Li Aozi stood in the rain, the boy’s frail body cleansed by the gentle drizzle. His clothes remained dry, the dark clouds cautiously observing his deanor, seemingly hesitant to send a ray of sunlight his way.
"Li Aozi... this..."
Caral Snail bit his lips, unsure of what to do.
The corpse of a young girl lay on the road, the carriage overturned, riddled with bullet holes. Her gray pupils reflected the gray sky, her outstretched hand reaching toward the distant bodies. Her pale lips trembled, whispering:
"M-Mommy—"
Smack!
Red and black tendrils pierced through her skull instantly, dragging her into the ditch.
Crackle, crunch, squish, gurgle.
A symphony of noises, enough to heat up the back of one’s head, resounded.
A mont later, a graceful beauty with long burgundy hair and a sultry figure erged from the ditch. She gently wiped away the brain matter and blood from the corner of her mouth, then turned her red and black eyes towards Li Aozi and Caral Snail in the distance. She squinted, revealing a sweet smile:
"Good morning, gentlen."
She pinched the hem of her skirt, crossing her legs, and gave a curtsy, exuding elegance.
"My na is Valena. As you can see, I’m a helpless, unwelcod woman, known as a ’Sovereign Heretic’ by those righteous folks."
"Did you attack this family?" Caral Snail coldly questioned.
"Oh, not at all."
Valena replied righteously:
"It was a tornado that overturned the carriage. I’m just an ordinary Arcane User. I don’t have the strength to kill a family of five, especially with the master being a Gamma-Rank Shaman."
"With such detailed information... you definitely did it!" Caral Snail clenched his fists.
"It was a natural disaster that killed them. I just didn’t want to waste food."
"Food?"
"Yes, after all, Ziluo Star lacks other Pathway resources. The most effective way to replenish Super Gene is to kill and eat these Transcendents."
Valena licked the brain matter on her red lips, her eyes filled with a loving fascination:
"I see you also have an Implant Gear body? It’s rare to et a fellow. However, these gene fragnts are mine, handso."
Caral Snail’s face turned somber.
"This one’s talent is exceptional."
Li Aozi suddenly spoke:
"’Charm Fragrance’ Valena? Hmm, it seems you will beco a renowned elite..."
"Ah, this clearly perceptive little beauty, recognizing my uniqueness at a glance."
Valena clapped her hands, squinting in satisfaction and smiling:
"I also noticed you at first glance, my dear little beauty. How about we team up to hunt down those Mysterious Pathway enemies?"
"Yes, indeed, not bad." Li Aozi acknowledged.
"Li Aozi!" Caral Snail exclaid in surprise.
"Ah, you are the cutest, little beauty. I knew you would choose —"
Li Aozi nodded:
"But I don’t need another subordinate."
[Li Aozi has issued you a side task—’Cherish Fragrance and Jade’]
Caral Snail lowered his head, gripping the scabbard with one hand. In an instant, he rushed forward, raising his fist to strike.
Valena’s body twisted, red and black tendrils unfurled, evading the punch while blooming like a flower. A hypnotic fragrance spread out, enveloping Caral Snail completely.
"You really can be so heartless. We are the sa kind, you and I."
Valena said pitifully.
"Who’s the sa kind as you!"
Caral Snail covered his face with one hand, using Gravity Acceleration to pull away and evade. Without hesitation, he turned and made several successive maneuvers. The scabbard in his hand naturally dropped, and he kicked it, hitting Valena in the chest, pushing her back a few steps. Tendrils extended towards Caral Snail again.
"I can’t stand it anymore—let’s just burst her!"
After a few blocked strikes, Caral Snail quickly lost his patience. The image of the struggling little girl kept flashing before his eyes.
Crane School: Flickering Technique
Imdiately cancel current action delay, initiating energy storage.
Gravity Compression!
Valena’s body was instantly suppressed. She sneered:
"It’s useless. Do you think you can use Arcane Energy against , another Arcane User? Are you that naive?"
’This was supposed to be a ga...’
