Chapter 28 Crossing the Underworld (2) You think you'll never see me again...
Holding the demon dog tightly by the neck, Xia Ying felt a slight tremor in her arms.
Just then, a piercing scream came from the horizon, and a flock of white, skeletal eagles was closing in on them.
The giant black dog raised its head, revealing a pair of burning crimson eyes.
He shoved Xia Ying hard on the head, then roughly pushed her onto his back. Enraged black flames erupted, sweeping across the flock of skeletal birds: "Who sent you? Didn't that goblin tell you it was dangerous here?!"
"The administrator did say this mission was dangerous... No, that's not the point!" Xia Ying was knocked over and immediately got angry.
She straightened up from the demon hound's back and flung the [Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi] into the distance. The sword struck down a group of bone eagles like a boomerang, and then flew back into Xia Ying's hand.
"Do you think I came here on my own whim?! It's all because you disappeared without a trace!"
That's because...
Cerberus's guilty conscience lasted only about a second before he drowned it out with a raging sea of black fire and an even louder roar.
"I didn't tell you to come find me!!!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Cerberus immediately regretted his thoughtless remark.
Xia Ying did not answer immediately. She suddenly leaped into the air and jumped into the flock of birds scattered by the flames of the inferno.
The girl's adventurous act made Cerberus's heart tighten. Without thinking, he rushed forward, only to see Xia Ying step over several bird-shaped skeletons and arrive in front of the bone eagle leader leading the flock of birds, swinging down the [Ama-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi].
The Bone Eagle leader had its right wing torn off by the first sword light. It opened its sharp beak and let out a furious howl that could confuse the mind, but the howl was cut short as the second sword that fell immediately severed its cervical vertebrae.
The flock of birds, having lost their leader, scattered in all directions. Xia Ying, who had just destroyed the enemy, returned against the light and on the wind, a sight Cerberus had never seen before.
However, they shouldn't have been apart for that long.
A sense of panic suddenly gripped Cerberus. He felt the flames of hell ignite within him, quickly devouring his internal organs. But the flames could not truly fill his body; instead, they made him feel even more uneasy and thirsty.
In this terrifying moment that felt like an eternity, Xia Ying finally stood before him. Everything seemed to slow down. Cerberus saw her hair fluttering in the wind, and the unfamiliar feather earrings reflecting light...
Then, Xia Ying suddenly reached out and grabbed the demon dog's chin.
Cerberus awoke from his shock and couldn't help but look at Xia Ying's face.
She raised her face and glared at him defiantly, her eyes, brimming with anger, were unusually bright, so much so that the dampness within them was clearly visible.
"Cerberus, apologize to me!"
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Xia Ying walked quickly through the thick fog with a stern face.
"Xia Ying".
Xia Ying ignored him.
"Wait, Xia Ying."
Xia Ying snorted and walked even faster.
"Xia Ying...!"
She suddenly stopped in her tracks, frowned, and looked back at her hand that was being held.
Cerberus slowly released her.
"...I'm sorry, Xia Ying."
Xia Ying's lip line twisted almost imperceptibly, but she immediately straightened it out.
"What? Just because you apologize doesn't mean I have to forgive you?" She slowly turned her back. "Anyway, Kernel has never cared about me..."
"No!" The demon hound suddenly raised its head, urgently interrupting her.
Xia Ying turned to look at him. Cerberus's eyes flickered, and he finally told her the truth: "This is because only in this way can we finish the [Circular Domain Internship] as quickly as possible."
She asked, puzzled, "What?"
"The King of the Tomb Keepers promised me that if I could complete all the tasks on the list within seven days, I could end my [Circle of Internship] early," Cerberus said. "The Wilderness Quest #15 is the seventh on the list. If I complete two more, I can..."
Why did you do that?!
Xia Ying raised her voice.
She grabbed the demon hound's collar tightly: "Cere, do you think it's okay if we never see each other again?"
“No,” Cerberus uttered, “No, Xia Ying, even the briefest separation is painful for me.”
Xia Ying looked at him and unconsciously let go of his hand.
“I told myself it was because I had to protect you in Cocytus, but maybe you didn’t need me as much as I thought.”
He confessed his heart, riddled with cracks, to the girl.
After saying these words, Cerberus lowered his head and remained silent for a long time.
Xia Ying bent down to look at his lowered face, then opened her eyes wide and gasped slightly.
"I see."
She slowly and gently exhaled, then opened her arms and spoke to the demon dog.
"Ker, come here."
Almost the instant she uttered her last words, Cerberus lunged forward and embraced Xia Ying tightly.
"I think I was a little too harsh on you just now." Xia Ying patted Cerberus on the back. "So we're friends now, right?"
The demon dog let out a small, aggrieved whimper.
“Actually, I really wanted to comfort you a little longer, Cerberus.” Xia Ying suddenly grabbed Cerberus’s shoulder and pushed him away slightly. “But we have more important things to do right now.”
Cerberus slowly, very slowly, began to recall his current situation.
He forced himself to remain calm and said, "You're right, we need to get out of here quickly."
After saying that, he walked ahead nonchalantly but with brisk steps.
