At the last moment, the boss arrived just in time, still wearing that strange robe.
He was also extremely wary of the coffin, so much so that his expression changed drastically just from seeing it. A large group of Reaper followed behind him, and they all rushed over the moment they saw Jiang Nuo trying to pry open the coffin, their eyes filled with panic beneath their cloaks.
There's also Mikazuki Shunsuke, who has been possessed and turned into a demon. He has lost his human form, and the darkness in his heart has been amplified infinitely. He bites Si Yan as soon as he sees him.
Si Yan didn't recognize the ugly thing at first, only knowing that it was horribly dirty. She took several steps back before she could barely recognize that it was Mikazuki Shunsuke.
"Wow, you've gotten so bloated after just one day."
Mikazuki Shunsuke had lost his mind, only knowing that the person in front of him was of great importance to him, and he lunged forward as if he wanted to tear Si Yan to pieces.
In an instant, the entire ruins were filled with piercing screams and fighting, mixed with the cries of the little girl and Tang Mu.
Qi Cang and Qi Lin were responsible for stopping them. With the power of the Blood Demon in place, even though there were many Reaper, they were unable to get close to Jiang Nuo immediately.
Prying open the coffin wouldn't take much time.
Now that Mikazuki Shunsuke had become a demon, he posed no threat whatsoever. Si Yan dealt with him and then went around to the other side of the black coffin to help Jiang Nuo.
The question was answered as they approached the coffin. The little girl kept saying that there was a wizard inside. According to her previous stories, wizards were people who brought disaster to the whole town and believed in demons to kill humans.
Even though it was buried deep underground, the coffin was still surrounded by a pure and benevolent power.
Si Yan and Jiang Nuo exchanged a glance and together exerted force to one side. With the help of the wooden stick, the coffin lid was quickly lifted.
"No!!!"
The little girl cried out in despair, "You can't let him out!!"
Qi Cang coldly grabbed her and threw her out, then looked up at the Reaper was clearly terrified, frowning in confusion.
A wizard representing the Dark Power has appeared in the world, yet these ghosts are afraid of him.
He and Qi Lin both looked back at the same time.
Inside the coffin lay a corpse. Unlike the other coffins that contained heads and hearts, this corpse was perfectly intact and undamaged.
When Jiang Nuo opened the lid, she even thought the person inside was just asleep.
He withdrew his hand, silently examining the wizard's body, pondering whether he should awaken this wizard who was... a ghost, whatever.
The little girl, who had been thrown aside, turned ashen-faced upon seeing this scene, but a glimmer of hope resurfaced when she saw the cradle lying under the wooden planks of the rubble.
The game isn't over yet, the wizard hasn't been awakened...
The little girl, taking advantage of her small stature, quietly climbed under the wooden board and pulled out the several dirty dolls, displaying a very obvious trait among Jiang Nuo and the others.
She held him in her arms, and then made Tang Mu crawl over as well, to complete the final sacrifice as quickly as possible.
It doesn't matter if we can't become human, but we absolutely, absolutely cannot let these people finish the game!
Unfortunately, Tang Mu was being held back by Qi Cang, and any stealthy movement would easily attract attention. He had only taken a few steps when Qi Lin spotted him, grabbing the back of his brightly colored uniform by the collar and asking leisurely, "Where are you going?"
Tang Mu froze. "Let go!! I want to escape... Can't I just escape?!"
Qi Lin said regretfully, "No, you're running too fast; something bad might happen."
"Aaaaaah, I'm doomed! Let go!"
Tang Mu's strange tone was filled with despair. A few thick tears silently streamed down his face as he gave up and tilted his head to the side.
Qi Lin followed its gaze, patted Qi Cang's arm, and slightly raised his chin.
There was quite a commotion beneath the massive wooden plank, but it was difficult to detect.
Qi Cang walked over without making a sound, Demonic Qi condensing in his palm.
With a loud bang, the wooden plank was completely blasted apart.
Jiang Nuo and Si Yan looked back, their expressions changing slightly.
"Doll?"
"Holy crap, where did these dolls come from? They look just like Jiang Nuo and the others!"
The eyes are different! These dolls don't have eyes...
[That effect is kicking in! These dolls look way too much like human faces, oh my god!!]
"Give it back to me!"
The little girl roared, and the remaining Reaper rushed over, trying to help the sacrifice succeed. Qi Cang sensed something was wrong and revealed his true form to kill them.
Meanwhile, Jiang Nuo's awakening had already taken effect.
The moment the wizard awoke, Si Yan once again felt the guidance of the Dragon Vein. His eyebrows twitched slightly as he stared at the wizard who was slowly sitting up. He remained vigilant and took a half-step back to protect Jiang Nuo.
The wizard stared at them, expressionless, and didn't seem like a real human.
Jiang Nuo murmured, "It's the remnant of his soul's true form."
The soul's true form, due to the remnants of its mission and unfinished tasks, once awakened, has only one purpose: to complete those tasks.
The wizard stepped out of the coffin and, amidst the little girl's utterly desperate cries, raised his wand high.
The sudden burst of light was blinding, and Jiang Nuo instinctively closed her eyes and hid in Si Yan's arms.
The four of them heard only a sharp ringing in their ears, as if it came from the depths of their souls.
Qi Cang's hand suddenly went empty; Tang Mu, whom he had been holding, had vanished.
As the light faded, the little girl and the Reaper were gone, leaving only a ground littered with puppet dolls.
The little girl's story may be true, with the devil manipulating the doll to complete the game, but the real little girl is already dead, and what remains is merely a doll.
Amidst the chaos, the wizard's figure began to dissipate.
[... is it over?]
The little girl was a liar! I always thought wizards were really bad people!
"Not yet, isn't there still a demon controlling the whole town?"
Amidst the ruins, Jiang Nuo and her companions looked towards the library.
The library was breached, and the demon reappeared.
"You guys are very fast. No one has ever gotten this far in this game."
Its tone was like a compliment, yet it carried an extreme, savage killing intent, its tall, ugly body looking down at the crowd.
"But next time I reset, I'll make it even more difficult here."
Jiang Nuo: "There won't be a next time."
You are going to die today.
As soon as he finished speaking, the four of them rushed forward together, and strange Demonic Qi and spiritual mist spread out at the same time.
In mid-air, Jiang Nuo gave them a few glances, and fortunately, their coordination was quite good.
Qi Cang's magic and Si Yan's immense Spiritual Power restrained the demon's true form from the front and back respectively, while Qi Lin attacked from the front to draw attention away from it.
Jiang Nuo suddenly disappeared from the demon's sight during the fight.
The demons had already discovered this and were caught in a three-way attack, unable to escape to find Jiang Nuo.
After a fierce struggle, the demon roared, its octopus-like tentacles flailing wildly in the dark air, trying to shake off the few annoying humans.