Mister Zero, Her Story: Chapter 77 – “Absolute Death”
Yan City was baffled by Luo Yan’s (One’s) appearance.
Her entrance, Dawn’s reaction, even the usually composed Rhine losing his composure…
It was all incomprehensible. They didn’t know what was happening.
Being too far away, they couldn’t hear the conversation between Luo Yan and Rhine.
However, Luo Yan had shown goodwill by returning Sun Biwu, so Yan City decided to wait and see, while also tending to Sun Biwu’s injuries.
Until the crimson mist appeared.
This mist was all too familiar to Yan City…
Both the Ghost Town and Flower Street incidents, and the recent string of disasters, had all involved this crimson mist.
Dawn, with Grifres and Alyxsia having experienced Ghost Town, also recognized the mist’s danger.
And within the mist, a crimson figure emerged, swaying gracefully.
She clapped her hands gently and said with a smile,
“As expected of one of the original nine God’s Chosen… you actually noticed me?”
A beautiful face appeared before them, her body wrapped in translucent red ribbons, her form tantalizingly revealed.
“…It’s you.”
Luo Yan’s eyes flickered; she recognized the crimson figure.
Identical to “Red Butterfly,” but not Red Butterfly.
She had looked directly at Red Butterfly at the end of the Flower Street incident and was familiar with the Devil’s minion influenced by the “Witch of Envy’s” will fragment.
The reason Luo Yan, with her lack of aesthetic sense, had called Red Butterfly ugly was because she had seen the distorted consciousness twisted by the Witch of Envy.
This distortion had been so severe that it affected even the physical body, causing it to… collapse… into a beautiful woman.
Although outwardly more pleasing, the essence was the same.
And this crimson figure before her was almost identical to Red Butterfly back then.
Of course, Luo Yan, remembering her current identity as One, didn’t call her Red Butterfly directly, simply saying “It’s you.”
Now… Luo Yan understood why One had wanted her to maintain this disguise.
At least… to make the “Witch of Envy” believe that One had been resurrected…
“How curious, a human capable of this,” the crimson figure looked at Luo Yan in surprise. “Such a perfect resurrection… it seems you’ve truly harnessed the power of the ‘Eye of Malice’.”
“‘Eye of Malice’?”
Luo Yan was puzzled, but the crimson figure didn’t elaborate.
She waved her hand, and the menacing crimson mist dissipated.
“It doesn’t matter. Humans of a bygone era… will eventually fade with the passage of time,” the crimson figure sneered. “Even… she… couldn’t escape time’s judgment.”
These words were cryptic to the others, but Luo Yan, knowing the truth, understood.
So you outlived the original ‘Luo Yan’ by relying on a Primordial Demon’s immortality…
Perhaps this was One’s thought as well; Luo Yan suddenly felt the urge to retort.
The crimson figure continued to scrutinize Luo Yan, a mocking smile on her lips, but her crimson eyes held a hint of caution and wariness.
She had been waiting near the Ember Furnace, anticipating this decisive battle.
Waiting for the “Ember’s” eruption, for both Yan City and Dawn to be weakened.
Then, it would be her turn.
The crimson figure’s original body was Frick. Although his soul and consciousness had been rewritten, his ability, “Plunder,” remained.
In fact, due to the Witch of Envy’s influence, “Plunder” had been significantly enhanced, just like the “Gu Seeds” Red Butterfly used.
However, the abilities Frick had previously plundered were gone after his transformation.
Therefore, the crimson figure’s current strength was weaker than Frick’s.
But this was temporary. By plundering more abilities, she could easily surpass Frick’s original power.
Even approaching “Destruction” level wasn’t impossible.
Once Yan City and Dawn were weakened, it would be her time to harvest.
But… nothing had happened.
And then Luo Yan appeared.
The crimson figure, carrying a portion of the “Witch of Envy’s” memories, quickly recognized Luo Yan (One).
But like Rhine, she wasn’t certain if the original God’s Chosen had truly been resurrected, so she continued to observe from the shadows.
Meanwhile, the corrupted Qin Wen was still trying to erode the Ember Furnace. If she could control it… these threats wouldn’t matter.
But they had been discovered.
Forced to act, the crimson figure revealed herself, concealing “Qin Wen’s” presence.
She was putting on a show of power, using “Soul Eater” for a grand entrance, then casually dispelling it.
But it was just a facade. She couldn’t maintain “Soul Eater” for long.
…If she were truly that powerful, she wouldn’t have waited for both sides to be weakened.
In reality, she was only “Peril” level, no match for Rhine.
And then there was Luo Yan (One).
A true “Destruction” level ability user, although perhaps weakened by her resurrection, her casual spatial manipulation was enough to expose the crimson figure.
“I failed to kill you last time… my mistake,” Luo Yan said gravely, a spatial distortion forming in her hand. She found it quite convenient to use this as a blade.
The unstable spatial energy, like a sharp knife, created fleeting spatial rifts.
And these rifts could cut through even souls.
Luo Yan was referring to the “Witch of Envy’s” will fragment that had twisted Red Butterfly’s soul, but the crimson figure thought she was talking about the Witch of Envy herself.
