"Eradicate...the city?" I echoed, not believing what I just heard.
"Indeed! The Midnight Syndicate...we shall destroy Shenzhen, and rebuild it from scratch!" Plague declared confidently.
I glared at him. "What's your purpose in doing so? Don't tell it's so stupid cliche like world domination."
Plague laughed. "World domination, eh? That is in fact our end goal, yes."
"Are you kidding ..." I muttered quietly.
"However," Plague continued. "What the Midnight Syndicate truly seeks is to bring out the full potential of Dark Magic, going to places no one has every gone before in the world of mages."
"And you're going to force everyone else on this planet to go along with the Midnight Syndicate's whims?"
"Precisely. Dark Magic is discriminated against everywhere, by humans and other races alike," Plague explained. "But I believe - once everyone sees the true power of Dark Magic, a new practice will begin, a new world will be born - one under the reign of the Midnight Syndicate."
"Heh..." I snickered. "What a farce."
Plague tilted his head at . "Are you mocking our dream, boy?"
"And so what if I am?" I said condescendingly. "You all talk about discrimination against Dark Magic, acting all righteous and shit. As if that could justify you killing thousands, destroying entire cities..."
Plague clenched his fists, and I sensed a distinct killing intent coming from him. However, even so, I didn't back down. "You do realize...the reason people hate Dark Magic, is precisely because of the Midnight Syndicate."
"...What?"
I sighed. "There's nothing wrong with the three elents themselves, collectively known as Dark Magic. What is wrong, is the people who use them for evil purposes - people like you, like the Midnight Syndicate."
"...Boy, I originally didn't want to kill you," Plague said in a low and dangerous tone. "Just a few monts ago, I had only wanted to run a few experints on you."
I snorted. "A few experints at the hands of a Midnight Syndicate mber? I would rather die, thanks."
"But for insulting the Midnight Syndicate and its glorious virtues-"
Plague took out multiple vials of unknown liquid from his cloak.
"-You must die here today."
I wasn't scared at all, however. I had a firm resolve in mind right now...one that sprouted from the desire for revenge. "Hey, Plague..."
"Oh? Last words? Very well, I shall hear them."
I shook my head. "Nah, they aren't last words...just a re question."
"What is it? I will answer you as a token of apology for killing you."
You serious? Token of apology for killing ? The Midnight Syndicate...everyone's out of their minds.
"One year ago...the assassins sent to kill my father and mother. They belonged to the Midnight Syndicate, didn't they?"
Plague looked at silently for a while, then broke out into laughter. "What, here I was thinking you were going to ask sothing that wasn't as obvious as that. Indeed, it was us who murdered your parents. You only realized just now?"
"...Nah, I just wanted to confirm," I replied, drawing my katana. "Because now, I have a good reason to kill you."
"Oho...interesting. Shouldn't saving this city be enough of a reason to kill ? Not that it would help - even if I died, the invasion will still happen."
"Tch...I don't care about this city," I scoffed. "I am not so hero of justice - if anything, I am just as bad as the Midnight Syndicate. I can't claim to be righteous after slaughtering an entire family just now. However - there's one thing I have that you do not. And that, is what separates from the likes of you."
"Oh? Enlighten , boy."
"That thing, is sothing called human morals. Despite how it may seem, I do not indiscriminately kill, unlike you," I replied. "I only do what I have to do - and right now, I have to erase you from this world."
"Hmph...erase from this world, you say?" Plague echoed. "Big talk, coming from a re 14 year old. Just because you killed Xuan Yang, don't go thinking I will be as easy to defeat as him!"
Saying this, he threw the vials in his hands onto the ground, where they shattered into pieces imdiately as a deadly poisonous gas begin creeping up around .
As a devious smile crept up my face, I chuckled. "Try ."
My arm's still not completely healed from the fight with Xuan Yang...and now, more poison? ...How troubleso.
The first thing I did was try flying out using the Level One Sky Magic, Flight. However, I ended up hitting an invisible barrier at the top, and inwardly cursed as I fell back to the ground gently, rubbing my head from the pain. I made a ntal note to use my hand as a guide next ti so I don't ram into sothing with my head.
