Chapter 109 Storm: Interception [VIP]
Edmund became more and more excited as he spoke, scratching his throat with both hands and opening his mouth almost to the point of dislocation.
Xiao Yun didn't want to pay attention to the frantic Edmund, so he turned around to leave. However, the moment he glanced over, he saw—
A dark vortex was spinning deep in Edmund's throat!
"What's this!"
Xiao Yun blurted out.
"Did you see that, too?"
Yaris's voice trembled slightly.
"Yes, I saw...that thing..."
"In this ancient and magnificent palace, the black energy of resentment, fear, anger, jealousy, and paranoia lingered in almost every corner. Foolish Edmund spent his days surrounded by these negative energies, unaware of their terrifying power. Overly obsessed with power and dignity, he even actively absorbed them into his body, believing that doing so would grant Bai Yi the power he longed for. Ultimately, however, he transformed Bai Yi into a den of negative energy..."
Edmund said smugly, "The reason I haven't killed him yet isn't because I need his identity to maintain my false rule, but because I'm curious... I want to know what kind of monster will be born from absorbing so much negative energy."
"—You might as well kill him if you treat him like this!"
Xiao Yun said angrily.
At this moment, Yaris suddenly exclaimed: "...That vortex! That vortex is changing!"
"change?!"
Hearing this, Xiao Yun looked intently at the vortex in Edmund's mouth and discovered that the thing in the vortex was observing them with interest with its only "eye". Xiao Yun could sense the resentment and malice so strong that it was sickening in its "gaze".
(This thing... this is...)
"That's right. It's using Edmund's body as nutrients to form Bai Yi's body. The whole process is very similar to a woman getting pregnant and giving birth..."
Edmund's voice was filled with excitement. "This is the first brand-new life form born from the official fusion of our and your technologies. It's an evil creature emanating purely from human negativity... I really hope it fully forms right now and crawls out of Edmund's body!"
"I also hope it is born now so that I can kill it on the spot!"
Xiao Yun said coldly.
"Oh my! You, with the soul of a poet, could say something so unromantic! Shouldn't such a precious and unique life be preserved and studied carefully?"
Edmund spoke in an exaggerated tone, then looked at Yaris: "As someone who also originates from the white darkness, what do you think of this dark monster that is about to be born?"
"Darkness and dark monsters are different."
Yaris said in a flat voice, "Darkness is an objective existence, a phenomenon that inevitably appears where there is no light. All definitions of good and evil regarding darkness are nothing but wishful thinking of intelligent beings. Darkness itself possesses no attributes."
"So you think the dark monster bred in Edmund has nothing to do with you, who originated from darkness?"
"What do you want to prove? That Edmund's downfall was due to me?"
Yaris asked Edmund, "If a person experiences childhood trauma, witnesses the tragic death of a loved one, or is ruthlessly hurt by someone they care about... any of these can justify their fall into darkness. Even my squire, Kyleir, is more qualified to fall into darkness than Edmund!"
[Kellyer's cousin was a knight in Edmund's personal guard. Edmund ordered his execution for a trivial mistake. Upon hearing the news, his wife fainted on the spot, resulting in two deaths. His mother also became bedridden and died of depression a year later...]
[This... no wonder...]
Yaris's inner thoughts made Xiao Yun couldn't help but let out a long sigh.
(A tyrant may have his pitiful side, but I sympathize more with the ordinary people who are harmed by them...)
"-Okay, I admit that I said something that you brothers found offensive, and I want to apologize to you."
After a brief silence, "Edmund" changed the subject as if nothing had happened: "But don't you think what's growing inside Edmund is interesting? If everything in the world is monitored by the gods, why would a monster like this appear! What exactly are the gods? What is the golden law of the universe that transcends the gods? And..."
“That’s enough!”
Xiao Yun interrupted Edmund's chatter, tightly grasping the Golden Blade in his right hand. He brandished the sword and stood in front of Yaris, protecting him while shouting, "We don't have time to listen to your nonsense! Open the barrier immediately! Let us go back!"
"Go back? Back to where?"
"Edmund" watched the two with interest, a creepy smile on his face.
"Are you sure you can cross the void and return to the real world?"
He began to release his power, and his clear figure gradually dissolved and became blurry and hazy.
In the blink of an eye, everything in the room was shrouded in invisible darkness. The delicate and gorgeous decorations revealed a dark and heavy background, and the surface of the candlesticks with shining lights was covered with a black color from another dimension.
Darkness surged towards Xiao Yun and Yaris like a tide, and the pitiful souls trapped in this space let out shrill, frantic screams. The floor grew dark and heavy, like tar. Ghostly hands emerged from beneath them, wriggling around the two, ready to drag them down into the dark underworld.
A light source.
"Don't even think about escaping from this place. This is an absolute prison!"