The thought flashed through his mind but was quickly overwheld by agitation.
’Ga or not, who cares!’
Caral Snail reversed his grip on the Shadow Blade, using one hand to create a gravity disturbance to disrupt the opponent’s attack while continuously storing energy. The silver-red energy scread like a flying crane, interweaving on the blade, its brightness and heat surging.
teor Sword Dance!
Swoosh——————!
Ferocious silver-red light exploded into crescent-shaped beams, cutting through the sky like a teor shower, enveloping Valena completely.
"Argh—you, how are you on the Destroyer Pathway?"
Valena’s tendrils broke apart one by one as she scread in terror.
But Caral Snail was not ready to stop.
He continued wielding his blade, chaining one move after another with Flickering Technique to cancel delays, chaining a series of sword strikes.
Raise hand, slash with radiation! Reverse grip, turn sword, Gravity Compression! Spin to gain montum, heavy cleave, Gravity Acceleration Slash! Store energy—teor Sword Dance!
Combos he never thought of flowed out smoothly here.
Sword dance! Sword dance! Goddamn sword dance!
The blazing sword light sliced Valena’s body into pieces. Even so, Caral Snail’s rage could not be extinguished. Dragging his tachi, he left a deep phosphorescent line on the ground.
He walked up to Valena’s limp body and raised his blade.
Thud, thud, thud!
Caral Snail gripped the blade with both hands, hacking repeatedly. Blood and flesh splattered everywhere. He lifted his foot, grinding his boot into the fragnted bones and at.
Spit!
He spat on the overturned skull fragnt.
"Beast, who’s the sa kind as you!"
Suddenly, he felt a pair of eyes watching him.
Caral Snail looked up. On a distant hill stood a boy with burgundy hair, staring blankly.
He looked strikingly similar to Valena.
Before Caral Snail could react, the boy yelled:
"Traitor!"
"No, it’s your sister—"
"You betrayed the Sovereign Pathway and killed my sister! I will never forgive you!"
The boy shouted, his eyes turning red and black, as he released thin lightning from his hands, struggling to pierce through the rain.
Although knowing the lightning couldn’t harm him, Caral Snail instinctively ducked and slashed in response.
In the mont his attack launched, he realized:
"No!"
But it was too late. Shadow Blade unleashed a brutal black slash, severing the boy’s head. His brain fell to the ground like a walnut kernel.
Plop.
[Task Completed]
[Hidden Condition Achieved: Root and Branch Exterminated]
[Li Aozi Favorability 40]
Rumble——
Thunder tore through the sky, rain poured down, washing away the boy’s brain, just like it did for the girl and her family.
Caral Snail raised his hand, staring at his blood-stained fingers.
’This is a ga this is a ga this is a ga...’
’I killed many people on Azure Star, slaughtered Goblins on Baizhu Star, killed Society Citizens...’
’This isn’t real this isn’t real. I only killed data. NPCs, yes. No law can touch . There’s no death penalty here.’
He opened his mouth, his throat felt as if punched, and an indescribable urge to vomit surged up.
"Bl-blegh—ugh—"
Caral Snail, Kiddo, vomited violently.
For the first ti, he realized the cognition filter was to protect players.
"I was just defending myself. It was an accident. Besides, his sister ate people. He couldn’t have been a good person..."
Kneeling in the rain, head in hands, his brain concocted all sorts of excuses.
—’But what if he did nothing wrong?’
No way, haha, like brother, like sister.
—’Li Aozi behind you is also on the sa Pathway as her, right?’
I’m a player. Why burden myself with this? It’s just a ga.
—’Is it really just a ga?’
No, what else could it be? Haha, Starry Abyss isn’t real.
It’s all fake.
I didn’t kill anyone.
He couldn’t be a good person.
So what if I killed? They’re not real.
Li Aozi saw, so what. There’s no Li Aozi in reality—
"Feeling bad?"
Caral Snail looked up. Li Aozi took a handkerchief from his pocket, handing it to him.
"I told you, don’t think about anything."
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