Chapter 211 Emergence into Adult Insect
"Come on, heroes!"
The devil raised his arms excitedly and roared at the dark world.
"This is the stage for the final battle. Let me see your love and courage!!"
No one responded to him.
The brave men had been crucified, leaving only their cold bodies on the gray rack.
The rules of the Kingdom of Despair do not distinguish between friend and foe, and the envoys who should have agreed with it also suffered the same fate.
Vansalar looked around and saw only corpses and things that had long since ended, with dead souls singing songs of hell.
Then it could see nothing. In those brief seconds, the Kingdom of Despair had lost most of its light. Even the Holy Pillars dimmed, leaving only the towering mountains, a blood-red light reaching the sky.
“…”
Vansalar slowly lowered his hand and scratched his head in frustration.
"Ah... screwed."
Too excited.
If you're not careful, it will become the battlefield from before.
After calming down and thinking about it, I really shouldn't have gone all-out right from the start. I should have been a little more considerate of their feelings, like last time, and just casually used the Sky Shadow Technique to defeat them, forcing them to think about training again, then said, "At least wait until all of you have reached Sephiroth Level 3 before you're qualified to fight me," then made some harsh remarks, then laughed heartily and went back, letting Waklo chase them away...
But Waklo is dead. That trick can't work anymore. Why die so early, idiot? It's all your fault.
Ugh, I can almost hear Olek laughing. It's all your fault for getting all worked up, isn't it?
Vansalar scratched his straw-like yellow hair and sighed dejectedly in this lifeless dead place. He weakly snapped his fingers, a soft, muffled sound.
"—A nightmare comes back to life," he said.
Then, shadows gathered, transforming into familiar figures: assassins, snipers, knights... flames, spiders, insects... Each "person" was exactly the same as before, only with a layer of gloom cast over their faces.
The Land of Despair was his dreamland, where controlling the life and death of those within it was effortless. Most weak-willed individuals would conform to the Heavenly Prison's rules and continue as "People in the Mist," while a small number who were targeted by it and resurrected in nightmares would become "Bringers of Terror."
Unable to disobey his will. Unable to conceal one's thoughts. No longer free, no longer possessing will, one can only work for the Nightmare King's goals. For those favored by the Demon King, this is a gift, but for those who anger him, it is eternal torment.
This time is a different story, Vansalar thought. He really liked the heroes this time, and he didn't want to say goodbye to them so soon. So let it be.
Come back to life in a dream.
You will definitely become great messengers—
Then, a bloody scar pierced the realm. The messengers, about to solidify, were reduced to ash amidst a shrill cry.
The demon king's eyes widened. He couldn't help but laugh, his fingers twitching with excitement and nostalgia.
"You're here, Chongming!"
Silently, the bandaged warrior stood in the darkness. He stood beside the remaining bloody light, saying nothing, offering no challenge, not even glancing at the demon king, who was inordinately delighted. He simply tightened his grip on the sword at his waist.
"Have you really decided? Aren't you going to wait for the next one?" Vansalar laughed wildly. "Is this year's hero worth the hundreds of years of persistence you've staked on him?!"
Chongming drew his sword. The blade took on a deep crimson hue, like the blood-soaked fangs of a demon. He swung the blade, the chants extinguished, the shrill laughter ceased, and blood swept across the lightless realm, a man's roar reflected in shattered dreams.
"—Nightmare Massacre!"
————————
So, the nightmare ended.
The stage hasn't turned. The smoke hasn't cleared yet. The battle continues. The struggle between the war plants and the demon king's army continues unabated. The demon king has just appeared in the center of the battlefield. The messengers are begging for mercy. The warriors prepare for a fight to the death.
The two opposing factions were here, not one missing. Curse Thunder, Limb Spider, Burning Embers... Chu Hengkong, Shax, Qingxia, Qingye... all of them were there, their physical and ethereal forms intact, their injuries remaining the same as before the Demon King appeared.
It's as if nothing happened.
No.
None of this had happened. The original ending had been aborted by someone.
Thus, history that once existed but no longer exists flooded into people's minds.
"Ah, ah..." The spider touched its pale face, its pupils dilated in excessive fear.
“Aa ...
It scratched its face, uttering a wail that was not human. It writhed like a dying insect, its sewn-on limbs flapping erratically, its features contorted in a frenzy of excess. The embers beside it lost their glow, and it knelt silently on the ground. The cursed thunder remained motionless, like a robot without power.
They were utterly disgraceful. Their awkward posture had made them a laughingstock. But no one could laugh at them anymore. No one.
Qingye covered his face, roaring for a long time in an attempt to regain consciousness. Shax began to vomit, but from not eating for a long time, he could only vomit acid. Qingxia fell to her knees, not even realizing she was crying. Chu Hengkong tried to get up, but failed. He climbed up, fell down, stood up again, and knelt down again, as weak as a child who had just learned to walk.
Fansalar clapped his hands vigorously and smiled cheerfully.
"Sorry, sorry, I scared you. It was just a large-scale illusion! Just like the tricks often played by the Fallen, it was just a prank by the Demon King, hahahaha!"
Bullshit.
Everyone knew that this was not the case at all, because everything that had happened in the Land of Despair was still resonating in their hearts.
