Chapter 47
The wilderness under the cover of night was filled with the earthy and rusty smell of soil.
Bean Sprout 12 dragged her weary body, her boots sinking into the cold, wet mud with every step, but her heartbeat was heavier than her steps.
She had imagined countless times what it would be like to see Seed 237 again:
Perhaps it was in the morning light that he still wore that faint smile;
Perhaps it was after the battlefield that he reached out and pulled her up from the ruins, just as he always had.
But now, what comes into view is that unfamiliar yet familiar figure.
Seed 237, emerging from the churning black water, has no warmth in its eyes, only indifference and abyss eroded by the parasitic influence of shadows.
Those eyes seemed to no longer belong to humankind, but rather to some kind of deep-seated malice gazing at the world through his body.
Sprout 12's breathing became disordered instantly, and his chest felt like it was being slowly cut by a blunt knife.
She knew that 237 was still inside.
But at this moment, the person standing before her was not the one she wanted to protect, but the shadow itself.
Seed 237 (Alternate Personality: Shadow Parasite): "You shouldn't have come looking for me..."
Here, there is only destruction.
The voice was deep and strained, as if it were another will forcibly squeezed out from 237's voice.
Sprout 12 felt a jolt in her heart and her eyes stung with tears.
These words, though seemingly meant to drive her away, also carried a faint trace of lingering resistance.
Her fingers gripped the sword hilt tightly.
That sword, which had gleamed with a protective light during countless battles alongside him in the past, might now be used to point directly at him.
A voice inside my heart is screaming:
"If you hesitate, he will be completely swallowed up."
Another voice whispered:
"If you make a move, it might be the last time you see him."
Sprout 12's throat tightened, and she could barely speak. In the end, she could only whisper a trembling but firm vow:
Sprout 12: "If you're still in there, listen—"
Even if it means perishing together with this darkness, I will bring you back!
Black ripples exploded with a roar, as if in response to those words. The ground shook violently, and 237, now in shadow form, suddenly made his move.
The last thought in Bean Sprout 12's mind as she rushed forward was:
“I am not fighting him, but fighting against the darkness of the entire world.”
The night in the wasteland was swallowed up by layers of surging black water.
The cracks in the roots roared beneath the earth, like the breath of a beast awakening.
Seed 237 stood at the edge of the crack, black mist swirling around his body, the shadows behind him whispering as if countless tentacles were sliding deep into his consciousness.
His gaze was indifferent, yet carried a chilling sense of oppression.
The moment Ya Dou 12 drew her sword, her knuckles turned white from the excessive force. The blade trembled slightly, not from fear, but from her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
She wanted to call his name, but only heavy breathing came out.
Shadow Parasite (spoken by 237):
He's gone. What you see is just my shell.
Your struggles will only make him disappear faster.
As soon as she finished speaking, the black mist suddenly condensed into sharp blades and shot towards her.
Each wisp of black mist carried a corrosive power, turning into a vortex upon landing and tearing apart the soil and roots.
Sprout 12 gritted his teeth, and his sword flashed down like a meteor, forcefully cutting through the impact.
In the instant sparks collided with shadow, she heard a faint, almost drowned-out whisper in her ear—
Seed 237 (suppressed true voice): "...Don't come near me..."
At that moment, Sprout 12 felt a sudden tightness in her heart.
She almost let go of the sword, tears welling up in her eyes.
She finally confirmed it: he was still inside!
There was no time to hesitate.
The Shadow Parasite manipulated 237's body, suddenly lunging forward, its arms transforming into translucent root blades, sweeping across with a storm of killing intent.
Sprout 12 dodged the attack, and the mud was instantly cut open into a trench several meters deep.
Dust and black water splattered, leaving a bloody gash on her cheek. The pain, however, only strengthened her resolve.
Sprout 12 (inner voice):
"If this is the darkness within you... then I will cleave you out of it, sword by sword, one strike at a time!"
She raised her longsword high, and the blade ignited with a milky-white flame, like a ray of dawn tearing through the night.
The sword light slashed down, striking the shadowy 237 squarely in the chest.
The black mist twisted violently, accompanied by a low roar.
In that instant, Sprout 12 clearly saw—
A brief moment of clarity and pain flashed deep in Seed 237's eyes.
Seed 237 (intermittently): "...Don't let...me...hurt you..."
As light and shadow intertwined, the battlefield reached a stalemate.
Black mist continued to pour out, trying to drown out her light;
Meanwhile, Sprout 12's sword light stubbornly held open a space, even though his body had already been shaken so badly that his blood and qi were churning.
She knew very well:
This is not only a battle on the battlefield, but also a contest of souls and wills.
All she could do was to stand firm and not yield, using her existence to prove that he still had a chance to return.
The black mist and the sword light were locked in a stalemate in the center of the wasteland, like two irreconcilable wills colliding.
The earthquake trembled, and the sound of deep-buried roots breaking echoed everywhere. A suffocating atmosphere of anxiety filled the air.
Sprout 12 gripped the sword hilt tightly, his knuckles cracked, blood dripping down the blade, only to evaporate into white mist in the milky white flames.
Her eyes were resolute; she no longer backed down.
Sprout 12 (inner voice):
"If I am to fight against this darkness, then I will share your pain as well!"
On the other side, Shadow Parasite went completely berserk, manipulating Seed237's body to unleash its power wildly.
Black mist surged from the ground, transforming into dozens of tentacles that swept across the land like a storm, attempting to engulf everything.
Shadow Parasite:
"The light you're protecting will only cause him more pain!"
Come, break your beliefs, and watch them become my vessel!
The tentacles lunged forward, instantly turning the sky black.
Sprout 12 suddenly roared and stomped his foot, the sword light spreading out like a giant wave.
—The ultimate collision of light and shadow erupts in an instant.
Boom!
The entire wasteland seemed to be torn apart, and the deafening roar shattered the air.
The black mist and flames formed a huge vortex in the center, which swallowed the earth and even shattered and scattered the roots.
In the violent shockwave, Sprout 12 was thrown dozens of meters away, crashing heavily into the collapsed rock wall, blood gushing from its mouth.
Meanwhile, Seed 237's figure was swept away by the black mist and fell into the ever-breaking abyss.
In the instant of his fall, his gaze briefly broke free from the shadows' control, looking up at Sprout 12—
His eyes were filled with pain, yet they held a faint warmth.
Seed 237 (very soft voice):
"...Wait for me...Don't give up..."
Before he could finish speaking, the abyss suddenly closed in, and the black mist completely swallowed his figure.
Sprout 12 staggered forward, only to be thrown into the dust and gravel.
Tears and sweat blurred her vision. She knelt on the edge of the collapse, her hands gripping the cracks tightly, but she couldn't pull anything back.
The night wind swept by, leaving the wasteland deathly silent.
Only the sound of her heartbeat remained, pounding against her chest like a drum.
Sprout 12 (inner voice):
"He's still inside... He'll never just disappear like that."
No matter the cost, I will bring you back!
The blade trembled slightly in the moonlight, reflecting her tear-streaked face.
At this moment, Sprout 12's determination had crossed the line between life and death.
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