Chapter 67

Almost the moment Ye Zheng landed, a violent shockwave rushed toward her. A towering wall of earth rose instantly from the ground, only to shatter in the next moment, blocking Sykes’s attack. 

“Muqing, cover me while I get close to Sykes.”

Sykes could not be killed by their hands yet. That would invite enormous trouble. She could only attempt to suppress him or force him to regain clarity.

“Get close to him? That is too dangerous.”

Bai Muqing’s voice carried unmistakable concern.

The black gloves Sykes usually wore were gone. Now, with a casual wave of his right hand, anything around him could be instantly pulverized. If a human body were directly struck by that hand, death would be inevitable.

“Do not worry. I am the only one immune to his Destruction.”

『Your ability can only mitigate a limited amount of destructive force, especially against Sykes in his current irrational state.』

The system’s anxious voice echoed in her mind.

『Bai Muqing’s concern is justified. In the original plot, you only used your ability to restore Sykes’s clarity after Pei Xi defeated him. Why not wait and act together with Pei Xi?』

Ye Zheng did not respond. She was staring straight into those dark, sunken golden pupils. Their gazes locked, neither moving, like wary predators assessing one another.

The girl cautiously shifted her foot. Her opponent charged instantly. His speed blurred his form, his intent clear. He wanted her eliminated immediately.

Perfect. That was exactly what she wanted.

The previously gentle rain suddenly intensified into a torrential downpour, crashing violently onto the shattered ground.

The curtain of rain and its deafening sound disrupted Sykes’s vision and hearing. His body wavered slightly. His ferocious momentum faltered.

Within this world of water, Ye Zheng’s senses sharpened further. She immediately seized the opening and advanced.

Her rapid footsteps splashed through the pooled rainwater. Hearing the sound, Sykes halted his advance and extended his right hand toward the approaching enemy. The air grew taut, like gunpowder awaiting ignition.

Suddenly, his breathing faltered. His right hand covered the lower half of his face. His golden pupils shrank violently. His nostrils flared, yet his mind plunged deeper into chaos. He could not breathe.

Bai Muqing seized the moment. As Sykes faltered, she drained the air surrounding him.

In the blink of an eye, Ye Zheng had reached his side. Her sharp black eyes locked onto his right hand.

The golden-haired prince let out a low, frustrated growl, like a trapped beast. Had he been clear-headed, he would have fled the area to regain his breath. But with his mind already clouded and oxygen deprivation setting in, all logic and judgment had completely vanished.

Ye Zheng seized the opening at the back of his neck. Taking full advantage of the moment, she struck down with all her strength, a blow powerful enough to snap an ordinary person’s neck.

Yet Sykes merely staggered back a single step. Then he turned around. His right hand lunged violently toward Ye Zheng, his face contorted with fury.

In his hollow mind, only one thought remained. Grab her! Destroy her! Eliminate her!

In that instant of flashing lightning and roaring fire, Sykes’s right hand caught the girl’s hand with brutal precision. Because she had also reached toward him, their hands clasped together, as though they were close companions rather than enemies.

The moment their palms met, annihilation did not come. Instead, a cold, damp sensation seeped into his hand. Confusion flickered in Sykes’s golden pupils. He lifted his gaze to look at the girl. Through the heavy rain, her face was indistinct.

The next instant, sharp pain surged through his wrist. His entire body was yanked forward by the girl opposite him. Ye Zheng pressed her free hand against his back and slammed him hard into the waterlogged ground.

Sykes lifted his head, attempting to shake off the force restraining him. Suddenly, his neck was seized from behind. His entire head was driven straight into the filthy pooled water beneath him.

“Clear your head properly, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

Ye Zheng exerted all her physical strength, pinning the man beneath her without mercy. Her slightly trembling voice remained gentle, yet carried a faint, unmistakable ruthlessness.

The noble prince was forced face-first into the murky water. The brilliant golden hair that symbolized royal authority was dulled by mud until its color was no longer visible. Even Bai Muqing caught her breath at the sight. She solidified her form and walked to Ye Zheng’s side.

Aside from his initial struggle, Sykes soon collapsed limply onto the ground, as though all strength had drained from his body. Ye Zheng closed her eyes and carefully sensed the information carried by the flowing water.

Sela’s mind-control ability was not particularly powerful, likely only around C-class. As long as Sykes’s simple brain soaked in her Stream for a while, Sela’s control would be broken.

But Ye Zheng did not only intend to restore Sykes’s clarity. Taking advantage of this hard-earned opportunity, she wanted to examine this monster more thoroughly.

