Chapter Thirty-One: The Death of Miss Luo Ling
The dark sky gradually turned a deep crimson, the air thick with the stench of decay and blood. Purgatory, now in its complete form, swept across the land, attempting to claim a part of Victoria as its own.
Only… it avoided the grotesque figure sitting at the center, not daring to approach within three meters.
“The Inspiration consumption for maintaining ‘rewrite reality’ is decreasing…”
Luo Ling, in her Naraku form, used “Weave” to carefully sense the changes around her.
An indescribable presence churned violently. This was a sensation she hadn’t experienced before, similar to traversing the Realm of Nothingness. This must be the so-called “Boundary.”
But it wasn’t enough. This alone couldn’t trigger a Boundary collapse. It was merely a localized disaster.
Was something missing…?
As Luo Ling pondered, her web domain was disrupted, a small portion vanishing.
Or rather, she could no longer sense that part of her domain, completely losing control.
This had never happened before. Luo Ling looked up, her expression grave, towards the disrupted area, and saw a figure suddenly appear.
“Who?”
Who could silently enter her web domain and even negate its influence?
No, wait…
This figure wasn’t real, merely a specter.
But…
Luo Ling’s face darkened as she stared at the figure.
“…Why is it her?”
A beautiful, alluring face partially veiled in lavender, her every smile and gesture captivating, her languid posture accentuating her curvaceous figure beneath the sheer fabric.
Luo Ling was familiar with this woman, yet they weren’t exactly acquaintances, having only interacted briefly.
“The Gypsy Woman.”
The Harbinger of Disaster, one of the Speakers’ four premonitions.
Why was she here?
Wait, Harbinger of Disaster…
Suddenly, Luo Ling understood.
“Thus,” the beautiful woman’s soft, melodious voice echoed, laced with a seductive lilt, “disaster has come to pass.”
With her words, the final piece of the puzzle fell into place, triggering the Boundary collapse.
The horrific, hellish landscape suddenly dimmed, turning grey and gradually blurring, like a fading memory… similar to the lost Kingdom.
—This was the moment of a Boundary collapse.
The rubble-strewn streets and scattered corpses vanished, replaced by a quiet, peaceful night, with houses intact and undisturbed.
But the next moment, the hellish scene reappeared, the two scenes overlapping.
Everyday life and disaster intertwined, the Boundary in a state of extreme instability.
Luo Ling immediately deactivated her Naraku form, reverting to her original appearance.
The instability carried the aura of the Realm of Nothingness. Only in this state could she better sense the changes caused by the Boundary collapse.
She felt everything around her submerged in the Realm of Nothingness, the endless void observing all existence.
And all existence was reborn from the void, bit by bit, recreating… the past.
The instability didn’t last long. Luo Ling felt like several days had passed, but looking at the time, it had only been less than three seconds.
Soon, the new Boundary stabilized.
The hellish scene vanished completely, replaced by the ordinary cityscape, deserted but otherwise identical to the Victoria she knew.
“Is it over?”
Luo Ling savored the lingering sensation, seemingly understanding the essence of the Realm of Nothingness.
However, she felt like she had overlooked something.
As she pondered, the Boundary destabilized again, but this time, it wasn’t the hellish scene that reappeared.
It was the Realm of Nothingness.
Half the district was being pulled into the void, the Boundary collapse worsening into Boundary annihilation.
Only now did Luo Ling realize what she had overlooked.
In the original timeline, this district hadn’t reverted to the past, but had been completely consumed by the Realm of Nothingness.
“What’s going on?”
Luo Ling muttered, staring at the flickering, overlapping scenes.
Her voice sounded hoarse and grotesque, like a demon from the underworld.
Could it be…
Luo Ling slowly looked down at her hands.
Her slender fingers were covered in blue scales and sharp claws, the same as when she transformed into her Grotesquery form.
But now, the changes were more severe.
The blue scales weren’t limited to her hands, but spread across her arms, turning black.
The same black as the Realm of Nothingness.
Luo Ling was certain she hadn’t used her Grotesquery form just now.
And earlier, when using it to protect Linna from the Distorted Beast, the transformation hadn’t been this severe.