“Kill the Lord? You…?” The crimson figure seemed enraged, chuckling darkly. “Laughable… truly laughable… Even she failed! How can a mere mortal defy the Lord?!”
“But if your Lord is so powerful, where is He now?”
Luo Yan shrugged, her expression innocent. “If He’s still around, why not come out and say something?”
“You! I… you! Lord…”
The crimson figure’s eyes widened, but she seemed to be choking on her words.
“If this ‘Lord,’ Mister or Miss, is truly as powerful as you say… how could a mere mortal force Him to hide, relying on lowly minions like you to act in the real world?”
Luo Yan’s tone was calm, matter-of-fact.
But in this context, it sounded incredibly mocking.
“…How dare you! Your filthy words… insult the Lord!”
The crimson figure glared at Luo Yan, pure malice radiating from her black eyes.
“Stating facts is also considered filthy?” Luo Yan pondered for a moment. “Well, it wasn’t entirely factual. It would be quite difficult for a mere mortal to achieve this. If it weren’t for ‘Absolute Death’ back then…”
“Shut up!” The crimson figure shrieked before Luo Yan could finish. “Don’t you dare mention that name!”
“What name?” Luo Yan paused. “‘Absolute Death’?”
“Shut! Up!”
The crimson figure roared, countless tentacles erupting from her body, flailing wildly.
A faint crimson mist spread, but this time, it seemed weaker.
Even this weakened “Soul Eater” could only spread a few feet, barely enough to fill a single room.
“No mortal… can defy the Lord’s will!” The crimson figure’s body began to flicker, its hoarse, ethereal voice filled with pain and rage. “She couldn’t! Absolute Death couldn’t! No one can!”
Her lost rationality was completely consumed by rage, and she began to burn through her life force, desperately trying to kill the chattering girl in blue before her.
Meanwhile, “Qin Wen,” still hidden, clutched her head, her pupils dilating, her expression conflicted.
But this wasn’t Qin Wen’s consciousness fighting back, but something else.
“Damn it! Why now…?”
“Qin Wen” pounded her head frantically, groaning in pain, her palms bloody.
It seemed some forbidden memory within the “Witch of Envy’s” consciousness had been triggered, filling this fragment of influenced consciousness with endless rage and hatred.
It was the resentment of being betrayed by Absolute Death, of being cornered by “Luo Yan,” a memory etched deep within the “Witch of Envy’s” consciousness.
The stronger the influence of the “Witch of Envy,” the more easily this resentment spiraled out of control.
“Qin Wen,” only partially influenced, hadn’t been completely twisted, only experiencing unbearable pain.
The crimson figure outside was transforming into a monstrous form, just like Mrs. Natalie, its flickering form expanding.
This surprised Luo Yan. She hadn’t expected the mere mention of “Absolute Death” to provoke such a reaction.
It seemed she was intent on taking Luo Yan down with her…
…What exactly did ‘Absolute Death’ do…?
But there was no time to ponder this now; she had to deal with the expanding monster.
“Aren’t you going to… do something…?”
Luo Yan turned to Rhine and said gravely.
Although she now possessed the “End” ability, she wasn’t proficient in using it.
Such a powerful ability, if it went out of control… no one here would survive.
Luo Yan knew this and hadn’t dared to use “End” for large-scale spatial severance.
Creating small spatial rifts was her current limit.
“…As you command.”
Rhine nodded, still puzzled.
But it seemed… this “Eldest Mister”… was truly the Eldest Mister. He couldn’t see any flaws.
His intuition told him something was wrong, but the evidence was before him.
In her brief exchange with the Devil’s minion, she had revealed several secrets about the Primordial Demons.
The crimson figure, burning through her life force, showed signs of transforming into a monster, but she didn’t become a giant creature capable of altering the ecosystem, and the crimson mist couldn’t spread far, its range similar to the Flower Street incident.
This weakened “Soul Eater” couldn’t instantly annihilate everything like in Ghost Town; it could only gradually erode the minds of “Ruin” level ability users, those at “Peril” level or above being mostly unaffected.
The Dawn team, being elite, quickly formed a battle formation upon receiving Rhine’s command to attack the crimson monster, resisting the surrounding mist.
Yan City’s reaction was slightly slower, but after the initial confusion, Li Ping made a decision.
Elite ability users would assist Dawn, while the other troops would retreat and wait for further instructions.
Without the pulse cannons, ordinary soldiers would be nothing more than fodder.
And this wasn’t the time to continue the war…
A disaster similar to the Flower Street incident had occurred, and near the Ember Furnace, no less.
Even without Dawn’s help, Yan City had to deal with this crimson monster.
Or rather, Dawn was now helping Yan City.
Why would Dawn help them? If they simply let the crimson monster rampage, they could easily win the war…
The only reason… was the mysterious silver-haired girl.
Li Ping narrowed his eyes, looking at the icy-blue haired girl standing among the Dawn members. She seemed to sense his gaze and looked back.
A single pale blue eye met his, and for some reason, Li Ping felt a strange familiarity in that indifferent, slightly dazed gaze.
As if he had seen it… somewhere before…?
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