Chapter 297: The Eighth Evil God’s Heart… Beats?
Muse’s face was ashen.
He had, for once, been perceptive, recognizing that Athena’s mind had been manipulated, her memories and consciousness altered.
He had tried to snap her out of it, willing to sacrifice himself if it meant she could escape with the soul fragment, preserving the hope of Jie Luo’s resurrection.
But now, the fragment was in Qin Chu’s hands. All hope was lost.
Qin Chu knew their plan, knew they wanted him dead.
Knowing the Second Hero’s ruthlessness, the fate of the soul fragment was sealed.
Muse thrashed on the ground, his body wracked with pain.
A gaping wound in his chest, his body ravaged by disease, any normal person would be unable to stand. But Muse, through sheer willpower, managed to rise.
He swayed, as if about to collapse at any moment.
Blood dripped from his lips as he dragged his axe towards Qin Chu.
He wanted to retrieve the soul fragment.
He refused to lose this last shred of hope, even though he knew he was no match for Qin Chu.
He wouldn’t give up.
His devotion to Jie Luo was truly profound.
Qin Chu wondered if he was as obsessed as Ronald.
Jie Luo was truly popular, especially with men…
Qin Chu smiled, looking at the soul fragment in his hand, his other hand patting Athena’s head: “Good girl. Well done.”
His praise pleased Athena.
She leaned against him, enjoying his warmth and the steady beat of his heart.
But a nagging unease lingered in the back of her mind.
Something felt wrong, but she couldn’t pinpoint it.
She wondered why she had fallen in love with Jie Luo. Was it simply because he had saved her? But why hadn’t she been repulsed by his actions in the years that followed?
Why had she remained devoted to him even after his death?
Was her love truly that deep?
If so, why had she compared him to Qin Chu and found him lacking? Why were her feelings for Jie Luo fading?
And why had she fallen for Qin Chu?
In her memories, she had merely made a deal with him, trading her body for his blood.
He had used her, and she had initially been disgusted. When had that disgust faded, replaced by acceptance, even enjoyment?
When had she begun to feel lonely and yearning when he didn’t seek her out?
Had she… fallen for him simply because they had been intimate so many times?
A blush crept up her cheeks. If that was the case, she was truly shameless.
She sensed a gap in her memories, an unsettling feeling.
But strangely, the desire to uncover those missing memories wasn’t strong. A voice in her head whispered…
Why bother? Isn’t this good enough?
Qin Chu observed her changing expressions. He guessed she was confused.
A twisted thought crossed his mind. Would it be amusing to have Athena kill Muse, Airi, and Eileen… the remaining members of the former Hero Squad?
He glanced at Muse.
He was slowly dragging himself towards them. His injuries were severe. Even this short distance would take him a long time to cover.
Qin Chu handed the soul fragment to Ireta.
He wanted to know what secrets it held.
Each fragment brought him closer to understanding the past.
He didn’t even bother to hide it from Muse and Athena.
Ireta nodded, her slender fingers closing around the fragment, her eyes narrowing as her powerful soul magic probed its depths.
Athena watched silently.
She seemed to see faint, shimmering lines.
Ireta’s soul threads.
They were searching every corner of the soul fragment.
Athena frowned: “Master, this soul fragment is empty…”
Qin Chu smiled: “Some things are simply invisible to you.”
After a long moment, Ireta spoke, her voice cold and emotionless. The fragment’s contents were difficult to place in time.
It was a record of the Second Jie Luo’s actions, recorded by the First Jie Luo.
“How many Earthlings has that damned goddess sent to this world? What is she planning?”
“Are they all heroes? Is she trying to find the most talented one to save this world?”
“Please, that’s impossible. The Second Jie Luo finds and kills every Earthling who arrives.”
Ireta’s words stopped Muse in his tracks.
And filled Athena with surprise.
This was the content of Jie Luo’s soul fragment?
But who was the Second Jie Luo?
Her already confused mind reeled. Things were far more complicated than she had imagined.
Ireta, ignoring their confusion, continued, her voice flat:
“Damn it, another poor soul found by the Second Jie Luo. He’s doomed. The Second Jie Luo has Karsus and Benson, those two murderers, with him… The only consolation is that Muse, that psychopath, isn’t here.”
“The poor fool seems to have been wandering in the forest for a while. He saw someone and, thinking he had found a kindred spirit, rushed over to greet him.”
“That damned thief, who stole my memories, had the audacity to talk about a new game called… football.”
“Karsus and Benson stuffed the poor Earthling into a sack and used him as a football.”
“To prolong his suffering, they didn’t use battle qi, even putting metal armor on him.”
“But even so, they’re War God level.”
“They kicked him around for hours. When they finally stopped and opened the sack, all that remained was a pulpy mess of flesh and bone.”
“The poor soul finally died. Hopefully, he won’t be so unlucky in his next life, being reincarnated into another world.”
Athena couldn’t be certain if this was truly the content of the soul fragment, but it sounded like something Jie Luo, Karsus, and Benson would do.
Qin Chu didn’t clarify, letting her stew in her confusion.
“The Second Jie Luo found a mysterious place. He went there alone, avoiding the other Hero Squad members.”
“Oh my god.”
“What am I seeing?”
“It’s a giant heart, as large as a mountain.”
Qin Chu frowned. A heart?
Whose heart?
As large as a mountain!
He remembered the message from the fallen Fire God in the Flame Sanctuary.
There were eight Evil Gods in the Void… besides the seven he knew of, there was an eighth, the most powerful of them all.
He was responsible for the fall of the gods a thousand years ago.
According to the Fire God, his body was as large as a star, the gods of the Heavenly Continent insignificant before his might.
They had only managed to defeat him through sheer numbers.
His body had been divided into seven parts: his head, limbs, torso… even his heart had been removed, scattered across the Heavenly Continent.
Qin Chu had found it ironic that his own fate was similar.
The only difference was that his heart hadn’t been removed.
Now, hearing about a heart the size of a mountain, his first thought was: Could this be the heart of the Eighth Evil God, the strongest of them all?
No way… after a thousand years, the heart hasn’t decayed?
But then again, it was an Evil God. Anything was possible.
“My god, a heart the size of a mountain. How large must the owner have been?”
“And the heart, removed and yet not decayed, still pulsating, the blood still flowing within.”
“A single heart, emanating an aura as powerful as a storm, a tsunami, an earthquake. While I don’t want to admit it, that bastard who stole my body is quite strong. But even he couldn’t get too close, only observing from a distance.”
“Damn, that’s creepy.”
The First Jie Luo had commented.
“And what bothers me even more is that the aura emanating from the heart is similar to those… things in the Void.”
Qin Chu’s suspicion grew.
“The Second Jie Luo sensed the immense power within the heart. Greedy bastard, he wanted to claim it for himself.”
“Enduring the immense pressure, he approached the heart.”
“He finally reached it, his face contorted with effort. He extended his hand, touching the giant heart, and then…”
“…the heart beat!”
Holy shit!
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