The water flowed into Sykes’s body. This was something Ye Zheng did often as the Saintess, using healing Stream to enter a patient’s body for treatment. However, few people knew that compared to the delicate task of repairing a human body, allowing Stream to enter and drain blood and moisture was far easier.

Ye Zheng let out a soft sigh. Unfortunately, she did not yet have the opportunity to test Stream in that manner. Even this esteemed Crown Prince could not be used for such an experiment at the moment.

Bai Muqing quietly remained beside Ye Zheng, guarding the temporarily unconscious Sykes. Suddenly, she noticed Ye Zheng’s body stiffen slightly. Her black eyes widened, as if startled by something.

“What is it?”

“…It is nothing. Sykes should wake up soon.”

Ye Zheng released Sykes, allowing him to lie on his side with half his face submerged in the pooled water.

She stood up. Lowering her gaze, she looked at the unconscious boy, then turned toward the massive white remains not far away. Even stripped of flesh, the enormous skeleton radiated an overwhelming, oppressive presence. The hollow eye sockets seemed to still conceal a deep, coiled gaze ready to strike.

Ye Zheng felt puzzled once again. What exactly was dragon bone? It should have been buried underground in the upper district, yet large quantities appeared in the lower district.

Even inside Sykes’s body.

She unconsciously rubbed her fingers together. No wonder Sykes possessed a 3S ability that could not simply be attributed to luck. Sykes’s body emitted the same aura as dragon bone.

She had once suspected that Sykes, like herself, had dragon bone implanted within him, explaining his overwhelming power. But from what she had just sensed, it was not that dragon bone had been implanted into Sykes. Rather, dragon bone had grown flesh and become Sykes himself.

Every bone in his body radiated the same aura as dragon bone. This could not have been a later implantation. It was almost as if the demonic dragon had been reborn in human form.

Ye Zheng tugged at the corner of her mouth. Even more ironic was that the imperial family and the church publicly proclaimed him the reincarnation of the legendary God of Hope.

What exactly were those people attempting to achieve by creating Sykes? They already wielded the greatest power in the world. Why create such a monster?

The golden-haired boy on the ground stirred faintly, showing signs of waking. Ye Zheng exchanged a glance with Bai Muqing, then lifted him and moved him to a more presentable spot.

“You… let us go check on Bai Mulin and the others. We should resolve this aberrant realm as soon as possible.”

Bai Muqing could tell Ye Zheng was deliberately hiding something. Although curious, she chose not to press further.

“Is it really alright for you to appear here as Ye Zheng? Your other identity could easily be exposed.”

Ye Zheng smiled helplessly. “There is no choice. Ye Zheng had to come.”

As long as Saintess Ye Zheng could restore Sykes’s clarity, as a member of the church she could not ignore the Pope’s orders. Moreover, she needed to earn the trust of both the church and the imperial family.

But appearing solely as Ye Zheng imposed too many restrictions in this perilous aberrant realm. She still needed to rely on the identity of Zhao Mei to conceal her true strength.

“As long as you are willing to help cover for me, I can still hide it this time.”

“And next time?”

“Next time… perhaps I will not need to hide anymore.”

Ye Zheng and Bai Muqing chatted lightly. Suddenly recalling something, Ye Zheng turned her head. First, she saw the blood flower high in the sky. Its once flamboyant blood-red petals had curled inward, appearing wilted under relentless attacks. It seemed Pei Xi and the others had succeeded for now.

Her gaze shifted in another direction. Atop the massive skull, that lone figure appeared particularly small.

The ground beneath their feet trembled violently once more. The collapsed pale-red trees around them seemed summoned by an unseen force. Dead branches twitched back to life, not attacking, but uniformly crawling in a single direction like devoted pilgrims.

The two girls exchanged a glance. Both understood that Blood Flower was about to unleash its final assault.

Bai Muqing grasped Ye Zheng’s hand and quickened her pace toward the blood flower. Suddenly, her hand grasped nothing.

“Muqing, go support them.”

“I still have something to deal with.”

✧✧✧✧✧

Atop the massive white skeleton, Sela sat hugging her knees. She tilted her head slightly. Her red pupils were unfocused, as though her mind had gone completely blank.

“Sykes lost.”

Sela turned her head. Upon seeing the girl who had somehow climbed back up, her expression immediately darkened. She stood and stepped toward Ye Zheng, one step at a time.

“You came all the way up here just to watch me embarrass myself again? He is trash. Completely useless trash.”

Sela stomped her foot like an enraged child. Her voice sharpened with fury, and even her golden hair bristled wildly.

