Chapter 78: Curtain Call
The plan was progressing at a faster pace thanks to the investment of the [Dream Stone] and three types of alchemical potions.
Judging from the current situation, Aiqi and the white-haired youth were bound to fight to the death. In reality, this wouldn't happen. These two brothers still needed to act as reckless fools and go to the Eastern Continent to wreak havoc on the Hunter Company. How could they die?
Not only could they not die, but Nainaini couldn't either. Given the protagonist team's tendency to court death, without Nainaini as the super healer, the probability of the protagonist duo dying suddenly would skyrocket.
Nainaini's healing ability was secondary; her strength lay in being able to reverse injuries.
Boom!
A thunderous roar echoed as Aiqi and the white-haired youth clashed. Golden lightning collided with darkness. Vast maws emerged from the darkness, devouring and tearing at everything, even absorbing energy itself.
At the edge of the battlefield, Nainaini was sent flying by the wind pressure, crashing with a thud against a stone wall. She hadn't completely lost consciousness, but she could feel her awareness fading.
Several minutes passed, and Nainaini's consciousness reached its limit. She could barely even hear the roar of the battle.
"Don't sleep. Don't sleep."
A faint voice reached Nainaini's ears. Having already given up, her consciousness suddenly re-condensed, like grabbing a lifeline while drowning. No, it was a hand grabbing her—a pale, delicate hand.
"My head must be messed up. Is it really worth it?"
A 'distant' voice sounded in Nainaini's ears. She vaguely saw a figure standing beside her, holding something that looked like a syringe.
"Tch—"
After this sound, Nainaini's consciousness became clearer. She suddenly opened her eyes, using her remaining arm to press against her chest, activating her reversal ability. Although she couldn't reverse severed limbs or missing body parts for those too strong, restoring herself was no problem.
Nainaini's body visibly grew thinner. The torso, organs, and arms restored through reversal weren't obtained out of thin air; they consumed her cellular energy.
An extreme feeling of weakness spread throughout Nainaini's body, but thankfully the feeling of dying had receded. Her five senses—hearing, sight, smell, etc.—returned to normal, and her torso and arms had regrown.
As soon as Nainaini recovered, she sensed a pair of eyes staring intently at her. She guiltily shrank her head. The person approaching was the equally weakened Geya.
"CTN72 type cell regeneration reagent, exclusive to the Eclipse Organization. Black market price: 2.7 million Tab pounds per dose, unavailable on the open market. You... pay up."
As she said this, Geya held out her hand for payment. It was obvious her hand was trembling. This wasn't acting; Geya was an extreme money-grubber. If not for Su Xiao's orders, she would likely have pocketed the 'CTM72 type cell regeneration reagent.' As for what she wanted the money for, that was anyone's guess.
Hearing the price of 2.7 million Tab pounds, Nainaini knew she couldn't afford it. This syringe cost more than the combined bounty on White Hair and Aiqi, who together were only worth 2.5 million Tab pounds.
Nainaini grabbed Geya's hand. Geya had been injured for too long to reverse, so Nainaini could only activate her healing ability to help Geya recover.
Boom!
A bolt of golden lightning struck down, immediately drawing the attention of Geya and Nainaini.
At the battle site a hundred meters away, the white-haired youth stood on the back of Hazard A-052 (a mechanical giant bird), flying at low altitude. His upper body was bare, covered in golden patterns, his hair turning gold-white in a Saiyan-like style. Arcs of electricity surged around him as six golden lightning spears hung behind him, their tips aimed at the Devourer Aiqi below.
The Devourer Aiqi's size had decreased rather than increased, now less than three meters tall. Four of the five dark eyes on his right arm had opened, with invisible mouths positioned behind him.
All enemies directly hit by the Devourer would be corroded by darkness, inheriting the properties of dark matter, though the corrosion wasn't as stubborn as dark matter itself.
Geya and Nainaini exchanged glances. Without needing to communicate, they made a decision: get farther away first. It was too late to mediate now. The white-haired youth might still be reasoned with, but Aiqi was beyond reach.
