this be...?"
What greeted her was Efnir's heel, which went straight down to her forehead.
She suddenly clasped her hands together, and a screen of azure light rapidly rose from beneath her feet, closing in and bursting forth like fireworks—but all she felt was a blur before her eyes, the mirror shattered, and Efnir, without retracting her foot, landed on the stakes with both hands, bending her body at an incredible angle, like a fully drawn bow.
The spear was held horizontally below Efnir's waist. The next moment, the spear blade rose from the ground, scattering pebbles like a fountain and the silver blade like moonlight, tearing through the light barrier and sending her flying backward.
The night is reversed, and the moonlight and the ground are mutually devouring each other.
Puff--
Before her body even hit the ground, the spear pierced through her abdomen from mid-air, smashing her to the ground. Debris flew everywhere, dust filled the air, and she was pinned to the ground.
At the other end of the spear, the silver-haired girl stepped on her, and the sound of breaking ribs filled her ears.
The world seemed to be spinning, and the excruciating pain surging through her body was eroding her reason. She dazedly raised her head, only to have her neck grabbed—the force was so great that the blood she was swallowing was stuck in her throat, making it impossible for her to cough or breathe. She could only stare into those cold, red eyes through her blurred vision.
176. Arrival
Codename J tried desperately to break free from Efnir's grasp, but strangely, she suddenly noticed something eerie.
The pain was so intense it almost caused me to spasm.
Why does it hurt? This shouldn't be happening...
The energy in her body was surging restlessly, completely disregarding her own will—and it was rapidly dissipating from her body. Every inch of her flesh was groaning, but the loss of energy showed no sign of stopping.
This situation...
"Cough..."
Codename J abruptly raised her head, staring intently at Efnir, and spoke in a hoarse, indistinct voice, "You bastard... what did you do to me?!"
Efnir coldly looked down at Codename J, without saying a word.
The spear was driven into the ground. Efnir had one foot planted on Codename J's chest, one hand gripping Codename J's neck tightly, and the other hand clutching the "Shard".
She stared intently at the Codename J, with unusual caution and meticulousness.
--If there is any indication that Codename J is going to escape by "some" means, Efnir will kill her without hesitation, as quickly as possible.
In Efnir's eyes, the dust surrounding Codename J was moving in an irregular pattern— Efnir vaguely sensed that she couldn't completely restrain Codename J's power, but Codename J also seemed unable to fully control his abilities. The energy was like insects disturbed by a dry, hot wind, rushing to leave Codename J's body, while Codename J was desperately resisting this process.
The spilled energy became nourishment for the "Shard"—like moths drawn to a flame, they gathered towards the Shard and then gradually dissolved into the air.
"What is that... what are you holding!"
The confident expression had vanished from Codename J's face; her gaze drifted before settling on Efnir's hand.
Efnir's gaze shifted slightly, and she narrowed her eyes. "You can sense it?"
Anilas and Iris were completely unaware of any changes in the flow of energy in the air, and were therefore oblivious to the effects of the "Fragment Radiation."
However, Codename J is clearly not included in this list.
She forcefully raised her hand, trying to resist, but Efnir gave her an extremely dangerous feeling.
Recalling the "battle" where she was completely powerless just moments before, Codename J gritted her teeth and turned her gaze to Efnir —but rather than "astonishment," her eyes held more "terror," which made Efnir feel a little uneasy.
"How could you... No wonder... You should have noticed it as soon as you arrived here..."
At that time, Codename J did indeed sense a long-lost dangerous force flowing in the air, but the feeling was extremely faint, like moonlight in broad daylight, which was subconsciously ignored... Moreover, when Fushihara Ayaka realized that Codename J had some connection to the existence of Efnir or the Shard, she immediately took control of the conversation, making Codename J turn back to continue the "transaction" with Bushiyuan.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Codename J did not continue to pay attention to the fleeting presence in the sky.
Codename J painfully tilted her head back, gritting her teeth as she stared at Efnir, shouting in a commanding yet seemingly pleading tone, "... Ah... Ahhh!! Stop it!!"
