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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 5: The End
Shen Shuwen raised his claws, and with a swift motion, brought down his paw like a massive stone crashing from above. Within a ten-foot radius, shadows danced on the ground as Ji Zichen leaped out of the darkness, leaving behind an imprint on the surface. Although Kiko managed to evade the blow, his body swayed slightly, as if he were not standing on solid ground but rather on a small boat amidst raging waves. The force of Shen's strike sent shockwaves through the entire ruins hall.
Kiko inhaled sharply, thinking to himself, "This is overwhelming power; the destructive force is truly astonishing."
Despite the lingering fear in his heart, Kiko refused to make a sound; he could not show any signs of cowardice.
Shen Shuwen laughed maniacally, "How's that? Are you scared? Do you think your silly drawings and that broken sword can intimidate me? I’m going to break your Demon-Slaying Sword!"
With a clenched fist, Shen unleashed a powerful punch toward Kiko. The mouse-like fist loomed large, much bigger than Kiko's entire body. Kiko raised his sword in defense; the Demon-Slaying Sword was only half the size of Shen's finger. When their weapons collided, Kiko was struck by an overwhelming force that sent him flying. He spun like a floating leaf and crashed into the stone wall five yards away. His back slammed against the wall, creating a deep dent as blood surged within him.
Kiko struggled to regain his footing and coughed up a spray of blood.
Shen Shuwen cackled triumphantly, "You're too weak!"
Dazed from the impact, Kiko realized he needed to move; otherwise, another hit would mean his end. Yet his body felt unresponsive, completely beyond his control at that moment.
His chest heaved as he gasped for breath.
Shen Shuwen glared at Kiko with disdain. "Your Demon-Slaying Sword isn’t bad; it can withstand my punch. But a broken sword poses no threat to the Divine Clan! Your sword may be tough, but what about your life?"
With a thunderous roar, Shen gathered all his strength for another strike aimed at Kiko. In his hazy vision, Kiko saw a dark shadow rushing toward him and knew he couldn't evade it in time. Desperately, he activated the Wind Buddha Bead, summoning a Wind Barrier for protection.
The mouse-like fist collided with the Wind Barrier, causing it to buckle under the pressure. Kiko cried out in pain!
With a deafening crash, Kiko's body was propelled through the wall and rolled down the stairs outside the hall until he finally came to rest near the Pig Demon Statue.
Shen Shuwen let out a hearty laugh as he slowly descended the stairs.
Lin Chuyu, carrying Shen Bifan, had just arrived near the Pig Demon Statue when he saw Ji Zichen rolling to the side, landing three yards away from the statue. Lin Chuyu's expression changed dramatically. "Brother Ji!"
He hurriedly set Shen Bifan down beneath the Pig Demon Statue and rushed towards Ji Zichen. However, halfway there, Shen Shuwen waved his paw, unleashing a chilling gust of wind that knocked Lin Chuyu back to the ground.
Shen Shuwen's eyes glinted with coldness as he said, "Don't get in my way. If it weren't for the Vermilion Bird Pearl, I would have killed you already!"
His gaze revealed a glimpse of the past. Shen Shuwen recalled a time when he was still human, standing on a lush green meadow under the warm sun. He had enjoyed the warmth that sunlight brought him.
Reflecting on those memories, Shen Shuwen's eyes filled with fury as he exclaimed, "I can barely remember the warmth of the sun anymore. These filthy rats have robbed me of my chance to face it. Now I can only survive in the dark shadows! I will take my revenge! I cannot forgive them! I cannot forgive these filthy rats!"
Ji Zichen suppressed her surging blood and shakily pushed herself up with her sword. "Shen Shuwen, you are out of your mind. On one hand, you feel disgusted by your transformation into a rat; on the other hand, you revel in the power that this rat form gives you. You are filled with contradictions—wanting to be human yet wanting to be a rat. Revenge? You should thank Madam Jiang because she has awakened your dark side."
Lin Chuyu, having been blown to the ground, was just about to get up when he saw Ji Zichen struggling to stand. Worry etched on his face as he looked at her. "Brother Ji..."
"Eh?"
Lin Chuyu noticed that the dragon carving on Ji Zichen's Demon-Slaying Sword had vanished, and the Buddha Head on her hands had disappeared as well. But in the next moment, the Buddha Head appeared atop the Demon-Slaying Sword in place of the missing dragon carving. "The Buddha Head has gone onto the sword?"
Ji Zichen chuckled lightly and said slowly, "Uncle Shen, look at how arrogant you are now; you are truly a demon from the abyss!"
Shen Shuwen trembled at her words, which struck a painful chord within him, causing veins to bulge on his rat-like face.
Ji Zichen swung her Demon-Slaying Sword and shouted, "Martial Measure of Chaos!"
A wave of energy from the Demon-Slaying Sword split the ground and charged towards Shen Shuwen. The sword's aura moved faster than lightning, closing in on him. With a sharp sound, one of Shen Shuwen's hands was severed by the demon-slaying strike.
A large spray of Rat Blood splattered onto the nearby Pig Demon Statue.
With one of his arms severed, Shen Shuwen cried out in agony, his voice piercing and filled with despair. Lin Chuyu was stunned, exclaiming, "One sword strike could sever such a massive arm!"
Shen Shuwen clutched his severed limb, his face rigid with rage. "How dare you! How dare you take my hand...!"
The severed arm fell at Ji Zichen's feet. She stepped on it with a wicked grin, saying, "What's wrong, Rat Lord? Have you become disabled?"
Shen Shuwen roared in fury, " Ji Zichen! I will tear you to shreds!"