Ye Zheng was about to offer a few words of comfort when Sela’s dark, furious expression abruptly vanished. She leaned in close with a sweet smile, her voice dripping with malicious amusement.

“You thought I would react like that, didn’t you?”

“Hahaha. I will not lose. Just watch.”

Ye Zheng’s figure swayed as the skull beneath her feet trembled. The red branches supporting the skeleton surged anew, lifting the massive white remains even higher.

She looked toward the blood flower suspended in the sky. This time, she was much closer.

The sky gradually darkened, yet the blood flower bloomed again in the night like radiant light. Thick petals swayed flamboyantly, now denser than before. Beneath the flower, countless sturdy red tendrils surged like a storm gathering at sea.

Blood Flower could also draw power from dragon bone. It seemed Bai Muqing and the others were about to face another brutal battle.

Ye Zheng withdrew her gaze.

“Aren’t you worried? All your companions are over there. Soon, I will send you to hell so you can reunite with them.”

“It is fine. I am not too worried. They will be alright.”

Ye Zheng replied calmly, completely ignoring the provocation.

Denied the reaction she wanted, Sela’s red pupils darkened once more. She beckoned lightly. A red branch wrapped around her hand and rubbed against it affectionately.

“Go. Let us take her down.”

Sela and the agile branch charged toward Ye Zheng together. Ye Zheng instinctively tried to summon Stream, but forcibly stopped herself. If her ability accidentally targeted Sela, it would vanish for a time.

She drew the knife concealed on her body instead. Since Sela truly intended to kill her, Ye Zheng would respond with equal resolve.

The flexible, powerful red branches sealed Ye Zheng’s movements. Sela somehow produced a knife and slashed viciously at the black-haired girl, her eyes blazing with frenzied madness.

Ye Zheng repelled one branch, only to immediately meet Sela’s attack from the side. The two became entangled in close combat. Ye Zheng deliberately maneuvered, attempting to separate Sela from the branches.

Silent streams of water wrapped around the branches, restraining them. No longer holding back, Ye Zheng quickly overwhelmed the now-disorganized Sela.

Sela staggered back several steps. She realized that merely wanting to defeat the girl before her was not enough. Refusing to accept it, she beckoned again. Another red branch emerged behind her.

Her only companion was Blood Flower, the monster that had once driven her to the brink of death. But so what? She could control it. There was no bond more loyal than that.

“Go… urgh!”

Sela’s red pupils widened abruptly. As the branch struck silently from behind, instinct compelled her to dodge. She twisted aside just in time, but her waist was still grazed, blood seeping out.

Ye Zheng witnessed everything and immediately understood. Blood Flower, having absorbed dragon bone’s power, had slipped from Sela’s control and was now turning against her.

She stepped toward Sela. Sela’s eyes widened as she retreated several steps. Another branch shot toward her with ferocious speed. This time she dodged successfully but lost her footing.

In Ye Zheng’s stunned black eyes, the blond girl fell from the white bone.

Sela stared with incredulous red pupils. The reflection of the black-haired girl in her eyes grew increasingly distant. Her body plummeted rapidly, while Ye Zheng once again watched her fall from above.

Her body felt impossibly light. The roaring wind in her ears sounded like the chaotic cries from ten years ago.

But this time, she would not cry. She would not pray in her heart for that little girl being lifted high and presented to the priest to notice her, to take her along.

Back then, she had been right at the priest’s feet, straining to look up at the little girl held aloft. The words “save me” never left her lips before she was knocked down by the desperate crowd behind her, drowning out every sound.

The moment she was trampled to the ground, she met that girl’s gaze, just like now.

Ye Zheng stood at the edge of the white bone, watching Sela fall. This was the result of Sela’s own madness. Yet when their eyes met, Ye Zheng’s heart ignited. Those perpetually manic red pupils clearly pleaded, save me.

So Ye Zheng stepped forward.

She jumped.

Night settled quietly over the aberrant realm. As Sela fell, she stared blankly at the blood-red moon in the sky, the sight she had seen day after day throughout her ten years trapped in this realm.

It would also be the last thing she ever saw.

Suddenly, the blood moon vanished from her sight. Blinding white radiance filled her vision. Sela’s eyes widened as she instinctively reached upward.

Her hand was seized.

On the ground, a river channel suddenly burst. The surging flood swept violently across the land. Even the massive white skull collapsed from its supporting branches, crashing into the overflowing waters.

The falling dragon bone sent towering waves skyward. Two small figures plunged into the flood together.

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Authors Note

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First day of internship. It feels like all my inspiration was drained by work.