Chapter 145 Demon
Golden leaves in the city center before the rain falls.
The shadow blade scraped against the wall, sending up a trail of sparks. A slug-like moon beast was pinned to the wall, whimpering and dying. Above its head, a moth draped in human skin fluttered, its veins crisscrossing and curling to form the cyan pattern on its wings. Two forked legs swung behind it like a tail.
It descended silently, stretching out its withered hands to snatch the sword-wielder away, but a stone spike shot up from the ground and pierced it, and a meteor hammer made of ice balls followed, smashing the monster to pieces.
Ji Huaisu retracted her weapon and regulated her breathing. Sweat dripped from her matted hair and into her blood. Her right arm was injured, the result of the attack by six moon beasts five minutes earlier. Using the light, she drew a simple talisman on the thin ice and placed it over the wound. The cold forced the poison out, dissolving into the ice and turning it black.
After all, she was raised by martial artists and ancient dragons, constantly influenced by them. Judging by theoretical knowledge alone, she was far superior to Chu Hengkong, a novice cultivator who had just switched to martial arts. However, different professions are like different mountains. Only now, with only a slight touch of the power of particle 3, could she even use the most basic "Purifying Heart Talisman." Ji Qiufeng would probably have smiled wryly upon seeing this.
"How unlucky..."
It was truly unfortunate. All her supplies were with Chu Hengkong, and Sai Silun had been asked to guard the spares just in case. Shortly after breaking into the hotel, they were separated by Wu He's self-destructing position. The next thing she knew, the Moon Beast had appeared out of nowhere. She'd been fighting and running, unaware of her whereabouts. She couldn't contact her partner, but she couldn't. She felt like she was in a modern city, yet she felt like she was stranded in the wilderness.
The wound was almost healed, and Ji Huaisu drew his shadow blade and moved forward cautiously. This street seemed far away from the center of the conflict. The buildings were still intact, and the citizens kept their doors and windows closed. No one was seen going out.
She followed the signs to the intersection. There was a small cafe on the right. The wind chimes at the door were swinging, making crisp sounds.
The door to the cafe opened.
She threw the shadow blade without hesitation, and the giant sword turned into a flying knife and stabbed at the figure walking out of the door!
The shadow blade pierced the threshold at an angle, the air blowing through the black hair. Her plan had failed, for the person leaving was much shorter than she had expected. He was just a little boy, wearing a fitted blazer and bow tie, like a serious nerd masquerading as an office worker. He turned to look at the weapon that had dissipated into a shadow, then walked out with his neck hunched.
"You'd wield a knife at a child? I thought you were more principled," he said.
"I can't count how many times I've been assassinated by children, and you're not a child at all," Ji Huaisu said coldly. "A child wouldn't be so calm in the face of an attack, and a child wouldn't have the courage to speak to me like that. Who are you?"
"What do you think?" Olek looked back at her with interest. He clearly tilted his head back, but his expression was as if he was looking down on ants.
"Your aura is too calm. You are not a natural disaster." Ji Huaisu pursed his lips. "You are not a fallen one either. Your existence is too illusory. You hide behind us and control us without revealing any trace. You are very good at hiding yourself, as if you don't exist."
"You are the demon of fantasy." She grasped at the only clue she had. "You are Olek Seton Tantar."
Quietly and slowly, like the movement of a giant's limbs, Olek smiled.
·
"Go to the least affected area! That thing will only hide in the safest place!!" Vander was almost going crazy with anxiety. "Hurry! We've been dragging on for too long, we really can't make it in time!"
"What exactly is this chain of misfortune?"
"It's luck! Misfortune! Inexplicable misfortune! You can't defeat luck, you can only circumvent it, because it's connected to the tide of fate!" Vander screamed. "Olek Seton Tantar, the meaning of this name is 'the forsaken torrent'. It is the evil god who wields the power of misfortune, the original existence that has never been replaced...
It is one of the oldest demons in the world of Shendong, having existed long before the Candlelight Calendar!"
·
"How did you learn my name? Even a casual contractor wouldn't know my true name. Behind you stands an ancient and knowledgeable being, and such beings are rare." Orlek smiled. "Regardless of the circumstances, I must commend you. You had the courage to call out my name despite knowing your fate was fraught with peril. As my old friend often says, position and strength are irrelevant; this deserves our respect."
He actually bowed, his every gesture a gentleman. Ji Huaisu clenched her weapon, the more she did so, the more nervous she became.
"I think you must have a lot of questions. Let's answer them one by one." Olek leaned on the door sill and said slowly, "You have personally experienced the first two games. Tell me about the third game that you can't see clearly.
First up was the duel between Chu Hengkong and Shax. There was a possibility they'd put aside their differences and temporarily cooperate, as Wu He was considering abandoning the uncooperative mercenary. But I thought it best to start the duel first. Shax's death bombs were nearly unstoppable at low-quality range, and Chu Hengkong was too adept at performing miracles. At least one of them had to be eliminated first, otherwise it would be too dangerous for me.
"Danger? Do you care about our strength?"
Ji Huaisu found it absurd. It was like a lion solemnly pointing at ants on the ground, saying this one was big and strong, and this one was small and fast. But it was saying it seriously and attentively, as if it was really considering the possibility of being bitten to death by the ants and was doing everything it could to prevent the crisis.
