Chapter 148 In the Name of Love and Justice

Falling, towards the bottomless depths, the light was shrinking into the distance, becoming an invisible dot along with the sky. From somewhere beyond reach, the voice of my partner could be heard faintly.

“Ji Huaisu!!!”

It's been a while since I've seen Kong so anxious. This guy actually cares about her.

Ji Huaisu forced a smile, but ultimately failed to grasp her partner's hand. The sound faded as far as the light, and the phantom hand pulled her into the darkness. She slammed hard against the ground, her body arching from the recoil. She spat out blood amid the crackling of bones, like a pitiful sacrifice crushed in the hands of a demon.

“Cough…Ah! Cough!”

Mixed with the blood were unsightly clumps of flesh, unidentified as organs or rotting flesh from the wound. Half her body was unresponsive, and she couldn't lift her arms. Her lumbar vertebrae might have been broken, and it was unclear how much bone remained. She fashioned an exoskeleton out of ice crystals to assist her mobility, propping herself up with ice, and stepped on her own blood to get up.

His face was covered in blood, his hair was devoid of gold, his skin was covered in wounds, and Heiyue's blood was still wriggling down his arm. Ji Huaisu was glad the underground was completely dark; seeing her current state might dampen her fighting spirit.

Then, a wave of light appeared, like rows of legions poised for battle. Shadowy, armored knights surrounded her, reminding her of hyenas preparing to feast on a corpse. Behind them stood a locked black gate, carved with a bat-winged demon, its appearance terrifying and daunting.

The shadow knights all drew their swords. She met their gazes and smiled weakly.

"You guys...are you admitting defeat already?"

She used her shield of light to block the flaming spears and her shadow blades to slash at the ice crystal armor.

"I don't want to lose yet."

Two shadow knights charged forward, but she pushed them back with a shoulder shove, leaning on her shield of light. The enemies were pushed back, but there was an opening behind them. The stone sword pierced Ji Huaisu's back, and she turned and slashed the enemy's weapons with her shadow blade. There were many more, and there was no end in sight. The revenants regarded the younger generation as mortal enemies, and under the control of doom, they swung their swords at their own kind.

"I won't lose."

Defeat is inevitable, and even the victors have no honor to speak of. A glorious creed is maliciously trampled upon, a once cherished spirit stained with blood amidst the demonic mockery. Yet, dragging their wounded bodies, they fight on, overwhelmed by sheer numbers, relying on their own brute courage to charge forward, stabbed. Cut. Blood flows.

Enemies surged forward, and she was pierced by numerous spears. The spear tips tore through the muscles of her back, piercing her internal organs and exiting her abdomen. The brutal fighting style was like dismemberment. She could barely feel the pain. Yet, she stood up, roaring. At the chains that controlled the undead. At the demon behind them, the demon in the name of fate.

“——I won’t lose!!”

·

How horrible, Olek thought.

The Discipline Knights had seen much of the path before them, their years having witnessed everything from the rise of the Discipline Emperor to the fall of the Knight Nation. Their strength lay in their unity and creed, using the Discipline's restraining power to circumvent the Scourge's rampages. This unity and cohesion led to a constant increase in their companions.

Yet the Creed is not invincible. Deserters abound from the Knights' ranks, those with less resolve occasionally defect to the Spiral Tower, and countless others have collapsed and gone mad in Vansalar's "Hail." Ultimately, the Path and the Transformers are ordinary beings, subject to fear, hesitation, and temptation. They share the same weaknesses as ordinary people, and vice versa.

But the spirit of this knight was incredibly tenacious. Having fallen to this point, he didn't even ask for help, let alone mercy. He didn't seek peace with the dead souls or plead with his teammates. He just kept shouting that he would not lose and fought desperately underground.

"What a disastrous knight." Orlek whispered.

He controlled the vortex of doom to stay above the hole, blocking the possibility of others intervening, and then turned around and looked at the killer who failed to rescue him.

"It's over, she's dead," he said. "If you want to die, come here. If you don't want to die, leave."

He was answered by a sharp gunshot, the white spear piercing his chest. The activated secret bead drew out the aura of a swirling dragon. Orlek dodged sideways. Misfortune's tricks relied on magnified probabilities. If he stood still, the chances of the shot missing were zero. Chu Hengkong's eyes were bloodshot as he fired, and Orlek studied his expression.

"Don't you want to say something to boost morale? Return Ji Huaisu to me or something like that. I can help you get to the underground, so that the knight's soul can perhaps go more peacefully."

