A Flourishing Fire

I need to find a way out...

Shi Yu tried to force open the wardrobe imprisoning him, but soon gave up.

There was too little room to exert his full strength, and he was not particularly strong to begin with. Strangest of all, once the wardrobe closed, Shi Yu could no longer find the seam around its door. Tearing apart a wardrobe that an Evil Sin had given its "attention" to through brute force alone was a pipe dream for him.

Fortunately, he had suffered no further attacks since being shut inside. Shi Yu steadied himself, activating "Thought" as he tried to guess why it had let go of prey already in its mouth.

Hu Zihao...

Guided by his intuition, Shi Yu immediately thought of Hu Zihao.

Could this kind of Evil Sin be killing people in a strict sequence? If Hu Zihao did not die, it would only keep pursuing him. Conversely, once Hu Zihao died, it would choose another victim. When that happened, Shi Yu, trapped in a wardrobe with no escape, would surely be the ideal choice!

I have to get out, fast!

That thought strengthened Shi Yu's resolve. Although he had no idea how Hu Zihao was doing, he judged that his own memories and perceptions had probably been affected first, separating him from the other two before anyone else. In other words, if it could only attack them one at a time, Hu Zihao should come after him.

So he still had time. He could be safe only if he escaped before Hu Zihao was killed!

How do I get out of this wardrobe...?

Shi Yu calmed down, reached out, and slowly felt along the contours of the wardrobe around him.

It was cold and hard. Occasionally, fragments of rust scraped his fingertips, pricking Shi Yu's skin.

A wardrobe... has to have gaps.

Shi Yu held firm to his conviction. Once he calmed down, his power became steadier, and he soon felt a shallow seam slightly to the right along one side.

I can still breathe. This gap ought to be wider.

As Shi Yu's power penetrated deeper, that extremely shallow seam actually began to widen a little. A sliver of light shone through, cutting through the darkness as smoothly as a hot knife through butter.

But that was all. That thought of Shi Yu's could accomplish no more.

Don't rush... don't rush...

Shi Yu pressed his palm against the seam.

Concentrate.

A wardrobe, something meant to open, something with gaps-it must be possible for me to push it open.

A wardrobe in disrepair, its latch loose... barely holding together...

Focus a little more... believe a little more firmly.

And right now, I have strength, the strength to push open things meant to open, things with gaps.

Under the force of my strength, rotten things cannot stand in my way.

As Shi Yu reached that thought, his mind abruptly felt light, as though he had suddenly been tossed into the air.

In that instant, Shi Yu felt everything around him was terrifyingly vivid. Light streamed through the gap, dust drifted, and the rust inside the wardrobe revealed its reddish-brown edges in the faint light seeping in.

Shi Yu straightened the arm pushing against the door. With a creak, the wardrobe door swung open easily beneath his hand, like a yielding curtain.

Shi Yu hurried out.

This was actually his own dorm room.

The other five occupants were sleeping soundly, oblivious to anything wrong, as though cut off from this world.

Somewhat dazed, Shi Yu looked down at his hands.

Not only was he not exhausted as he had been before, but his power felt even more vigorous, surging through his mind and body like flourishing vegetation.

But Shi Yu had no time to dwell on it. He turned, pushed open the door, and rushed out of the room, ready to sprint toward the bathroom.

Clang!

Just as Shi Yu stepped outside, he heard the sudden sound of a dorm room door being pushed open behind him.

Shi Yu looked back and saw Han He emerging from Room 225. From within the still-open room came gasps and coughs filled with anguish and hatred, but after a few sounds, all fell silent.

Shi Yu looked at Han He and noticed blood spattered over him.

Who did Han He fight?

Shi Yu was puzzled. He had also never seen Han He in his current state.

A thin layer of shadow intermingled with light seemed to coat Han He, making it difficult for Shi Yu to distinctly sense his presence even from this distance. Yet traces of power were still streaming from him in this state. His figure was fluid and dangerous, like the wind stirred by a wild beast moving through the undergrowth.