"Don't think too highly of me. I'm just a low-quality spirit. I have more methods and a higher status, but my power is no different from yours. I must be cautious, especially since this isn't a game," Olek said. "So I had Wu He pick up Gulibo's manual. This extra information gave him the confidence to reap the benefits. Therefore, he persuaded Shax to stay as a bodyguard for two more days, so that Qingxia would choose to hold back."
Ji Huaisu thought of the invincible red-haired banshee: "I don't think she cares about bodyguards..."
"You're intimidated by her aura. She's confident and powerful, but like you, she's a child and needs time to grow." Olek's tone was as if he were commenting on an outstanding junior. "Look at what Qingxia did. She arrived on the island early, but she wasn't in a rush to take action. She met you one by one to get to know everyone's backgrounds. Even when her enemies were right next to her, she patiently held her ground.
It wasn't until Shax withdrew after the duel and you helped uncover information about Wu He that she truly began her revenge—a surprise attack, unstoppable, seizing weapons and crushing her opponent, who knew her all too well. If it weren't for my immediate intervention, Wu He would have been reduced to a pulp before even summoning the Black Moon. Vansalar taught her well; she learned to respect her opponent. Unfortunately, she was still too sentimental. When presented with such a good opportunity, she didn't seize it, but rescued him instead.
"You call this... respect?" Ji Huaisu almost got goosebumps.
"What do you think respect is? A fair and honorable one-on-one duel like the one between Chu Hengkong and Shax?" Olek asked back. "Excuse me, they're called killers, but they're more like knights. They possess a complex temperament that combines a suicidal impulse with a desire for challenge. They're so focused on the present that they neglect the future.
But you are a knight, you should understand. If you want yourself and the people around you to survive..."
"You should use all means to weaken the enemy's strength and destroy him as quickly as possible with the least cost," Ji Huaisu said without hesitation. The words suddenly popped out of her mind, as naturally as if she were reciting a doctrine she had long memorized.
"This is what I once warned the Discipline Emperor. I'm glad this message has been passed down to you." Orlek nodded. "Let's get back to the present, to the duel not long ago."
"I really don't want to see Shax and Chu Hengkong come together to kill me, not even if there's a one in a thousand chance. That's why I didn't interfere with their duel. After the duel, I don't have to worry about the Death Bullet anymore, but Chu Hengkong is still alive. Severely injured martial artists love to transform on the spot, and I want to close that loophole. I tried so hard to protect Wu He just so he could attack at this moment, successfully snatch the Dragon Tree's Dingli Gu Talisman, and plant a poison in it that would be fatal to Chu Hengkong."
He conjured a cup and took a sip of his cold drink. "Now I don't have to worry about Seismic Point 3, but I still have his tough bones. I don't want to see the Everlasting arrive in Golden Leaf City, and I don't want to see the old man either... He means no harm, but he's worse."
So I triggered the underground movement, and Qingxia gave up observation and chose to attack Wu He. Xiaolong Qingkun Spear would fall into her hands, preventing Chu Hengkong from increasing his combat power.
Desperate, Wu He would naturally choose to call upon the Black Moon. The arrival of the Fallen would disrupt information, preventing you from contacting Huilong City and preventing the Empire's signal from being transmitted. Wu He died at the hands of Qingxia, preventing the complete summoning ritual from taking place and preventing the old man from descending.
He sighed maturely, "Alright! After all this effort, I've finally gotten rid of the external factors. The market isn't going as expected, Chu Hengkong isn't dead yet, and you've managed to hold on until now. Have you felt a lot of negativity lately? That was intentional. I hoped you'd be more decadent and weakened, but your fighting spirit is so high that it's hard for me to handle it."
Ji Huaisu's lips were dry as she watched the demon speak eloquently, describing the strengths and weaknesses of each ant. It seemed absurd, yet it chilled her to the bone. It was hard to find anything more terrifying than this: a being so much more powerful than you was going to such great lengths to find the most reliable way to kill you.
“So you’re pulling the strings, huh?” she said. “You’re manipulating us like chess pieces.”
Olek looked at her in surprise.
"How is that possible?" the demon said. "I am misfortune, just bad luck. Luck can't control a person's thoughts; it's just the coincidence of small things happening together. You are not chess pieces, you won't act according to my orders. You listen to my long speeches as if I have secretly arranged everything, but you don't know how many times I have revised my plans in time units you cannot realize to lead to the current situation. I am not omnipotent. No one is omnipotent, not even the king of the deep sea."
"Now, let me answer your last question."
"Why did I continue to harangue you even though I knew you were stalling for time, waiting for your companions to arrive?" he said. "Because I was also stalling for time, so I could kill you in the most secure way possible."
Gulp. Gulp. From the horizon came the sound of flowing liquid. While Olek chattered on, the drop of black blood on the crescent's tip finally made up its mind and tumbled down from the sky. It had traveled an incalculable distance, falling from the lunar surface to this tiny dust island.
It happened to fall towards the direction where the two were, and the black raindrops grew larger and larger, turning into a mountain of flesh and blood that could almost submerge the entire city.
Olek reached out toward the mountain.
"Forced contract."
Completely disproportionate, the mountain-like black blood poured into his palm, forcibly assimilated and possessed by the demon's will at an astonishing speed. Orlek's body solidified, transforming from a phantom into a contracted demon with flesh, thus unleashing the true power of this spirit.
He raised a finger to the sky.
"When luck is bad and heaven forsakes you, the rain will pour down like a torrential downpour."
It started to rain.
(End of this chapter)
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