Chapter 51: Club Fire (Part 1)

Maivia Club, 17th floor.

Debris piled up, smoke and dust billowed, and the banquet hall was no longer recognizable from its original state. A ball of black mud, filled with hostility, crashed towards Ji Huaisu. She raised her greatsword to defend herself, but the overwhelming force knocked her back several steps, barely stopping in front of the children. The kidnapped children trembled under the protection of the light shield. There was no crying now, even the bravest child dared not cry in front of the monster.

"You didn't bring me any gifts, and you didn't even bother to say hello." A voice boomed through the smoke and dust. "You're not a good visitor!"

"Monster, stop talking like a human. It makes me want to vomit." Ji Huaisu said disdainfully.

The smoke and dust cleared with a roar, and the children cried out in terror. The thing no longer resembled a human. It still wore a tailored tuxedo and possessed a massive frame, but the familiar form was merely a shell. Maivia's head split open, and a pool of slick, foul-smelling black blood formed a slug-like head. He hadn't yet fully revealed his true identity as a heretic, but this single sight was enough to make anyone realize the evil hidden beneath the human skin.

Ji Huaisu knew that wasn't "Maivia," but merely a filthy Shuoyue bastard, just as "White Eyebrows" was merely a fallen being in human form. The real Maivia and White Eyebrows had died long ago, their flesh and blood devoured by the black-blooded monster, which now roamed the mortal world wrapped in its skin.

"How pathetic, you fool who has never been loved by God." One of Maivia's arms exploded, transforming into a thick, deformed black claw. "As a child of God and a father of mankind, I will make you pay for your foolish behavior!"

Ji Huaisu dodged to the left, the deformed claw slamming into her back, sending shards of gravel flying and causing a slight pain. She couldn't raise her shield to defend, as the shield's power needed to protect the children. For now, she could only rely on her sword. Ji Huaisu transformed the greatsword into a light scimitar, circling towards Maivia. Circles of black light spread beneath Maivia's feet. He raised his deformed claw, and a cannonball-sized ball of filth flew out from his palm.

Ji Huaisu brandished his single blade to protect himself, and the shattered mud clumps unleashed a foul stench and a fishy smell. It was actually the flesh and blood of the Shuoyue bastard, a single touch capable of tainting life. Maivia, using mud bombs to buy time, began to chant ominous words.

"The Blackest Moon, the cradle of beginnings, the first forgotten abyss..."

The black light beneath Maivia's feet throbbed like a living thing; the bastard was attempting to summon the monster from the moon. Ji Huaisu, perceiving her enemy's purpose, dodged the dwarf and swung her sword. The sudden, shadowy blade severed the deformed claw. Maivia's chant was cut short by a cry of pain. Ji Huaisu, reckless, drew her sword and charged forward, stabbing Maivia in the chest.

The dirty blood from the wound burst out like a fountain, staining Ji Huaisu's golden hair with a dirty black. But the black light under Mai Wei's feet became even stronger, and his flesh and blood fell into the light like firewood added to the flames.

Once the summoning ritual for the New Moon Bastard begins, it never ends. Even if Maivia is slain by a single blow, his call will still reach the Black Moon. He spews mud bullets, forcing Ji Huaisu back. His joyful voice echoes through the black light: "Please bless the Lightless Land with your skin, your hands, and your love!"

At this moment, a dim outline appeared in the night sky, and a moon that looked like an illusion emerged, casting black moonlight on the city!

A clear dragon's roar pierced the water curtain. A swirling dragon swam across the sky, extinguishing the interference of the black moonlight with its long roar. However, even the swirling dragon was no faster than the moonlight. The messenger of the heretic had already descended from the other side of the sky. The light smashed through the roof of the club and transformed into three frantic shapes around Maivia.

One was a slick, oily sac like a body bag, its body split open by a rip in the middle, revealing countless caterpillar-like fingers jutting from within. Another was a giant bat with a female face, crawling on its sail-like wings. Ten supporting human hands sprouted from its back, forming a "rosette" of flesh. The final monster was a glistening mass of oil, its shapeless form shifting, a dragon's head sprouting from its doughy body.

"Master, there's a fire..." Footsteps hurried down the outer corridor, and a group of gray-clad thugs froze. They had noticed the fire in the building and were about to alert the master to retreat, only to stumble upon the arrival of an evil spirit. The leading thug shuddered. The forms of those creatures were hideous, nightmarish, creatures not worthy of this world.

The thug tried to flee, but saw the body-bag-like monster turn around, its finger-riddled wounds magnifying before his eyes. Dozens of hands reached out and pulled the thug into the monster's body. A momentary scream was followed by the sound of gleeful chewing. The body-bag monster grew even larger, and three new hands sprouted from its body. Simultaneously, the dragon-headed monster transformed into a hedgehog-like form, and several black spines shot out, piercing the remaining thugs' bodies. They were instantly reduced to emaciated corpses, the black spines draining their flesh alive.

In the eyes of evil demons, there is no friend or foe; any moving flesh and blood is their food!

The third human-headed bat monster was about to pounce on the child, but was forced back by a volley of water bombs. Lu Xing arrived with the rescue team, his face covered in sweat beneath his mask. "Captain! Please give me your instructions!"