But this was no time for questions or curiosity. Hu Zihao had to be in the bathroom, and Shi Yu had to save him immediately.

Yet just as Shi Yu and Han He turned and rushed toward the bathroom, both abruptly stopped in unison.

They both felt a power approaching.

About to arrive.

Destruction, fervor, utterly unconcealed, fury-like an unceasing fire.

Then Shi Yu and Han He felt the entire dormitory corridor light up, as though the sun had suddenly taken an interest and cast an extra glance this way.

Even though the doors and windows of the rooms on both sides of the corridor were shut tight, supposedly preventing even a sliver of light from entering, it was now as bright as day.

Boom!!!!!!!!!

A deafening explosion suddenly roared! Before Shi Yu's eyes, the bathroom door melted in an instant. Like chocolate-coated ice cream dropped into a hot pan, the sheet metal melted and slid away at once, heated into glaring molten liquid.

Then the entire wall exploded outward. Violently surging flames swept dust into the air. Heat billowed, and the raging power swept away every trace of moisture. Shi Yu's mouth and tongue went dry in an instant.

Then a tall woman wearing a fiery-red cloak patterned in gold stepped out of the gale, heat, and fire. Crimson flames swirled around her like flying blood. Her long hair and braids whipped wildly in the wind pressure created by the expansion caused by the rising temperature. Her cloak rustled amid the fire and heat, dancing like the fiercest flames.

She held a blood-soaked Hu Zihao in her arms, looking at his wounds with a slight frown. Then she raised a hand that looked cast from hot iron and gently pressed it against his chest.

Sizzle... sizzle...

The sound of a branding iron pressing into flesh rang out, and the smell of burning protein instantly spread through the narrow corridor. The woman gently set Hu Zihao down, then glanced back at Shi Yu and Han He.

Those eyes seemed filled with raging flames and molten iron, fierce and surging might burning and forging ceaselessly within them.

Shi Yu felt even his soul trembling faintly, not just his body.

In that instant, the woman's mere arrival had sent every one of Shi Yu's instincts shrieking as though being fried, his hair standing on end.

Fortunately, the woman only glanced at them. Without doing anything else, she charged into the bathroom.

She's stronger than that Evil Sin. Who knows how many times stronger.

That was Shi Yu's only thought.

Fortunately, he came to his senses in time and forced his leaden legs forward. Shi Yu ran to Hu Zihao and checked his condition. Beside him, Han He also took out his remaining materials, intending to treat Hu Zihao's injuries.

Hu Zihao was in terrible shape. The once-lively boy now lay limply on the ground like an old rag doll that had been abused. Countless wounds covered him, each different: some looked like cuts from sharp objects, others like flesh had been torn away, and some still bore fine tooth marks. Only one eye remained; the other had left an empty socket. Blood streamed from his ears. There was no telling how many bones he had broken, and his arms and right leg were twisted at angles that set one's teeth on edge. Blood trickled along the fine lines of Hu Zihao's skin.

The worst injury was still his chest. Something unknown had punched a sizable wound clean through it. Fortunately, the woman seemed to have used intense heat to stop his bleeding just now. Otherwise, Hu Zihao would probably have been dead already.

There should still be time. As long as I strengthen... wait?

Shi Yu's eyes suddenly widened, and he looked at Hu Zihao's wounds again.

Some of Hu Zihao's smaller wounds were healing at an extremely slow but barely observable rate. On the wound in his chest, Shi Yu saw countless tiny buds of flesh slowly growing.

Shi Yu placed a hand on Hu Zihao's chest, strengthening his power as he tried to sense Hu Zihao's power.

Sure enough, Shi Yu detected a faint, familiar presence. It was the trace of "Origin."

Yet it was different from his own. That presence was tough and tenacious, like rushes that would never break.

There was no doubt. Hu Zihao had also awakened an ability, becoming someone like Shi Yu.