She had always been cautious with her Grotesquery form, unsure of its price, using it minimally, only when absolutely necessary.
But now…
Her transformation seemed to have triggered something far worse.
Turning a Boundary collapse into Boundary annihilation was the worst possible outcome, as an annihilated Boundary couldn’t be reversed, forever lost from this world.
Even more terrifying, Luo Ling realized that her Grotesquery transformation was continuing uncontrollably, worsening.
The surrounding void was consuming this once-stable area, pulling it into the eternal Realm of Nothingness.
“No, I have to stop it.”
Luo Ling focused, trying to halt the annihilation by changing forms.
But… she failed.
Even after changing forms, the annihilation continued.
At the same time, Luo Ling received news that was both good and bad.
As the annihilation progressed, she was… growing stronger.
Her Inspiration, depleted from maintaining “rewrite reality,” had completely recovered. Not only that, but she felt an unprecedented surge of power.
She quickly realized the source of this power.
She looked at herself through her spores’ vision, seeing her current state, and understanding why she couldn’t stop the annihilation.
Two forms overlapped, the petite silver-haired girl and the terrifying black demon coexisting.
She also saw…
The smile on her face.
Two sharp fangs, dark golden vertical pupils burning brightly, her face covered in grotesque scales, ugly yet strangely beautiful.
She was grinning, devouring.
Indeed, the moment the Boundary collapse was triggered, Luo Ling, in her Grotesquery form, had devoured the Boundary.
And because of this “devouring,” she was rapidly transforming, the price being the complete annihilation of this area.
At the same time, the information that had been hidden from her finally surfaced, her true Path, corresponding to her first Authority.
[Doomsday – ???]
The Grotesque side of the Seventh Path, Doomsday.
“The Seventh Path originates from a new God, yet to be born, about to be born, but absolutely must not be born, a true God.”
The leader’s explanation of the Seventh Path echoed in Luo Ling’s mind.
“So, that’s what she meant…”
Luo Ling murmured, slightly dazed.
Anyone who knew the truth of this world, the existence of Boundaries, would realize… this world faced a grave crisis.
A crisis that could destroy everything.
This was the soon-to-be-born master of the Doomsday path, a true God.
However, at least for now, Doomsday hadn’t fully arrived, so it was still unborn.
For this world, Doomsday must never be born.
Luo Ling watched the Victoria district being consumed by the Realm of Nothingness, until she was surrounded by complete darkness, then lowered her gaze and sighed.
“So… is it ‘Devour’ that brings about ‘Doomsday’?”
Her power originated from a God who sought to destroy this world.
Of course, according to the Godchosen, other Paths also originated from Gods, but those Gods had already been born. Only the Seventh Path hadn’t fully manifested, at least not yet.
After devouring this Boundary, Luo Ling’s Naraku form had grown stronger, nearing its second ability.
“If I could devour more Boundaries, perhaps I would already be…”
The thought crossed Luo Ling’s mind, but she quickly shook her head, slightly unnerved.
How could she have such a thought? This was Boundary annihilation, the most terrifying disaster.
The reason there were no casualties this time was because everyone here was already dead. Otherwise, her actions would have killed at least ten thousand people.
Furthermore, not all Boundaries could be devoured. Only those in a state of collapse, extremely unstable, could be consumed by “Devour.”
Luo Ling’s devouring had only affected the area within Purgatory’s Incubation Barrier, as that was the most unstable region.
Perhaps after her Grotesquery transformation progressed further, she could even devour stable Boundaries, but she clearly couldn’t do that now.
Even so, it was shocking enough.
However…
“So, even the Speakers are involved in this artificial Boundary collapse?”
Luo Ling recalled the appearance of the Gypsy Woman, her expression grave.
It seemed that the Gypsy Woman wasn’t just involved, but played a crucial role. Without her, the Grotesquery disaster would have been just an ordinary disaster. It was her presence that escalated it into a collapse-inducing catastrophe.
The Speakers weren’t exactly an Order-side organization. They only recruited Other Shore path Awakened Ones, regardless of their alignment. Ninety percent of Other Shore Awakened Ones were Speakers, with exceptions like Ji Shinian from Qingshan Psychiatric Hospital.
