Chapter Twenty-Three: What Kind of Kink Is This?
Crumbling walls lined the empty streets, the occasional severed limb with bite marks visible in the rubble. Their owners had likely either become pustule monsters or ended up in their stomachs.
Little Odeletta looked lost, clinging tightly to Luo Ling’s clothes after being rescued.
Perhaps intimidated by Luo Ling’s extraordinary beauty, she instinctively avoided touching her, as if afraid of sullying such unparalleled perfection.
The nauseating stench and hellish scene filled her with terror.
Caught between wanting to hug Luo Ling and fearing to do so, little Odeletta stayed close to the stunning silver-haired girl.
“Three…”
Luo Ling slowly lowered her hand.
A pustule monster, under her control, slammed headfirst into a wall.
With a sickening thud, the monster dissolved into a puddle of viscous purple-black liquid and shattered, twisted bones, slowly sliding down the wall.
“Inspiration is still draining…”
Luo Ling noticed that although her depleted Inspiration was recovering, it was also being consumed at a slow but steady rate, almost negating the recovery.
In this situation, she couldn’t use her abilities as freely as before and needed to conserve her power.
Of course, dealing with these transformed humans didn’t require much effort.
Luo Ling continued walking, analyzing the situation.
“It seems little Odeletta doesn’t have the hair I gave her. This means the entire world hasn’t reverted to before the Boundary collapse. Only I have entered this strange spacetime.”
“Maintaining this spacetime should still be the effect of ‘rewriting reality.’ As long as my Inspiration can sustain the consumption rate, I don’t have to worry about the connection being severed.”
“Is the disaster causing these monsters the culprit behind Victoria’s Boundary collapse? Although these monsters are unusual, they’re… too weak.”
Luo Ling glanced at the monster remains splattered on the wall, frowning slightly.
“However, I can’t fully control these monsters, only dominate them briefly.”
This wasn’t Luo Ling’s fault. Even with depleted Inspiration, domination was still the Puppet Ballad’s instinct. The problem lay with the monsters themselves.
This meant that these “Meat Puppet”-like beings were similar in rank to actual Meat Puppets, creations below the High-Risk Grotesquery Sequence.
And judging by their strength, they were likely spawned from an “egg,” not the main body.
Therefore, after Luo Ling’s fungal threads dominated them for a short period, the monsters would lose control and explode.
Otherwise, she could quickly amass a monster army and sweep through the entire Incubation Barrier.
“Miss…”
A weak voice called out. Luo Ling turned to see another tear-streaked face, little legs trembling like leaves.
“I… I can’t walk anymore…”
“…”
Luo Ling realized that although similar in age, little Odeletta wasn’t Elsa.
Elsa, when they first met, had already experienced countless battles and endured constant torment from a Grotesquery. Her mental fortitude was far beyond that of an ordinary child.
Little Odeletta, however, was a sheltered young lady. She had simply run away from home, a mere one or two districts away, with servants and guards protecting her, expecting no harm.
But…
She was simply unlucky, encountering a sudden outbreak of an Incubation Barrier, something an ordinary person couldn’t foresee.
Her servants and guards had all transformed into monsters. The creatures attacking the shield earlier had been them.
Luo Ling’s protection was one thing, but her combat methods were… brutal.
Nearby monsters were impaled by her sword, while those further away were dominated and then smashed into walls. Both scenes were R18 rated.
For a young lady who had likely never seen such violence, it was a traumatic experience.
Little Odeletta was terrified, unable to walk not from exhaustion, but from fear.
“Alright, let’s rest for a bit.”
Luo Ling sighed. Unsure whether this spacetime was a recreation of the past or a true return to the past, she couldn’t simply leave little Odeletta anywhere.
She wanted to take her out of the Incubation Barrier, but… spores were useless for finding the exit, a lesson she had learned in Baiyan Village.
…She would take her along for now. It wouldn’t be too much trouble.
“Miss, are you a ‘Diviner’?”
After calming down slightly, little Odeletta stared intently at Luo Ling and the hourglass pendant on her chest.
“Yes.”
Luo Ling replied.
“Are all ‘Diviners’ as powerful as you, Miss?”
“More or less.”
Luo Ling replied absently, her spores searching for clues within the Incubation Barrier.
The barrier covered roughly a third of a district, about a quarter the size of Jiangcheng County, affecting over fifty thousand people.
The disaster seemed to have occurred some time ago. There were almost no living humans. Little Odeletta was an exception. Her servants and guards must have retained some of their will before fully transforming, protecting their mistress as much as possible.