Mizu Shield.
Once I was back within Plague's gas, using the sa spell my mother had once used to protect , I surrounded myself in a sphere of water, protecting from the poison all around. I chose this spell since it was very quick to cast, as it was one of the few spells out there that had different incantations than the norm. You didn't need to specify the elent and tier when casting this spell...though to , this was all trivial matters as I could cast any spell in an instant, to be honest, as long as I knew the na and incantation.
[Master, can you hear ?]
[Yeah, I can. Where are you?]
[I'm not sure...but nevermind that for now, are you safe, Master?]
[Yeah...I cast a barrier around myself, so I should be fine from the poison for now...but I can't see anything in this gas, and Plague could be coming at from anywhere.]
i Gui remained silent for a mont, then began sending telepathic ssages once more. [Master, let's share our senses.]
[Share...our senses?] I echoed, confused on what she was talking about.
[Yes - this is sothing only Master and I can do after breaking the second seal, which you have. I did not see a need to teach you about this, so I held off on it until now...]
[I see...so how does it work, exactly?] I said, constantly staying aware of my surroundings.
[The na of this process is called Sense Linking. It allows for us to have the strength of two - in other words, Master will have my senses added on to your own, while I will have Master's senses added on to mine, thus heightening both of our spatial awareness abilities.]
So it basically doubles the senses of two people...that certainly is useful in this situation.
[Hm...alright, how do we do it?]
[Exert so Chaos energy - I will follow it and co find you, Master.]
[Got it,] I replied, and did as told. I let so Chaos energy slip out of my hands, and soon enough, i Gui appeared in front of , in a water barrier sphere similar to mine.
Ah...there she is. That was quick...almost a little too quick. Oh well, whatever. Still...it's kind of strange how Plague hasn't made a move yet...it's already been a full minute since I was enveloped in his gas...
Anyway, since talking wouldn't work across our respective 'bubbles', we just continued using telepathic communication. Just as I was about to send a telepathic ssage, however, i Gui made a little beckoning gesture with her hand, as if telling to co closer. Thinking this was just part of the linking process, I complied, my guard completely down towards this scarlet-haired girl.
Once I was directly in front of her, she made a couple of gestures that hinted at to get rid of my shield and enter hers instead. I frowned slightly in confusion, but didn't think too much of it. Carefully, I entered her barrier, leaving my own behind.
However, the mont I set one foot within her barrier, the i Gui before began muttering sothing inaudible from this distance, and I stopped in my tracks. "i Gui...?" I murmured out loud.
The girl in front of then let out an unmistakably male laughter, and shot out a deep purple orb of raw energy that looked suspiciously like Void Magic.
Oh, shit.
[Master, careful!] a voice shouted inside my head, and I instinctively dodged backwards...straight into the poisonous gas, since I had already dispersed my Mizu Shield. I later realized I could've just absorbed the Void Magic, but I didn't have enough ti to think things through, and rely dodged out of instinct.
M-Mizu Shield!
I hurriedly cast another barrier on myself, but unfortunately so of the toxic gas had already entered my lungs. I coughed up so blood, and just barely managed to stand up...only to collapse again. What the hell...why is this poison so strong?! I only inhaled a little bit, and yet I can barely move now, not to ntion the pain in my chest...
I struggled to get up once more, as remaining lying down, completely defenseless, would not be a wise move when within enemy territory. But alas, I was too weak, and my knees gave out once more from under . However...this ti, I didn't fall to the ground, but was supported by a certain red-haired girl who had entered my barrier.
"i...Gui?" I mustered out. It seed that since she too possessed the power of Chaos, she could pass through any barriers I put up, which were all imbued with Chaos energy thanks to the Chaos within .
"Master...are you alright?" she asked, not bothering to use telepathic communication anymore.
"W-Wait...if you're here, then who's that...?" I pointed at the place where the other i Gui had been standing monts ago - and she still is. She hadn't moved at all from her original spot, and was rely looking at us with deadpan eyes. They weren't like the expressionless eyes of normal i Gui - instead, they seed...lifeless.
i Gui looked at where I was pointing, and grimaced. "That...is a fake."
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