There was no response; the sound of weapons piercing the air was accompanied by a silent, murderous intent. The spear stabbed in the air, and the dagger was unsheathed. Chu Hengkong had just taken Qingye's sword, and his focused slash nearly pierced Orlek's clothes, but he easily dodged it.

In reality, the strike was meaningless. He had forcibly contracted the "Moon Blood," the most powerful element within the lower Sephiroth, so even a direct hit from the three demons wouldn't have killed him. But playing it safe is a good habit. A Sephiroth-2 cultivator might wield a Level 6 blade, while a Sephiroth-3 Heartbreaker might harbor a Level 7 technique. The unknown is always a risk, unless you guarantee omniscience and omnipotence.

The evaded blow plunged into the vortex, stirring up a tsunami-like roar. Orlek raised a single arm to control the invisible chains, wrapping them around Chu Hengkong's limbs. However, due to his slower speed, the martial artist dodged them. He struck simultaneously with his spear and sword, the blades slicing through the cold cross. Orlek ducked to avoid the blow, and the black blood beneath his feet oozed out of the ground, forming a trident-like spike.

Chu Hengkong dodged with a backhand flip, firing three shots in quick succession. Olek retreated slowly, his three shots glancing past his hair, his heels treading on creaking stones. Behind him was a vortex blocking the hole, leaving him with no way to retreat. And the heartless one had vanished...

So that's it.

"Now!" Chu Hengkong shouted, lunging forward. He abandoned his sword and spear, clamping his bare hands on Orlek's shoulders. Qingye, cloaked in the shadow cassock technique, emerged from behind Orlek, a shimmering golden talisman between her fingers. With all her might, Qingye hurled the Li Gu Talisman at Orlek's back, where Chu Hengkong held him tightly.

That was their biggest trump card, a talisman imbued with the essence of Sephiroth 7 due to the foreign object placed there by Wu He. This was the only way to save Ji Huaisu: to use a higher level of power to break through the chain of misfortune!

"To overcome misfortune, one must use power from a higher level. Your thinking is correct. It seems the high-ranking individuals supporting you understand me very well." Olek nodded. "However, I still have to tell you some unfortunate news..."

"Although we, the utopian demons, don't pursue the path of ascension, we do have our ranks divided. My true form has long since transcended the Second Abyss, and my life level is roughly on par with what you call...

Sephiroth 7."

Therefore no one can escape misfortune.

Because only the Supreme One has the authority to transcend misfortune.

This was the fundamental reason he allowed Wu He to act, and the reason he dared to use the talisman to set up a trap. Shining Star King Qi's power had long been lost over time. Even after integrating the talisman, he only had the power of the third level. There was no one in Jinye City with a higher status than him.

Nagarjuna's Dingli Gu Fu touched the corner of Orlek's clothes, and the unfortunate transfer was triggered. The talisman, which was extremely hostile to outsiders, bent into an arc that should not have existed and slammed into Chu Hengkong's chest like a sharp weapon.

Chu Hengkong, identified as a heretic, was severely injured on the spot. The death trap he had actively avoided finally came back to bite him. Yet, he smiled, a smile filled with desperate madness.

"If our choices are bound to lead to bad consequences, then let misfortune choose for itself.

Look at the consequences of your own actions!"

The man fell back due to inertia. He did nothing, but fell into the abyss due to the impact of the unfortunate transfer.

Falling towards the ground where Ji Huaisu was trapped!

"you--!"

It wasn't until this moment that Olek suddenly realized what the enemy was planning. Ever since Ji Huaisu was trapped, they hadn't thought of using the talisman to cause harm. Their real intention was to make him, the Doom Demon himself, misjudge the situation!

A chain of misfortune pierced the vortex, its force condensing intensely, as it hurtled towards the falling Chu Hengkong. But from beneath the earth, unseen by Orlek, a twilight glow echoed. Finder's eye technique instantly materialized the chain. He, in coordination with his teammates, drew his sword at that moment, and with a swift strike, he slashed through the vortex, creating a fleeting opening. The clang of the sword, a sound the other killer would never forget, echoed through the heavens.

In the distance, Shax ibn Ould pursued the source of the chirping sound. Without hesitation, he fired his final shot. The gray bullet spun through the air, rapidly launching a chain of misfortune. That was the reason Orek had targeted him in the first place: a "death bullet" unique in the low-mass range.

The bullet broke the iron chain above the hole, freeing the situation from the control of disaster for the first time!