And after their complete transformation, Odeletta’s necklace shield had protected her until Luo Ling arrived.
“Can I become as powerful as you, Miss? I… I feel so useless…”
Little Odeletta squatted down, tears welling up as she recalled the recent events.
She bit her lip, trying to hold back her tears, but a snot bubble escaped.
“We’ll talk about it when you’re older.”
Luo Ling said dismissively, focusing on searching for other Awakened Ones within the Incubation Barrier.
This spacetime recreation couldn’t have only recreated little Odeletta, could it?
Unfortunately, the stench of the pustule monsters masked almost all other traces.
Finally, Luo Ling found signs of recent combat, besides her own.
But looking closer, her expression turned strange.
“Isn’t this… my starting point?”
Near the location where she had rescued little Odeletta.
Luo Ling glanced at little Odeletta, who quickly averted her gaze.
“It seems that even if I hadn’t intervened, little Odeletta would have been rescued by this Awakened One…”
That was likely the outcome in the normal timeline.
She would meet up with them first.
Hopefully, it was Linna’s team. Even if not, regardless of the faction, Luo Ling had the appropriate ID.
Even if it were the Harbingers, possessing the memories of several of their members, she could easily impersonate one.
However, before going…
“Although the White Witch isn’t a wanted criminal yet, given my appearance, it’s best to disguise myself.”
Luo Ling noticed a tailor shop and had an idea.
She took a large piece of black cloth and fashioned a simple cloak to conceal her figure and appearance.
She used the remaining scraps to make an eyepatch for little Odeletta, sparing her from witnessing any more gruesome scenes.
Finally, Luo Ling took little Odeletta’s hand, bound their hands together with cloth strips, and reinforced it with fungal threads.
“This way, you shouldn’t be afraid anymore.”
Luo Ling gently patted their bound hands.
Little Odeletta, her eyes covered, lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper.
“Okay…”
Luo Ling noticed that little Odeletta’s face was unusually red.
Was the fear from the earlier scene… still lingering?
But judging by their later encounter, it didn’t seem to have traumatized her.
“Stay close.”
Luo Ling took little Odeletta’s hand and took a deep breath.
“…Okay.”
……
A blonde girl in half-plate armor crouched down, examining the ground.
“…Any survivors?”
Traces of combat remained, indicating a Judgment path Awakened One, though not particularly powerful.
The slain pustule monsters were all transformed ordinary people, their combat strength equivalent to low-order Awakened Ones.
The fact that there had been a struggle meant the Awakened One was likely around fourth or fifth-order.
“I should find the survivor quickly, hopefully, she hasn’t encountered a ‘Distorted Beast’…”
This Incubation Barrier crisis had erupted two days ago, suspected to be a Dangerous Grotesquery level, but the specific Grotesquery was unknown.
Since a Fate Society theatrical troupe had been caught in the outbreak, consisting of thirty Awakened Ones and hundreds of ordinary people, the Fate Society had dispatched an elite team, though it was too late.
By the time they arrived, everyone in the troupe had transformed into pustule monsters, the Awakened Ones becoming terrifying “Distorted Beasts.”
Their transformation had significantly amplified their power. Even the weakest among them had reached the high-order Awakened One level.
Moreover, the Distorted Beasts were constantly evolving, consuming the pustule monsters, their power growing steadily.
Since the Distorted Beasts had scattered, the elite team had to split up, hunting them individually and searching for survivors.
But their efforts had yielded little result.
This was the first sign of a survivor Linna had encountered.
…This Incubation Barrier outbreak had been incredibly sudden, leaving no time to react.
A raspy growl echoed nearby. Linna turned around, her eyes widening.
“A Distorted Beast…”
Compared to the pustule monsters, these Distorted Beasts were even less human. They had been Awakened Ones, and after being tainted by the unknown power, their abilities hadn’t vanished, but had become distorted.
This Distorted Beast had been a Myriad path Awakened One. Now, its skin was a sickly grey-green, its eyes replaced by pulsating flesh, its lower body a grotesque amalgamation of limbs, dragging itself across the ground.
Its half-naked body was devoid of any beauty, its swollen belly stitched together with countless internal organs.
All its flesh had been fused together by its Myriad path ability.
It stared at Linna with its barely functional eyes, then lunged at her with unnatural speed.
“Arms… legs…”
It stared greedily at Linna’s limbs, wanting to fuse with such a beautiful being.
“At least seventh-order!”
Even for Linna, this was troublesome.
