"I suggest you leave her alone."
Lin En stared at the woman.
"She's in a very bad state right now. One tiny mistake could cost her what few soul fragments she has left. I suggest you..."
Whirr-
The sharp blade stopped less than two centimeters from Lin En's eyes.
And it wasn't just in front of him. A Blade Jungle spreading from the ceiling above and the floor below surrounded him from almost every direction, its sharp edges blocking every possible escape.
But Lin En didn't so much as blink.
Because if she had really wanted to attack him, she would have done it while he was returning.
The woman sat beside the bed, gazing at the pale-faced Ophiel with pity in her eyes. She held her hand, as though she wanted to quietly accompany her through this final stretch of her life.
"Do you know who I am?"
She seemed to be asking him, her gaze calm, though her eyes never left Ophiel's face.
Lin En's expression remained unchanged. He said nothing.
The woman stood up and lifted Ophiel into her arms. She was tall-even an ordinary adult man would have been much shorter than her. As she rose, the long black hair beneath her hood fell almost to her ankles, and Lin En finally saw her face clearly.
She was breathtakingly beautiful, but unlike Ophiel's classical feminine beauty, hers had an indescribably uncanny quality. Her lips were thin, a mole sat at the corner of her eye, and her eyes were frighteningly black, like shattered crystal.
With just one glance, Lin En was certain.
She was definitely not human.
Holding Ophiel in her arms, she slowly bent down and laid her in the open Spirit Coffin, her gaze lingering on her face.
"Is this the curse of the