Meanwhile, from a helicopter hovering overhead, Shinomiyami Nami transmitted everything back via video feed.
Fushihara Ayaka climbed to the top of the armored vehicle and used binoculars to gaze in the direction of Efnir.
On the other end of the communication link with Efnir, Yukina, along with the other agents in Xijing City and the Funeral Bird Squad temporarily dispatched to Xijing City, silently watched Efnir and the battle between Codename J.
"Pretty impressive, the 'Chief' of Xijing City... Although Codename J was also defeated quite decisively by us, I heard she's stronger than when she fought us, isn't she? In the end, she's still no match for 'Eve' at all."
Trilice rested her chin on her hand thoughtfully, turning her gaze to Lapith beside her. "Lapith, was this also within your expectations?"
"Her strength didn't exceed expectations," Lapith glanced at Trilice, her tone frank, "... or rather, slightly stronger?"
"Oh?"
Trilice smiled without saying a word.
Meanwhile, Yukina stared intently at the screen. The image was slightly torn and blurry due to the interference of "Fragment Radiation" on communications, but she could still make out Efnir's figure.
Beside her was a haggard-looking Furan.
Still recovering from her injuries, she spent the entire day worrying about Saori's safety after she was kidnapped. When she saw Saori covered in blood, she felt as if her heart was about to stop beating.
The communication system picked up Fushihara Ayaka's voice.
"Efnir, keep a close eye on the movements of Codename J."
Fushihara Ayaka stood atop the armored vehicle, watching the battle intently, her communicator gripped tightly in her hand. "Even if we get nothing, we absolutely cannot let her get away."
"Um."
Efnir nodded.
Meanwhile, Codename J was gradually weakening, her pupils losing focus. Seeing this, Efnir raised an eyebrow.
The Codename J hasn't "escaped" yet. Does this mean the operation was a success?
If we could capture Codename J alive, this operation would be an unprecedented victory—and just as this thought flashed through Efnir's mind, Codename J suddenly fell silent.
"Um?"
Efnir frowned warily.
Although I really wanted to capture Codename J alive, it would be a huge loss if such a dangerous character as Codename J escaped.
Like Codename J Codename H, J is an opponent that the Human Federation has never known about. Their methods are unpredictable, and we must not let our guard down.
Efnir acted decisively, drawing her spear. The sharp blade tore open the chest of Codename J, blood flashing on the silver light, then drawing a blinding arc in the night—with a soft thud, the spear tip fell, precisely piercing between Codename J's eyebrows.
The dull thud of a skull being pierced echoed as the gun sank into the ground, passing through the back of Codename J. Efnir pulled the gun again and thrust it into Codename J's heart.
No one could survive such injuries.
Two shots were fired, Codename J didn't utter a sound. He just stared wide-eyed at Efnir. The scene was extremely eerie. Codename J looked like a rag doll with its neck twisted off.
Efnir gripped the spear tightly in her hand, her brows furrowed.
She did not let her guard down, because the "dust" in the air was still moving.
The next moment, Codename J suddenly began to struggle hysterically, screaming hoarsely and incoherently, her roars becoming almost like those of a wild beast.
At the same time, Efnir noticed that the flow of "dust" had suddenly changed—the scattered energy was gradually gathering, flowing, and converging. An invisible force was controlling the flow of energy, forcibly concentrating it. Efnir, or rather, the Codename J beneath Efnir's feet, became the eye of the storm at this moment, with countless streams of energy converging upon it.
The wind pressure whipped up Efnir's hair, and a powerful, sharp energy surged forth, Codename J, pulling at it like a black hole, making it impossible for it to escape—even Efnir was being pulled by something. She gripped her weapon tightly and took a step back.
"Even though it's just a stand-in, it's amazing that it could damage my body like this..."
Codename J's pupils, which had been vacant, suddenly twitched, then stiffly and slowly moved downwards, her gaze fixed on Efnir. A hoarse voice came from her throat, which Efnir had long since crushed, "Agent, perhaps you should be proud."