Chu Hengkong was pulled downward by gravity. He didn't see the same scenery as Ji Huaisu, for his eyes were fixed on the ground. The Dragon Tree's Calming and Defilement Talisman sank into his torso, its golden light threatening to shatter and tear away the True Mechanical's spine. But Chu Hengkong held the talisman tightly in his hand. Fander extended his tentacles, using all his strength to help him push it further away.

"Let that guy see!" The Eye Demon shouted, looking to his side and underground. "Destiny... is something that is born to be overcome by humans!"

They plummeted to the ground, smashing through the ranks of the Shadow Knights. Thanks to the Immortal Machine's previous mechanization, he hadn't died from such a powerful impact. Chu Hengkong took a deep breath, exerting force with his full right hand, and yanked the talisman from its flesh. His will sent the surrounding undead flying. At the end of the condensed misfortune, the blonde girl stood alone.

Her body was pierced by countless swords and spears, her wounds horribly unrecognizable. Yet, she stood stubbornly. With that unyielding resolve... with that unyielding spirit, cultivated by her teachers, her companions, and the city she had been born into!

Ji Huaisu stretched out her hand, and Chu Hengkong high-fived her vigorously, handing the Dragon Tree's Dingliwu Talisman to his partner, his last hope. She was a knight raised by ancient dragons and martial artists, and she was the most qualified person in the world to wield talismans.

"After that, it's up to you."

rest assured.

Leave it to me!

Ji Huaisu clenched the talisman tightly, and the golden light merged with her body, carrying with it the warmth she had known since childhood, the power of ancient dragons, martial artists, and knights. The underground was illuminated by the golden light, and the world became hazy and illusory. The chains that bound the knights silently broke, and the undead removed their helmets, revealing faces weathered, filled with guilt and self-blame.

The guilt that almost made him want to commit suicide, the relief that his descendants were alive, the pride that came from the knight's success, the loss caused by his own incompetence... so many complex emotions were melted into the eyes of the dead souls and reflected in Ji Huaisu's heart.

The dead souls who held on to the present moment out of a sense of justice almost made a big mistake at the last moment.

Should I scold? Should I forgive? Should I cry? Or should I yell? It doesn't take much thought; emotion alone is enough to make the decision.

She drew her sword and pointed it toward the sky as if taking an oath. She looked at the spirits of her ancient ancestors and shouted to the warriors who had long since died.

"——Follow me into battle!"

And so, amid the knights' tears and roars, sharp swords pointed at her. The undead melted in the light, and with their last strength, they poured into the rune, transforming into her power!

·

That was a moment that even words couldn't describe.

As Olek prepared to go underground, and as a chain of misfortune descended upon everyone, a blue light appeared on the ground.

The light was so thick and strong, like the roots of a giant tree covering the earth, twisting and bending in curves. Olek's expression finally changed. Qingye ignored everything else and stared blankly at the light on the ground. She imagined the trajectory of the light's convergence, and a ridiculous idea came to her mind.

"Is this... the Lost Secret Formation?"

Then, the heavy rain that covered the entire city stopped.

Raindrops lingered in the air, each one like murky pearls, reflecting the faces of every living being in the city. They flew toward the north of the city, like a vast army summoned to action, forging their way through the ruins and vortexes, and flowing into the dark, lightless underground. The mysterious, lost formation covering the city shone brightly, its central pattern shifting continuously, resembling a dragon, a sword, and even stars. It was impossible to tell what kind of runes they were.

A low tremor echoed from beneath the surface, a long cry like that of a giant. The source of the tremor approached the surface as the light shifted, rising proudly from the depths of the earth, its length breaking through the vortex of doom.

It was a long dragon, a majestic long dragon made of water!

A long dragon coiled, roared, and then soared down, descending towards the golden figure rising from the ground. The dragon's body dissipated, enveloping the figure, transforming into a pure, aqua-blue armor of ice. She opened her violet eyes and gazed down condescendingly at the demon that controlled her fate.

"It is the frost that purifies the turbidity and seals the tears."

The light of the Lost Secret Formation converged in her hand, transforming into a massive, razor-sharp black sword. The black of shadow and the blue of water flickered, merging into one with the blade's edge. Ji Huaisu drew her sword, swirling it, unleashing immense power in a single strike. The aqua-colored sword's light illuminated the entire city.

The Holy Judgment of Discipline·The Shadow of Raging Waves!

The iron chain snapped, the rule was gone. All the chains of misfortune that bound the entire territory of Jinye City were severed at the same moment by a single sword!

(End of this chapter)