Chapter 11: You Need… to Kill Me
The central area was locked in a chaotic battle, the sky darkening as earth-shattering clashes erupted. Su Xiao, however, advanced unhurriedly toward the central courtyard. The wave of soul-shaking energy he had unleashed earlier had knocked out both civilians and members of the Black Marsh faction, leaving them sprawled on the ground.
The Ancestor faction had clearly stepped forward. The soul vine that shot up from the central region was almost certainly something they had cultivated—perhaps their totem, an ancestral relic, or something of the sort.
As for the attackers, judging by the meteor dragging magma as it fell, it bore a strong resemblance to a Spellcaster's attack. But even Su Xiao, a newcomer to the Void, could tell at a glance that it was a technique of the Demon Race. That blazing red magma was far too revealing of their identity.
From what Su Xiao had gathered so far, the center of the Penitent's Heights housed a soul vine. This vine, which the Ancestor faction had nurtured for who knows how many years, was on the verge of blooming and bearing fruit. For the Ancestor faction, this was undoubtedly exhilarating news.
Yet, in the midst of this joyous occasion, the Demon Race had come to snatch the prize. Earlier, Lilith had said she needed to meet someone and do something, claiming it would be quick, after which she would rejoin Su Xiao.
Judging by the current situation, Lilith wouldn't be finishing that task anytime soon. The vine serpent in the sky had already swallowed a phantom—a clone or avatar ability of some Demon Race member.
Soon, Su Xiao reached the outer area of the Penitent's Heights. The streets here were much cleaner and well-connected, with a full array of shops lining the way.
Just as Su Xiao was about to reach the edge of the central courtyard and successfully enter that area, the communicator on his belt suddenly vibrated.
Beep, beep, beep…
A rapid electronic tone came from the communicator. Su Xiao scanned his surroundings—someone else carrying a communicator was approaching him.
A crisp wind chime sounded.
Jingle~
A figure in a dark green fitted robe, wearing a hood, appeared at the corner of the street. The figure wasn't tall and carried a somewhat worn, loose sword bag on their back.
"She's your friend, right?"
The newcomer had a Demon Race member slung over their shoulder—it was Lilith.
From the voice, Su Xiao could tell the newcomer was female, but what puzzled him was a faint sense of familiarity, as if he had heard that voice somewhere before.
"You are?"
The newcomer tilted their shoulder, and Lilith tumbled to the ground. A war scythe stabbed into the ground beside her hand.
A flash of golden light flickered, and the woman in the dark green robe vanished. Su Xiao couldn't yet determine whether she was friend or foe, but she had delivered Lilith to him.
"Is this what you meant by 'quick to finish'?"
Su Xiao crouched down, hooking his finger under Lilith's lower jaw teeth, forcing her to meet his gaze. He noticed that Lilith wasn't unconscious.
Being pulled up like a fish on a hook, Lilith was so furious she was starting to roll her eyes.
A dozen or so seconds later, several soldiers in armor, wielding long weapons, charged into the alley. They halted almost simultaneously, staring at a spot on the ground. Beneath their visors, pale vertical pupils twitched occasionally, like a heartbeat. After observing for a moment, the soldiers marched away in unison.
Penitent's Heights, Central Courtyard Area.
Compared to the Black Marsh's territory, the central courtyard was noticeably colder. There were almost no pedestrians on the streets, and few shops lined the edges.
To Su Xiao, the entire Penitent's Heights seemed like a series of concentric rings. The Ancestor faction's territory was at the center, the smallest area. Beyond that was Asaka's territory, which wasn't much larger, forming a ring shape.
As for the outermost ring, it could almost be called the Black Marsh's domain. They had numbers and controlled the water source. Who would dare not call them kings? The answer: the Ancestor and Asaka factions dared. How terrifying the Ancestor faction was could be seen from the vine that shot into the sky earlier.
As for Asaka, they excelled at killing. If the Black Marsh's leader wanted to sleep soundly at night, it was best not to provoke Asaka. As a faction in the same region, Asaka's refusal to take assassination contracts on Black Marsh personnel was already a considerable courtesy.
Su Xiao found a house that looked like it hadn't been inhabited for years. As soon as he entered the room, Lilith, still on his shoulder, began to struggle weakly. It seemed this Demon girl had some sense of self-preservation.
"Speak. Since those old Demons arranged this, and things have turned out like this, where did the plan go wrong?"
"Mmph~"
Lilith was still a bit slurred. She sat up with effort, pressing a hand to her forehead. After a few minutes, she let out a long sigh.
"I don't know where it went wrong. But my current orders are just to follow you until you leave the Black Abyss safely."
"Oh? After failing to snatch the prize, you're not throwing a tantrum? It seems your Demon Race isn't as domineering in the Void as I imagined."
"Snatch the prize?"
Lilith looked at Su Xiao with wide, bewildered eyes.
"You're still young. You wouldn't understand."
"…"
Lilith's anger visibly rose, surpassing 30%, but she could only rage impotently in her heart.
"Perhaps… it's not just about snatching the prize."
Su Xiao had already arrived at the Penitent's Heights. He had thought that reaching this place would bring some clarity, but from the current situation, the chaos was only deepening. The waters here were far too murky—so murky that it was hard to tell what he had even touched. If it was a fish, fine, but if it was some poisonous insect or leech, he might lose his life.
The Ancestor faction, Asaka, the Black Marsh, the Demon Race, the soul vine—clearly, none of these were easy to deal with. What Su Xiao wanted to know more was what the "Ash Sprout" required for his promotion mission actually was. Even if he had to get a piece of the soul vine, at least that was something visible and identifiable.
"Lilith, were you exposed earlier?"
"Absolutely not. I was just waiting in a certain spot. Then I got swatted away by a very thick tentacle. During that, I saw a talking toad. It said something like, 'This one's trouble, send her over there. They're from the same place, consider it a favor.' After that…"
She stopped there, because what followed was Su Xiao hooking her lower jaw teeth with his index finger and pulling her up like a fish—a lifelong stain she would never mention.
"Good."
As Su Xiao spoke, his gaze shifted to the entrance of the house. Though the room was drafty from all sides, a figure stood at the doorway—someone in a black short-sleeved robe and a white mask.
"Who are you, and what is your purpose here?"
The newcomer spoke. Their voice was androgynous, and the alloy mask seemed to have a voice-disguising function.
"To join you."
Su Xiao didn't beat around the bush, getting straight to the point. The newcomer's attire clearly marked them as a member of Asaka.
"…"
The newcomer was silent for about a dozen seconds.
"You can. She can't. Asaka only accepts humans."
"What do I need to do?"
As Su Xiao spoke, he pressed a ring on his finger. This was a gift from the Demon Race, and also the main reason he had brought Lilith—this inexperienced Demon girl—to the Penitent's Heights. The ring could alter the color of his Azure Steel Shadow energy when released and infuse a trace of Demon power into it.
Su Xiao possessed the Demon Mark ability. While infusing Demon power into his Azure Steel Shadow energy would reduce its lethality by over 10%, it provided excellent camouflage. Unless it was a Void race very familiar with the Law-Destroying Shadow—like the Demon Race—it would be hard to identify the origin of the Azure Steel Shadow energy.
"You need… to kill me."
The black-robed, masked figure raised both arms, and two short blades slid out from their sleeves.