The voice of "Edmund" echoed from all directions, as if all the dark and suspicious things hovering around the two of them were part of Him.
"Don't resist me, eyes, accept the darkness... Throw yourself into my arms, enter my body, become my heart and brain, dominate my soul and senses. Only you can
【elder brother--】
Xiao Yun ignored the Demon King's lobbying and held Yaris's hand.
[I'm planning to use force to break out, but this place is full of dangers. Even if we manage to escape the room, we'll be met with even more dangerous traps. Are you willing to take this risk with me?]
[As long as I'm with you, I'm not afraid of anything. Besides...]
Yali Si paused for a moment, as if sensing an oracle or some other invisible object.
[…Although he is a foolish and shallow beast, he does have a natural connection to darkness in my soul… I can vaguely sense that this dark corridor leads to the outside world. This path is somewhat dangerous, but compared to splitting the barrier and risking crossing the void, the “dark corridor” is already…]
"Then we'll go down the 'Dark Corridor'. You'll be in charge of sensing the path, and I'll be in charge of dealing with any obstacles."
【OK. 】
【If you are exhausted, let me carry you! 】
【But……】
[No buts! We are brothers connected by blood!]
【Um. 】
[And——catch this!]
Xiao Yun took out a golden gem and handed it to Yaris - even in the boundless darkness, the gem still emitted a steady golden light.
Then--
“Get out of the way!”
Xiao Yun declared war on the darkness: "Otherwise I will force a bloody path!"
"threaten?"
Mocking voices rang out from all directions.
"I've spent so much time and energy to trap you here, how could I possibly let you leave? No matter the cost, I'm going to keep you here! Integrate you into my body! Become mine!"
Edmund also raised his head at this time, his eyes turned into deep red holes dripping with blood in the darkness, and his mouth opened, emitting a vicious laugh.
"Hehehe~ The first time I saw you, I knew that if I ate you, I would become both beautiful and powerful... Edmund has always wanted power and beauty, and I will eventually fulfill his dream and become even more perfect than he most desired... As long as I have you, as long as—Ah!"
The monster screamed.
While Xiao Yun was concentrating on listening to Bai Yi's words, it stretched out its greedy hands towards Yaris, but its arms were chopped off by the "Golden Blade". Smoke hissed from the broken ends, and a black sticky substance like tar flowed out.
"I underestimated your strength and your awareness."
The Dragon Emperor sighed, and the darkness began to shrink, condensing into six armored knights surrounding the two.
These knights all had boar heads, blood-red eyes, sharp fangs, and green scales faintly visible beneath their messy black hair.
"bring it on!"
Xiao Yun shouted.
The knights immediately attacked him.
This is a battle with a huge disparity in strength.
In the face of superb combat skills and overwhelming power, the only advantage the Boar Riders have is numbers.
"Ga—"
“Wow!”
Xiao Yun swung the "Golden Blade" left and right, chopping the wild boar's head to the ground, and foul-smelling green blood continued to spurt out of the neck.
Yaris followed closely behind Xiao Yun with the golden gem in his hand, nimbly avoiding any blood that might splash onto Bai Yi.
…
In just a few minutes, the six boar knights surrounding the two were all hacked to death by Xiao Yun, and the darkness in the room was swept away.
"Let's go—"
"Wait a moment."
Yaris bent down, grabbed two swords from the fallen Boar Rider, and wiped the blood from the scabbards. "The 'Golden Blade' can only deal with aliens from other dimensions. It can't kill ordinary humans."
"Understood."
Xiao Yun took one of the swords and walked towards the exit with Yaris.
As they pushed open the door, the rich fragrance of Rosamari hit them in the face, and also appeared in front of them were the knights who were ordered to intercept them - most of these knights had the appearance of normal humans, and there were estimated to be more than five or six hundred of them.
The figure of "Edmund" appeared above the knights, with a mocking smile.
"I know that the 'Golden Blade' can kill beings from the White Other Dimension, and I also know that there is a blazing flame within you that is sensitive to demonic power, so I have arranged five hundred human knights in the corridor to intercept you!"
"you--"
"No hero, no matter how powerful, can break through a siege of hundreds of men single-handedly. Moreover, Yaris is too weak to fight."
Edmund licked his lips and said, "Lay down your weapons and surrender to me immediately, or—after all this, are you still planning to fight to the end?"
"I--"
Xiao Yun took a deep breath and gripped the hilt of his sword with his right hand, as if he was considering Edmund's suggestion, but in reality he was—
(LA! I need to draw a card now! I need strength! The strength to hold a fort against ten thousand!)
[LA is happy to serve you~]
The system responded, the time-stop state instantly unfolded, and a brilliant three-legged golden crow appeared in front of Xiao Yun.
[LA has sensed the host's wishes. Please concentrate your thoughts and extend your hand.]
(good.)
