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墨書 Inktalez
Just as the Old Woman finished speaking, Yao Long, who had been lying on the bed with his eyes tightly shut, suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Before I could react, he sprang up from the bed with a swift motion. At that moment, I realized that his eyes were no longer human; they were completely devoid of whites, pitch black and so deep that they sent a chill down my spine.
"Yao, Yao Long, are you okay?!" I instinctively took a few steps back, astonished.
"No, he is not! He is not your friend anymore; he is the Worm King! Run!" With that urgent warning, the Old Woman yanked my sleeve hard, causing me to stumble. Then she pushed me out of the room with great force.
"Old Woman..." I began to call out, but before I could finish my sentence, I found myself outside. The Old Woman's actions were fluid and powerful; I had no time to react.
Seeing that the door was still open, I hurriedly tried to rush back inside to pull her out as well. But just as I lifted my leg to step in, the Old Woman dashed to the door and slammed it shut with a loud bang.
The force of her action sent dust raining down from the eaves above, and it got into my eyes, making them water uncontrollably.
"Old Woman, you need to come out too!" I shouted while rubbing my stinging eyes.
As soon as my words left my mouth, I heard the Old Woman's urgent voice from inside: "Get away from here and don't—"
Before she could finish her sentence, a terrifying roar erupted from within. The sound was more intimidating than a lion's roar and more piercing than a wolf's howl; just hearing it made me feel an icy dread.
I quickly opened my tear-filled eyes and rushed back into the house where I had been staying. I grabbed my backpack from the bed and pulled out Jiang Ling. I thought to myself, "Yao Long is my friend; I should take responsibility and not let that Old Woman bear the consequences alone. Even if she brought the Worm King to Yao Long, it was because of that witch that Yao Long ended up like this..."
With that thought in mind, I grabbed Jiang Ling and dashed out of the house. Just then, I heard a loud crash as a wooden door from a nearby house was blown off its hinges and smashed against a large rock in the distance.
"Old Woman, are you alright?!" I called out anxiously as I ran toward that house...
As I arrived in front of the house, I saw Yao Long clad in pitch-black armor, wielding the Azure Spirit. He leaped out of the house with a sudden burst of energy, soaring high into the air and landing directly on the massive stone that had just shattered the wooden door.
Standing atop the stone, I noticed that Yao Long's armor was gradually sprouting palm-sized scales. These scales continued to cover his body, resembling the ancient armor worn by warriors. However, unlike traditional armor, this seemed to grow directly from his skin, tightly adhering to him.
At that moment, the Old Woman emerged from inside the house, trembling as she clutched her left shoulder. Upon seeing me at the entrance, she sternly said, "I told you to leave quickly! This is not the time to confront him head-on; none of us can match his strength!"
Ignoring her words, I hurried forward to support her and replied with equal seriousness, "Please tell me why he has become like this!"
"You stubborn fool! When I say to leave, you should just go! I have my own ways to deal with this!" The Old Woman snapped back at me, pushing me away with force. She then shouted fiercely, "Leave now! If you stay here, none of us will survive!"
Realizing her intent to confront the Worm King and sacrifice herself to save Yao Long filled me with dread. I couldn't allow her to make such a sacrifice. Even if she was responsible for this disaster, it might have been a desperate measure. Moreover, she had saved my life; even if it wasn't for Yao Long's sake, I couldn't let her die.
With that thought in mind, I raised my Jiang Ling without hesitation and plunged the blade into my chest. In that instant, time seemed to freeze as I saw Yao Long drawing back his bow, a deep red arrow forming on its string aimed directly at the Old Woman.
Seeing this, I couldn't afford to hesitate any longer. I channeled what little strength remained in my legs and sprinted towards Yao Long. However, having completely exhausted my Void Spirit's power earlier, I felt weak—barely one-twentieth of my original strength remained.
Despite this, I rushed forward during that moment of suspended time and reached Yao Long's side. With a swift motion, I slashed through the arrow he had readied.
At that moment, being so close to Yao Long under the setting sun allowed me to see that his face was now covered in scales. His teeth had transformed into something akin to an insect's mandibles—terrifyingly grotesque.
As I stood there in shock, my Void Spirit roared at me upon seeing Yao Long: "What are you doing?! You don't have time to recover your strength; this enemy..."
Before it could finish its sentence, I interrupted urgently: "This is not an enemy; he is my friend! A friend who saved my life!"
"Even so, what does it matter? Right now, he is the opponent you need to face. With your current strength, even if you use 'Hatred,' your chances of winning are less than one in ten thousand!" Void Spirit said, sounding somewhat anxious.
However, upon hearing his words, I did not feel fear; instead, I felt a deep sense of calm. I replied to Void Spirit, "What does it matter? Several times when I used 'Hatred,' they knew they had no chance of winning but still resolutely appeared before me. They pulled me back from 'Hatred' time and again, and now I have no reason to leave him behind and escape alone."
At that moment, time seemed to freeze before vanishing. Yao Long, seeing that the arrow in his hand had been cut in half, was caught off guard. He shouted and turned his attention toward me.
"Yao Long, wake up! It's me..." I tried to call out to him, as every time before, it was sound that pulled me back from 'Hatred.'
But before I could finish, Yao Long roared and raised a fist that came crashing down on me, sending me flying several dozen meters away.
Suddenly, my throat felt sweet, and a mouthful of blood spurted from my lips. "Don't go to your death! It's meaningless!" Void Spirit scolded from within me.
I struggled to get up, wiping the blood from the corner of my mouth with a smile. "In this world, not everything has meaning..." With that, I slowly propped myself up and poured all my remaining strength into Jiang Ling. Then I continued, "Meaning is simply doing what you want to do and protecting those you want to protect. That is the greatest meaning!"
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