The fear, the torture, every ache and sorrow of death, lingered like scars in their hearts. Was it an illusion? Impossible. They were truly dead. They should have been "resurrected" as brand new beings, like a discarded machine being rebuilt, but the reborn being would never be the same again.
However, this process was interrupted. For some unknown reason, they who should have died were still alive...!
Chu Hengkong finally stood up. He stumbled forward and threw a weak punch at the Demon King. Fansalar raised his hand and grasped his fist. The Demon King couldn't help but laugh.
"What on earth are you...!" Chu Hengkong's voice was hoarse, "You...!"
"Oh my, it really isn't me this time. An old friend placed a big bet on you!" Vansalar shook his head. "So I can't help but look forward to it. I'm so excited I can't speak. I haven't felt this way in a long time. Rejoice everyone, the Demon King won the lottery today and decided to go back to the city to have some fun!"
He gently pushed Chu Hengkong back, then turned around, dancing like a drunk who was overjoyed. Although no one wanted to admit it, the hearts of those who had returned from the dead were filled with varying degrees of "relief." Finally, this person was going to disappear. Finally, they didn't have to face him again. Finally, they could get away from the Demon King—
"Stop, Vansalar!"
However, the knight's roar stopped the demon king.
Qingxia struggled to stand up. She looked at Fansalar's back, her golden pupils shrinking with excessive fear.
"What's going on?" Qing Xia said blankly, "What is the Country of Despair? There was clearly no such thing last time. Even when you were on the verge of death—"
"Oh, I let the water out last time."
The Demon King spoke nonchalantly, as if discussing the outcome of a game.
"Honestly, I'm almost fed up. I've accepted reality. The overly harsh rules of the Heavenly Prison have extinguished hope. There will never be another true hero in the Despair Wilderness. If this continues, even if Chongming won't give up, I will give up too.
So when you led your army to attack, I slightly adjusted the game's difficulty. From 'Nightmare' to 'Normal'! I won't demand that you kill all the emissaries, nor will I force you to defeat the Kingdom of Despair. As long as you, Xiao Qingxia, can fight your way to my throne, I will willingly hand over victory to you!
Fansalar laughed softly and didn't look at Qingxia's astonished expression.
"Don't get me wrong, this is a reward just for you. After all, you are the 'brave man' I created!"
"And yet, it turned out that my decision-making was a complete failure. Too pessimistic. Too unreasonable. Losing because of one person's impatience is no way the miracle I longed for.
Rest assured, everyone. I won't insult you with my self-righteous "normal" words again. In this decisive battle, I will go all out, exerting a hundred and eighty percent of my willpower, and present a genuine "nightmare" to every warrior!
The Demon King walked away, muttering to himself, leaving the wounded heroes far behind. Suddenly, as if remembering something, Vansalar turned back.
"Oh, that's right." Vansalar scratched his chin. "As far as the results are concerned, you lost this round."
"According to the rules of the Desperate Wilderness, losers must accept punishment..."
He pointed at the messengers, swept over the still screaming and struggling limb spiders, the fading embers and the dead curse thunder, and sighed helplessly.
"There's nothing I can do. It's just you, Wen Yao."
“…Yes, sir.”
A soft and charming voice sounded, artificial, deliberate, and unnatural, like the eager chirping of insects when they were courting.
The soldiers' gazes were fixed on that person. The white-haired woman hugged him tightly, her nails scratching bloody marks on her fair skin. Her face flushed unnaturally, her pretty eyes full of lust. She caressed the "scars" on her body that had been penetrated and healed, letting out a long-suppressed moan.
That was a cry of enjoyment.
People are realizing this crazy fact.
This woman was extremely happy because of her recent experience of death.
It is beyond comprehension, it is completely inexplicable. No living thing should have such a reaction. Even animals should not turn death into pleasure.
"Restrictions lifted. From now on, you can do whatever you want."
"Yes, Lord Vansalar!!"
A familiar, resonant voice echoed. It was heavier than the unsealed heartbeat, like thunder in the distant sky, like a hoarse wail from deep within the earth.
The evildoer has appeared.
She raised her front hooves, her horse rearing up. Her sleek lower body exploded from within, shattered flesh and bones, drawn by the energy and blood, reshaped into slender, white legs. Bloody scars suddenly appeared on her smooth back. Two pairs of transparent, multicolored wings emerged from her body, unfurling, and colorful bodily fluids dripped like saliva.
This process is like the emergence of an insect, shedding its old shell and welcoming a new self: painful, ugly, yet incredibly beautiful. Wen Yao is no longer a beast; she is a delicate woman with colorful wings, stunningly beautiful and alluring, like a fairy descended from heaven.
She gently flapped her wings and flew higher into the sky, higher than everyone else. Her fingertips trembled with joy, pointing at the ugly, flightless kin on the ground.
Chu Hengkong ran forward with all his might, Qingye pushed Qingxia aside with all his might, and everyone braced themselves for the attack, ready to deal with incoming gunshots, stabs, bullets, or lasers. However, Wen Yao only uttered words.
Toxic words.
"Kill them, Qingxia."
"Yes, Lord Wen Yao."
There was still a look of astonishment on his face, but words of obedience came out naturally.
Qingxia turned towards Silar and thrust out the Qingkun Spear. The tip of the spear pierced through flesh, emitting a crimson stain.
(End of this chapter)
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