Xia Ying stared at his retreating figure, saying to herself in her heart:
Xia Ying, you mustn't laugh.
Xia Ying! You must protect Ke Er's self-esteem!
She tried to focus on the immediate crisis and quickened her pace to catch up: "You know how to get out of here..."
Cerberus suddenly stopped, and the girl, unable to brake in time, bumped into his back. She rubbed her nose and noticed that the thick fog ahead had dissipated, revealing a brand new, pristine land before them.
Cerberus, however, became as if facing a formidable enemy, his expression far more solemn than when he encountered the army of skeleton demons and the flock of skeletal eagles.
“We’ll complete the mission once we get through here,” Kerr earnestly instructed the girl beside him. “Xia Ying, before you’re completely out of the mission, whatever you hear or see, never look back.”
"Okay." Xia Ying nodded, then took the other person's hand. "Shall we walk forward now?"
Cerberus grasped her hand and took his first step into this beautiful and peaceful land.
At first, Xia Ying did not notice anything unusual.
Everything seemed as beautiful as it appeared; the scenery was stunning, the air was filled with the rich fragrance of flowers and fruits, and the sounds of birdsong, flowing water, and music filled the air. A cool breeze brushed through my fingers...
Between the fingers?
Xia Ying looked at her empty hands and realized that Cerberus had disappeared from her side sometime during that time.
She suddenly felt an urge to turn back and look for her companions, but Cerberus's instructions immediately came to mind.
So Xia Ying only paused slightly before continuing forward.
The scenery around me is still beautiful... or rather, it's becoming more and more irresistible.
The original forest and wilderness scenery gradually blurred into a coastline, and buildings, bridges and crisscrossing roads gradually rose from the coast. The scene was constantly adjusted and improved, becoming more and more like the seaside city where Xia Ying was born and raised.
Xia Ying did not stop. The scene changed again, becoming the room that held her entire childhood.
This was once her home with her mother, and later became her home with Ker.
Room 1008, Building C.
Xia Ying stopped and stood with her back to the door.
A powerful voice resonated within her, urging her to turn around and open the door.
However, she still didn't do it.
A soft clinking of keys came from outside the door, and then someone unlocked the door and entered the room.
The door closed, and light, slow footsteps sounded, followed by the rustling of clothes as someone took off their coat and hung it on the coat rack.
We can't turn back, we can't turn back.
Xia Ying kept repeating this sentence to herself, but her gaze couldn't help but drift to the wall, staring at the two shadows reflected on it.
One shadow was shorter, Xia Ying's own projection, while the other was slightly longer. Apart from that, they seemed no different.
It's strange, isn't it? It's just a black silhouette, but Xia Ying, gazing at it, can clearly picture its original form in her mind.
The shadow moved, slowly approaching Xia Ying, and a pair of hands gently landed on her shoulders, enveloping her with a tender and affectionate aura.
"Xia Ying, how was your day?" she asked gently. "Did you miss your mother?"
"...At first I was always thinking about it, I was thinking about it every moment."
Xia Ying said softly.
"It took me a long time to learn how to forget it temporarily. After that, a long time passed... Recently, I only think about it occasionally."
She smiled and said, "A lot happened today, but overall it was pretty good, Mom."
Xia Kaiyun's voice sighed softly, "You look a little tired..."
Xia Ying could already guess what this illusion, which was deliberately trying to probe the weaknesses of people's hearts, was going to say to lure her back, but the voice of the unknown entity suddenly changed from gentle to calm.
“However, it’s not time to stop yet.” The hands behind her left her shoulders and gave her a push in the back. “Keep moving forward, Xia Ying.”
"!!" Xia Ying was about to turn her head to confirm the face when a sudden gust of wind pushed her forward forcefully.
She regained consciousness and ran forward with the wind, leaving everything behind until even her old memories could no longer catch up with her.
A faint light appeared ahead, and as the exit materialized, Xia Ying saw Cerberus waiting there.
As she cautiously approached, the demon hound, as if it had eyes in the back of its head, complained, "Why did it take so long?"
"Couldn't you just say you've only been here a short time?"
Despite saying that, Xia Ying felt relieved and stepped forward to take Cerberus's arm, but he pushed her forward and said, "You go first, I'll cover the rear."
She paused for a moment, but accepted the suggestion without much hesitation: "Okay then."
For the last short stretch, they walked one after the other until they finally arrived at the place where the light shone brightly.
Xia Ying paused briefly before the exit and said to the demonic hound behind her, "Don't get lost, okay?"
Cerberus said impatiently, "Who would get lost? Get out of here!"
The girl stopped.
“By the way, actually, there’s something I’ve wanted to ask you since earlier,” she said. “What happened to my Cerule?”
Cerberus behind her didn't speak immediately, and Xia Ying patiently waited for his answer.
After a while, a short, soft laugh rang out.
The silence between the two was shattered, and a new monster was born from the body of a creature called "Cerberus." Its soft laughter gradually evolved into a wanton, maniacal roar that shook the very air.
"Humans, how did you discover this?"
The shadow spread rapidly from beneath his feet, piercing towards the girl's back.
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Author's note: I had a fight with the dog, made up with the dog, and then the dog's second personality suddenly popped out (sad).
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