As Shen Shuwen's furious cries echoed, he curled up into a spiky ball, his fur standing on end like barbs as he rolled toward Ji Zichen. He sounded like a black ball covered in spikes, screaming in pain, "Ah..."
The black ball rolled like a bouncing snowball.
Ji Zichen gathered her energy and shouted, pointing her sword at the rolling black ball, "Primal Vortex!"
The tip of the Demon-Slaying Sword emitted a vortex shape that collided with Shen Shuwen's rolling form, unleashing a fierce and eerie wind that made Lin Chuyu squint her eyes. The vortex continued to expand, growing larger than fifty feet and forming a massive Vortex Barrier in front of Ji Zichen.
As the vortex clashed with Shen Shuwen's spiky body, Ji Zichen cried out in distress, "Ugh! Oh no!" The tip of the Demon-Slaying Sword pierced through the vortex and emerged wider than fifty feet, stabbing into Shen Shuwen's flesh. In disbelief, he shouted, "How is this possible! My fur is harder than steel!"
Realizing he was at a disadvantage and unwilling to engage head-on, Shen Shuwen rolled to the left and crashed into a Pig Demon Statue, breaking through the wall and rolling out into the ruins. Ji Zichen retracted the vortex and chased after him through the hole in the wall.
When Lin Chuyu was finally able to open her eyes, she saw a gaping hole in the wall on the other side of the entrance. Although she couldn't see what had happened, she could hear—a massive creature had broken through the wall.
Lin Chuyu picked up Shen Bifan and left the ruins.
Just as Lin Chuyu exited the ruins, she spotted a large black rat lying seven feet away. Ji Zichen stood beside Shen Shuwen's head, pointing her sword at him and declaring, "You have lost."
Lin Chuyu watched as Ji Zichen defeated the giant rat, unsure whether to feel happy or sad, for that rat was Shen Bifan's father.
But no matter what, winning was better than losing.
Shen Shuwen lay on the ground, groaning, "It hurts. It really hurts..."
Ji Zichen met the defeated Shen Shuwen's gaze with a blank expression. She pressed the Demon-Slaying Sword against Shen Shuwen's throat and asked, "Where is the Vermilion Bird Essence?"
Shen Shuwen looked utterly disheartened, yet he fixed his gaze on Ji Zichen, his eyes shining brightly in the darkness. He asked, "Tell me honestly, if you find the ruins, what will you do with that wealth?"
Ji Zichen did not hesitate or ponder; he replied sincerely, "Honestly, I don't know. But right now, my thought is to find the Divine Tears to wake my master. As for the wealth, I want to make it public so that Lin Chuyu can avoid suffering from the competition over it."
Upon hearing this, Shen Shuwen let out a harsh, intermittent laugh. "Make it public? You want the world to fight over wealth and kill each other! Just wait and see; if you really do that, it will only stir up a bloody storm."
Ji Zichen said, "That's just my current thought. Now tell me, where is the Vermilion Bird Essence?"
Suddenly, a flock of birds took flight from the distant forest.
Seeing this strange occurrence, Shen Shuwen's face twisted into a grim smile. " Madam Jiang has sent someone. You've severely injured me; I can no longer deal with her. She can't wait to take your life now; she must have anticipated that I would lose to you. Do you think she would kindly let you in here? She knows you came through the Gap, and so can I."
Ji Zichen snapped back, "Enough with the nonsense! Quickly tell me where the Vermilion Bird Essence is!"
Shen Shuwen's eyes suddenly sparkled with life as if he had regained some strength. "If you want to know, follow me. I don't have much time left. Before I close my eyes, I want to ensure that Bifan can leave here safely."
With a sudden jolt, Shen Shuwen's rat body shook violently. His long tail curled around Shen Bifan, who had been left on the ground by Lin Chuyu. In one swift motion, Shen Shuwen wrapped his tail around Shen Bifan and began to flee. Lin Chuyu screamed in fright as Ji Zichen urged, "Let's follow them!"
Shen Shuwen sped into the forest with Bifan in tow. A large group of Guardians surrounded Shen Shuwen. One Guardian exclaimed, "Look! I was right! He's injured; it's that outsider who hurt him!"
Another Guardian said, "His hand is broken, hahaha!"
A third Guardian added, "He isn't even the master of the Divine Clan. I've disliked him for a long time. I didn't dare to act against him because of Madam Yuandan's power, but now, everyone, kill him!"
At that moment, the steward led another group of Guardians to arrive. He shouted, "Who dares to make a move! He is our master!"
One Guardian on the opposite side glared angrily at the steward. "Steward, I've had enough of you! Treating a mutated human like a treasure! If you say another word, I'll kill you!"
All the Guardians had bows and arrows in hand. One Guardian shouted, "Fire!"
A volley of arrows was released towards Shen Shuwen. Shen Shuwen couldn't dodge in time and was hit by several arrows, blood pouring down his body. The steward, seeing this, was furious and led his Guardians into battle against another group of Guardians.
Shen Shuwen placed Shen Bifan on the ground and woke her up. As soon as Shen Bifan opened her eyes, she saw Shen Shuwen covered in wounds and gasped in pain. "Father, what happened to you..."
Shen Shuwen forced a smile through his pain and said, "Bifan, I don't have much time left. I'm sorry I couldn't take care of you properly all these years. It's too late for anything now, but I promise I will get you out."
Shen Shuwen used his tail to wrap around Bifan and his eyes glowed red as he fiercely stared at the Guardians. "Let me remind you what you've turned me into!"
With that, Shen Shuwen charged into the center of the battle, rampaging and killing indiscriminately, causing most of the Guardians to fall.
Shen Shuwen broke through the gap and said to the steward, "You need to leave here; tonight will be the end!"
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