As the words fell, the golden pages unfolded, and with the flapping of the golden wings, square golden characters gushed out, condensing into golden light and rushing into Xiao Yun's palm!
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for winning the SSR card: Overlord Xiang Yu! Randomly bonus special effects "Break the Cauldrons and Sink the Boats" and "Strength to Pull Mountains" are also included!]
(Xiang Yu? It’s actually Xiang Yu?)
Xiao Yun was secretly happy.
(That's exactly what I wanted!)
[The mirror dimension is extremely unstable, and the system time-stop cannot be sustained for long. Considering that Overlord Xiang Yu and the bonus special effects "Breaking the Cauldrons and Sinking the Boats" and "Strength to Pull Mountains" are historical allusions familiar to the host, LA will skip the relevant content here. Please use the card wisely after the time-stop ends!]
[Additional note: Xiang Yu has the special attribute of being extremely violent at low health, so please use with caution!]
[…Three! Two! One!]
The golden light suddenly disappeared, and the time-stop state ended.
When Xiao Yun returned to the mirror dimension, he was surprised to find that Yaris, who had been standing behind him and protected by him when he entered the time-stop state, was now standing in front of him, holding a sword in his slender hand.
"—I'm seriously ill and can barely fight, but if you want to use me as a hostage to hold my brother hostage, I don't mind ending my life right now! Use the remaining consciousness to guide my brother out of the mirror dimension!"
"What did you say!"
"Can't!"
Edmund and Xiao Yun said in unison.
(System, what is going on?)
[The mirror dimension is extremely unstable. When the mirror dimension enters a time-stopped state, the flow of time outside will not completely return to zero. Therefore, after the host draws the card, LA will immediately send the host out of the time-stopped space.]
The system explained the situation to Xiao Yun.
Because the flow of time hadn't completely returned to zero, Yaris mistakenly believed you were hesitant. Since he also shared similar anxieties and concerns, he proactively threatened Bai Yi's life, forcing him to compromise.
(I see……)
A huge wave of emotion surged in Xiao Yun's heart.
On the other side, Edmund in the air was stunned by Yaris's determination. After a brief hesitation, he shouted, "Get out of the way! Everyone, get out of the way! Let them pass!"
"Yes, sir!"
The knights squeezed out a passage to let Xiao Yun and Yaris pass.
Yaris gripped his sword tightly, fearing that the knights on both sides would suddenly snatch his weapon away when he was not paying attention.
The air was filled with the scent of Rosa Marie.
"Edmund" was still suspended in the air, repeatedly lobbying the two people who ignored their lives.
"...You've already met the succubus Romilla. You should know that even if you break through the barrier, it will be difficult for you to cross the void and return to the real world! Why would you rather gamble your life than stay?"
"As long as you are willing to stay and be with me! Whether it is the crown of the Sun Empire or the throne of the True Human Empire, I will give you whatever you want!"
"I can even share with you all the magical research and technological achievements I have achieved so far, to help you break free from the shackles of your body and become an immortal god!"
"Shut up!"
Xiao Yun interrupted Edmund's temptation: "The more generous and beautiful your promise is, the more it proves that merging with us will bring you unimaginable benefits! So I have decided - if we can't return to reality, we would rather drift forever in the void than let you take our bodies or souls!"
"Do you really think so?"
Edmund looked at Xiao Yun angrily, then at Yaris: "You love your brother so much, can you bear to watch him drift into nothingness forever because of this doomed adventure?"
"I can't bear to see him fall into the void. I will jump into the void with him."
Yaris said calmly, her face as beautiful and proud as ever, her unique pure black eyes like the deep night sky.
For a moment, the space fell into silence.
Not only were the soldiers silent, but "Edmund" was speechless too.
Xiao Yun and Yaris, who were sure that they didn't dare to stop Bai Yi, walked forward as if no one was around. "Edmund" could only float in the air and retreat.
…
During the tense confrontation, Xiao Yun and Yaris walked out of the corridor decorated with gold foil and entered the crystal corridor with the fragrant Rosamari on both sides.
The scent of Rosa Marie grew stronger in the air.
Like other places in the mirror dimension, there were no extra people around the crystal corridor, but - the darkness that filled the space seemed to sense the determination of the two people and became less thick and dense. The sky was faintly grayish white, as if a sun was trying to bring dawn back to the world.
"...You can have anything you want except leaving here and my life."
"Edmund" tried to lobby again.
"—Now all I want is for you to prepare a carriage for us."
Yaris said expressionlessly.
“…”
After a brief silence——
The magnificent palace carriage passed through the Rosa Marie Garden, full of flowers, with the sound of crisp horse hooves, and stopped at the exit of the Crystal Corridor. Two lights were shining in front of the carriage.
"Yaris, your physical strength has reached its limit, right?"