Efnir squinted as she watched as Codename J, whose head and chest were already mangled and bloody, slowly rose to his feet, twisting his body in a way that no human could do.
Something seems to have descended upon the body of Codename J.
177. Dregsification
"Energy... reaction surge!... En... Neil, watch out for codename..."
The headset was filled with noise, and the communication was intermittent. Due to the energy disturbance, the signal was also interfered with. Efnir could vaguely hear Shinomiyami Nami's voice.
No one could see the changes in the energy around Codename J more clearly than Efnir —the restless "dust" was like being thrown into a blender, and the suppressive power of the "Shard" was no longer effective in the face of such a massive and turbulent torrent.
This level of energy compression reaction is almost on par with Anilas's fatal blow; the air becomes viscous, and breathing and moving feel like being immersed in the ocean depths, experiencing immense pressure.
At this time, the danger posed by Codename J undoubtedly surpasses that of Codename H.
What struck Efnir as odd was that the energy that suddenly erupted from Codename J did not originate from Codename J's body. Instead, it was as if a knife had cleaved open a hole in the air above Codename J's head, tearing through the "water bag," and a large amount of energy poured out of the "water bag" and into Codename J's body.
Codename J absorbed most of the energy, while the remainder filled the space. Efnir could clearly sense the changes in the concentration of the Order Force and the Corruption Energy in the air.
Codename J slowly stood up and wiped the blood from his face.
Blood and brain matter were still oozing from the fleshy hole between her eyebrows. Her eyes were unfocused, and she simply turned her head toward where Efnir was, stiffly opening her mouth in a smile that was both menacing and chilling.
Her skin was visibly Dregsification inch by inch, turning gray, and gray-black patterns spread like a spider web from the wounds between her eyebrows and her heart to her entire body. In less than two seconds, it had covered her whole body, and no more blood flowed from the wounds. Instead, there was proliferating gray flesh, like a huge tumor filling the wounds.
Codename J's neck had already been crushed by Efnir, and her Dregsification flesh altered her voice. "Even though I'm just a substitute, you've beaten me up like this... Agent..."
His voice became hoarse and grating. Codename J shifted his gaze from his blood-stained palm to Efnir and the spear in Efnir hand. "Looks like... oh? It's 'Ephnel,' I'll remember you."
Less than two seconds have passed since the anomaly occurred, and Codename J's injuries have completely disappeared, while the concentration of "dust" continues to rise.
"Is this... Dregsification?"
Efnir frowned, raising the spear in front of her as she cautiously observed the Codename J. "To be able to willingly turn one's own body into Dregs..."
Dregsification is undoubtedly a deadly tumor for the human body, but similarly, Dregsification greatly enhances the body's toughness and its ability to adhere to Corruption Energy. During the process of Dregsification, wounds are restructured by the Corruption Energy, thus repairing injuries— Codename J utilizes this to reconstruct a crumbling body into a tough and dangerous one.
In just two seconds, such a huge change occurred to the body of Codename J...
--We must not wait until Codename J absorbs the energy.
Efnir narrowed her eyes slightly as her gaze met that of the person Codename J.
In the next instant, the gun blade was thrown, instantly tearing apart the distance between Efnir and Codename J. The gun tip pierced through Codename J's body in a flash, tearing up a patch of gray flesh and leaving a gruesome hole in Codename J's body.
The violent impact whipped up a gale, and Efnir's figure followed closely behind. The spear that had pierced through Codename J's body had reappeared in Efnir's hand, its cold blade drawing a silver crescent moon against the night sky.
Finally, Codename J raised her hand, and inch by inch, azure light spots spread from Codename J palm to her arm like scales, enveloping her arm and meeting Efnir's gun blade.
Clang—Two completely different energies collided and compressed between the two, the air vibrated, and the tremors from the ground suddenly erupted, like gunpowder exploding, like lightning falling. The wind pressure spread and exploded from the point of confrontation like a blade, lifting up the ground, then cutting and crushing it, turning it into flying ash that scattered in all directions.
Fracture spread like a spider web, tearing apart the buildings and dilapidated streets behind them.