She raised an ornate rifle and fired three shots, piercing the Distorted Beast’s body.
It collapsed with a thud.
“…….”
Smoke drifted from Linna’s right eye as she watched the Distorted Beast rise unsteadily.
Her shots had blown off several of its limbs.
It frantically gathered its scattered limbs, stuffing them back into its body, before turning to Linna again.
Its maw split open, as if smiling.
Several detached hands and feet flew towards Linna.
She calmly aimed and fired, shooting them down.
But the Distorted Beast’s smile widened, almost mocking.
“…Something’s wrong!”
A sense of danger washed over her. Linna dodged sideways, just in time to see a grotesque, dwarfish figure inches behind her.
A grotesque dwarf, only a head with a body of shadows, slowly raised its head, a shadow blade in its hand, aimed at her heart.
At this distance…
It was impossible to dodge.
“…Careless.”
Linna’s heart sank. She hadn’t expected the two Distorted Beasts to cooperate. Otherwise, she would have noticed the shadow dwarf’s approach.
Just as she braced for the fatal blow, the shadow dwarf froze, its blade stopping inches from her heart.
“Hmm?”
Although puzzled, Linna didn’t hesitate.
A single shot blew the shadow dwarf’s head off, its shadowy body dissipating.
Simultaneously, the multi-limbed Distorted Beast shrieked in terror, seemingly realizing its failed ambush, and attempted to flee.
But before it could move, it froze, like a paused animation.
Linna showed no mercy. This time, prepared, she aimed carefully and fired a single shot, obliterating the Distorted Beast.
“Rest in peace.”
Looking at the two corpses and the shattered hourglass necklace beside them, Linna knelt down, touching her forehead and shoulders, offering a simple prayer for the deceased.
Before their transformation, they had been members of the Fate Society.
Just then, two figures approached and stopped beside her.
“Thank you, fellow ‘Diviner’.”
Linna recognized the familiar jingle of the newcomer’s necklace.
“You’re welcome.”
Luo Ling observed Linna. She had seen her picture in Fiona’s files. She indeed resembled her mother.
Just with a colder demeanor.
“Do I usually act like this?”
Luo Ling recalled Fiona’s assessment and felt doubtful.
She considered herself far more approachable than Linna.
After finishing her prayer, Linna stood up and looked at Luo Ling, surprised.
She hadn’t expected the Diviner who had assisted her in eliminating two seventh-order Distorted Beasts to be a… not just a minor, but a child who hadn’t even reached the age for regular schooling.
The other one was indeed just an ordinary person.
Their peculiar interaction also surprised Linna. One blindfolded, the other with their hands bound. If they weren’t two innocent little girls, she would have suspected some kind of strange kink.
“Elemental path, ability to manipulate metal, code name ‘Orion’.” Linna said, stating Luo Ling’s ability and code name. “Yours?”
“Myriad path, ability to temporarily dominate others’ bodies, code name…”
Luo Ling hesitated. She knew the Fate Society used constellation code names, but she had only been a freelancer, so she didn’t have one.
She didn’t want to accidentally use someone else’s… wait, there was one she could use.
“Southern Cross.”
An Yu’s code name.
At this point in time, An Yu was still in Jiangcheng County. No one in the Fate Society would be using it.
“Okay.” Linna nodded. “Should I take you out first?”
“If you can, please take her out.”
Luo Ling pointed at the blindfolded little Odeletta. She was starting to feel like she was indeed engaging in some strange roleplay, but it couldn’t be helped.
Little Odeletta wasn’t old enough for R18 content…
“Alright.”
Linna nodded curtly.
“It’s so easy to talk to Miss Linna.”
Luo Ling felt a sense of camaraderie with this equally concise woman. No need for lengthy explanations, communication was simple and efficient.
Like a reliable older sister.
“However, there’s still one problem.” Linna said.
“What problem?”
“I don’t know how to get out.”
“…”
Luo Ling wanted to retract her earlier assessment. Perhaps Linna wasn’t that reliable after all.
“Actually, I’ve been lost for two days,” Linna said, pointing to her token. “And I’ve lost contact with my teammates.”
Definitely not reliable.
“It’s not my fault.” Linna said seriously. “This Incubation Barrier… makes people lose their way.”
…Not only unreliable, but also stubborn.
Luo Ling twitched her lips. She had explored this area and knew that this Incubation Barrier didn’t have any such effect.
Besides, they weren’t even close to the area where illusions would manifest.
“Trust me.”
“Alright, Miss Orion.”
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