In most cases, the Speakers treated all Awakened Ones equally, even the Harbingers and Grotesquery Apostles were their clients.
It seemed that the Speakers’ role in this Company-led secret plan wasn’t trivial.
If that was the case… an idea formed in Luo Ling’s mind.
“There are no records of the seventy-fourth Boundary collapse in any public archives, including the Company’s internal files. This must be intentional. But now, knowing that the Speakers are involved, things are much easier.”
As everyone knew, the Speakers would trade with anyone, for the right price.
This was Luo Ling’s only chance to uncover the truth.
“The effect of ‘rewrite reality’ has ended.”
Luo Ling felt her Inspiration stop draining, even more abundant than before, roughly doubled.
Previously, it had been equivalent to two ninth-order human Awakened Ones. Now, it was at least four.
Of course, the amount of Inspiration didn’t directly translate to strength. Her power hadn’t doubled, but if she encountered a similar situation again, she wouldn’t be as limited by her Inspiration.
…Hopefully, she wouldn’t encounter such a situation again.
Both times she used “rewrite reality,” the outcome had exceeded her control, making her realize that this ability wasn’t as convenient as its description suggested.
As expected of the infamous Naraku, even its Godchosen were troublesome, its main body must be even worse.
“I should leave this place.”
Luo Ling composed herself. The Realm of Nothingness was even more comfortable than the present world. The void, which represented despair to others, was an extension of her senses.
Simply put, Luo Ling felt at home in the Realm of Nothingness.
Soon, she left the Realm of Nothingness.
“I should report back to Fiona.”
Luo Ling touched the long-barreled firearm on her back, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
It had been quite an experience.
…If it hadn’t ended with her devouring a collapsing Boundary.
……
“Miss Luo Ling, you’re… not dead?”
Fiona stared at Luo Ling in disbelief, a white flower in her hair, her eyes red and swollen from crying.
“…Ms. Fiona, that’s quite rude.”
Luo Ling’s face darkened. Who greeted someone by saying they weren’t dead?
Having been to the Victoria Opera House before, and not wanting to trouble anyone, Luo Ling hadn’t notified anyone, using her token to reach Fiona’s office unimpeded.
After knocking, she wasn’t met with the expected joy, but shock and disbelief.
And a rather rude remark.
“You, you…”
Fiona approached, her hands trembling as she removed Luo Ling’s cloak.
Luo Ling turned away uncomfortably. The grotesque scales from her earlier transformation hadn’t completely faded, so she had used the cloak to conceal her appearance.
“You’re really alive…”
Fiona’s voice was laced with sadness.
“Ms. Fiona, if you—”
Before Luo Ling could finish, Fiona hugged her tightly.
Although Miss Luo Ling’s appearance had changed, the records indicated that she was a Grotesque-side Awakened One. Such transformations after using her abilities weren’t unusual.
And now, one thing was certain: Miss Luo Ling was indeed alive.
“Um…”
Luo Ling noticed the funeral decorations in the office, gulped, and asked,
“How long have I been gone?”
“A month and a half, Miss Luo Ling.” Fiona quickly composed herself, releasing Luo Ling. “Everyone thought you were dead. The Company and the Fate Society are currently holding your funeral.”
“Huh?”
Luo Ling was stunned.
She hadn’t expected to be gone for so long.
She had only spent about half a day within the recreated timeline.
Besides… only a month and a half, wasn’t it too soon to declare her dead?
Seeing Luo Ling’s confused expression, Fiona continued,
“For some reason, the Company refused to send an investigation team to that area of the Realm of Nothingness. After waiting for a month, I made a deal with the Speakers, hoping to see your current state.”
“And?”
Luo Ling asked.
But she already knew the answer.
Someone had tried to see her fate before.
The outcome…
“Two Speakers were severely injured, unable to see anything. Then the Auspicious Timing premonition himself intervened, refusing the transaction and telling me… that you had likely perished in the Realm of Nothingness.” Fiona said apologetically.
What happened next was easy to understand.
“…So, I’m dead?”
Luo Ling’s lips twitched.
“Yes, Miss Luo Ling.”
Leave a Reply to Eldweirdo Cancel reply