Edmund said sarcastically, "If you think you can leave my mirror dimension, then get on the carriage and run away! I'll be waiting for you here. I'll also prepare comfortable seats, delicious food, and competent doctors for you. Yes, no matter what you've done to me, my love for you is sincere."
"Thanks!"
Xiao Yun said this coldly and walked to the carriage with Yaris.
Before officially getting on the carriage, he quickly checked the carriage and the horses pulling the carriage. After making sure that there were no ambushes or smuggling in the carriage and that the two horses pulling the carriage had not mutated, he signaled Yaris to enter the carriage.
"I want to sit in the driver's seat and drive the carriage with you."
Yaris glanced at the knights who were ready to make a move: "There are enemies and ambushes everywhere here."
"Your body—"
"It's true that their legs aren't very flexible, but driving a carriage relies on hands and reins, and these two horses are docile geldings specially used for parades."
"I see."
Xiao Yun accepted Yaris's suggestion and sat in the driver's seat, responsible for pulling the reins and driving. Bai Yi sat on the side, holding the sword he had taken from the boar rider in his right hand. The sword Yaris brought out was placed behind him as a spare.
"Set off--"
Yaris pulled the reins, and the well-trained horse immediately reacted, marching briskly towards the darkness ahead.
The knights surged forward again, trying to seize the carriages and the people on them.
Xiao Yun would not be polite about this. With the help of Overlord Xiang Yu Card, he chopped down all the human knights who tried to block his way or pull him and Yaris off the carriage like chopping vegetables and melons.
Wow——
Xiao Yun was careless for a moment and was attacked by a knight, scratching his arm, and blood flew onto Yaris's face.
"Lucien—"
"Don't worry! It's just a flesh wound! Just drive and find a way out!"
Xiao Yun held the sword in his right hand and tightly grasped the railing of the driver's seat with his left hand, continuing to fight with the enemies who kept coming towards him.
Yaris gritted his teeth, grabbed the reins with both hands, and drove the carriage towards the dark passage.
Sudden--
A bloody arm reached out from below, trying to grab Yaris's legs and pull him off the dashboard.
Seeing this, Yaris was about to——
Squeak!
A line of blood flew out, and Xiao Yun killed the sneak attacker in time and kicked his body down.
"Are you okay?"
"I...I'm fine...You look terrible..."
Yaris looked at his brother worriedly: "There's blood all over his clothes."
"It's all the enemy's blood!"
"but--"
Yaris glanced around.
In the darkness, enemies were coming in an endless stream, and their number was probably over five hundred.
"It's impossible to win a battle against five hundred people! You'll get hurt! And your strength will be exhausted!"
"It doesn't matter! As long as we can enter the dark passage before I run out of energy, we'll have achieved a real victory..."
Xiao Yun said calmly.
The system's blood-locking mechanism means he hardly has to worry about running out of stamina, while the low-blood frenzy attribute of the Overlord Xiang Yu card allows him to gain a small combat power bonus every time he's injured.
"That--"
Yaris took a deep breath and said, "We have arrived at the entrance of the dark passage. I will drive the carriage into the passage. It may be a bit bumpy, so hold on to the railing!"
"no problem!"
As soon as the words fell, the carriage——
The huge impact force sent the carriage into the air, and the shaking made Xiao Yun breathless.
But compared to the terrifying shaking that felt like the world was spinning around him, he was more worried that Yaris, who was holding the reins at the moment, would be thrown out of the carriage by the bumps.
"Come closer to me—"
He held out his hand to Yaris.
"you!"
Yaris exclaimed.
He didn't expect that his brother would choose to grab the railing with his feet and use his free hands to hug Bai Yi's waist at the critical moment when the carriage was about to make a dangerous jump and Bai Yi was thrown into the air by the inertia of the reins.
"--ah!"
Amid screams, the carriage completed a dangerous jump, and the two men fell back into the driver's seat. The two lights outside the carriage shattered and went out.
…
"ah……"
Yaris slowly opened his eyes in the darkness, and after feeling the unexpected warmth and softness beneath him, he shed tears of worry.
"You, you know how dangerous that was! If you're not careful, you'll—"
"I know, but I'm more worried about you being thrown out of the carriage!"
"Aren't you afraid—"
"Don't worry, if we are both thrown out of the carriage, I can at least cushion your blow!"
"……All right."
Yaris made a choking sound.
"How are you?"
Xiao Yun asked somewhat uneasily.
"I-I'm fine..."
Yaris staggered to his feet from Xiao Yun, took out the golden gem he had given to Bai Yi for temporary safekeeping, and looked around in the dim light.
"We've successfully shaken off our pursuers and entered the dark passage. As long as we keep moving forward along this path, we'll soon be able to leave the mirror dimension, but..."
"But what?"
"...The exit of the passage is most likely a mirror in a room in the Palace of Light. I hope the owner of this room is a friend rather than an enemy."
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