Ji Huaisu waved his sword and repelled Mai Weiya: "Take the children and retreat. Leave everything to me."

The team members threw a smoke bomb to obscure their vision, then picked up the child and ran outside. They weren't fools. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the monsters grew stronger as they ate, and staying would be a waste of food for the enemy. Maivia commanded the bat monster to fan the smoke away. His slug-like head peered out the window. The glass windows of the surrounding buildings reflected the green flames of the burning club.

"You can't keep me." His tone was erratic. "You destroyed my family... I can only adopt new children."

The human-headed bat monster bowed respectfully and allowed Maivia to sit on the lotus pedestal on its back. Maivia then produced a remote-controlled relic to control the hidden mechanisms within the club building. First, a wall descended, dividing the battlefield, and then a device resembling a freezer emerged from the ground. The freezer contained the "blood packs" Baimei had captured earlier, the emergency offerings and supplies Maivia had prepared for any eventuality.

Maivia reached out and grabbed, but found nothing. Inside the freezer were scattered gray ashes, and a handwritten note was stuck to the door.

Parting gift – your best friend.

"Kanin!!"

Maivia roared. Now he knew why the workshop owner had come to the building, but there was no point in being angry now! He simply ordered the human-headed bat monster to pick up the shapeless slime, then flapped its bat wings and leaped from the broken window sill. With the fire, the home advantage would be lost. He would go outside to devour the flesh and summon more help, bringing the city to its knees.

"Don't even think about it."

Ji Huaisu slashed through the wall, knife in hand, chasing after the body bag-like monster. The body bag-like creature was left alone, blocking her path. Dozens of hands emerged from the body bag, grasping at it. Ji Huaisu held up a shield of light to block the incoming attacks, and the shadow blade in her right hand transformed into a needle-thin dagger. The dagger pierced the body bag monster's mouth, and it chewed with a delighted sound, devouring the shadow blade inch by inch, almost swallowing Ji Huaisu as well.

Its movements suddenly froze, and bulges appeared beneath its skin, as if it had been struck. Then, countless shadowy needles pierced through its body.

The shadow blade transformed into a thorny, alien weapon, completely destroying the monster from within. Ji Huaisu's eyes held no fear as she pushed the severely injured monster forward, piercing it against the wall and smashing it into tattered flesh. Then, Ji Huaisu drew her shadow blade and leaped through the gap on the 17th floor. As she fell, she backhanded the shadow blade into the building, leaving a trail of light and fire behind her that sliced ​​through the building!

The previous battle only delayed half a second, and Maivia's figure was still there. He turned his head and whistled, and the amorphous demon jumped onto the side of the building and approached Ji Huaisu like a ball of water that defied gravity.

This demon was also a beast from beyond the heavens, its strength approaching that of a second-level particle, the "Cradle Mud." Immunity to most physical attacks, it could drain the life out of its foes with a single moment of contact. Ji Huaisu knew the details of this demon and knew how to confront it.

The light shield in Ji Huaisu's hand shone brightly, slowing Cradle Mud's movements for a moment due to its fear of the light. Seizing the opportunity, she transformed her shield into a hammer and smashed forward, destroying a small portion of the monster's flesh. Seeing the situation was dire, Cradle Mud gathered its body, transforming into a black arc and circling Ji Huaisu's side. It repeated its old trick, transforming into sharp thorns to drain the enemy's flesh, but Ji Huaisu drew out the shadow blade that supported her. The black light on the blade boiled like fire, and with the fighting spirit, it surged into a pitch-black giant sword, smashing down on Cradle Mud like a wall.

The Cradle Mud trembled violently in mid-air, its constantly deforming body transforming back into its original dragon head. It stretched out its dragon head to bite, but Ji Huaisu threw the light shield into the air, and the strong light cast a long shadow of the Cradle Mud on the outside of the building.

Ji Huaisu turned around and stabbed the giant sword at the side of the building. Her sword actually cut through the shadow and cut the dragon head's shadow into two pieces!

The Cradle Mud's body suddenly froze, a thin, pitch-black line piercing its surface. Its two halves smoothly separated, exploding into a filthy mass of flesh and blood in mid-air. Ji Huaisu vanished the distant shield, then created another light shield to block the blood. She plunged her sword into the building once more and slid down, landing almost simultaneously with Maivia.

A perfectly human expression of astonishment flashed across Maivia's slug-like face. He couldn't understand how the enemy knew the characteristics of the Black Moon Beast, just as he couldn't comprehend their profoundly strange state. Ji Huaisu's fighting spirit was so intense that he couldn't even describe it with words like anger or hatred. His purple eyes flickered with determination, like a burning torch forged from duty and responsibility...

Suddenly he realized the true nature of that feeling. It was a mission, a "mission" that was almost like faith!

"Shine my glimmer of light to protect all living things. Hold my shadow to defeat evil."

Ji Huaisu whispered softly. Her light shield expanded, becoming a towering shield as tall as a human. Her already massive sword now felt as deep as iron, transforming into a ferocious weapon. Her heart was beating fiercely, awakening a fiery passion in her blood. She had never encountered the Black Moon outsiders before, but she was born knowing how to fight such monsters, just as she was born knowing how to focus light.

This is her duty, her mission. The reason a knight possesses power is to fight the evil demons beneath the abyss.

(End of this chapter)