Several black-clad figures approached from afar—members of the Organization.
"You two over there, don't make any suspicious moves."
An Organization member stepped forward. Geya and Nainaini raised their hands in surrender.
The location where Aiqi and the white-haired youth fought was Organization territory. It was only natural for Organization members to investigate. Details determined success or failure.
Boom!
A massive explosion occurred in the distance. The Organization members looked over, their expressions changing drastically. One of them seemed to receive an order and quickly left with the others.
"The Organization... left? The battle here is this intense, and they don't care?"
As Nainaini said this, despair filled her heart. If even the Organization wouldn't intervene, who could stop White Hair and Aiqi from killing each other? Would they really have to fight to the death or die together?
"Nainaini, hide with me. The Hunter Company has gone crazy this time."
"What are you talking about? Say something people can understand."
"It's complicated to explain. Just hide first. I might have guessed wrong earlier. Maybe the Hunter Company isn't after the Devourer inside Aiqi, but something else."
Geya dragged Nainaini into hiding among the ruins, poking out only their two small heads to watch the battle outside.
Nearly two hundred meters away, Aiqi and the white-haired youth faced off about ten meters apart. Hazard A-052 (the mechanical giant bird) had transformed into a bracer form on the white-haired youth's right arm. His chest bore several deep claw marks reaching the bone, and three black spikes were embedded in his shoulder and leg. These spikes were draining his life force; they couldn't be pulled out rashly, or death would come faster.
The Devourer Aiqi wasn't faring well either. His upper body was riddled with holes, the outer flesh carbonized by lightning. But on his left arm, four and a half of the five dark eyes had opened, causing his aura to surge.
A not-so-thick bolt of golden lightning descended, merging into the white-haired youth's hand to form a lightning spear. He couldn't use this lightning recklessly, only to construct weapons. Even so, it placed a tremendous burden on him. The spear he held was the last golden lightning he could summon.
Crackle!
The lightning spear grew even more dazzling in the white-haired youth's hand. On the other side, the Devourer Aiqi spread his arms, which transformed into two black curved blades, their darkness greatly enhancing cutting power.
"Aiqi!"
The ground beneath the white-haired youth's feet cracked as he charged forward at full speed, holding the golden spear with one hand.
"Roar!!"
Aiqi, with his arms bent, also charged, leaving black trails in his wake with the two curved blades.
Just as they rushed toward each other, ready to decide life and death, a golden-red ring appeared in the center of both their chests.
"Perfect."
With a snap of fingers, a man in flashy theatrical attire appeared. With this snap, Aiqi and the white-haired youth went rigid. Their weapons failed to strike each other, and instead, the two collided.
"Magnificent... absolutely magnificent!"
The man in flashy attire moved with strange steps, almost like ballet dancing. Combined with his painted face, he appeared effeminate and sinister.
"What a perfect curtain call. Thank you both for your performance. Now... it's time for your exit."
The effeminate man extended one hand forward. Almost simultaneously, Aiqi and the white-haired youth, lying on the ground, screamed in agony. Their bodies floated uncontrollably as golden-red blood was drawn from their brows.
"Ahh!"
The white-haired youth cried out in pain, his face twisted in agony. Across from him, the Devourer Aiqi also roared.
The golden-red blood drawn from their brows gradually converged, forming an egg-sized blood mass that floated irregularly in midair.
The Devourer on Aiqi's surface receded into his body. He collapsed to the ground with a thud. Across from him, the white-haired youth also fell, completely drained.
"Everything was already fated. Your deaths today are also fated."
The effeminate man spread his arms as blades floated around him. Clearly, he intended to eliminate Aiqi and the white-haired youth.
A hundred meters away, Geya and Nainaini, hiding in the ruins, exchanged glances. They confirmed the look: both were about to charge in and get themselves killed. The White-Give Sisters gritted their teeth and decided: go!
But before the White-Give Sisters could charge in and get themselves killed, the situation reversed.
"Jazz, who gave your Hunter Company the guts to cause trouble in my Gaman City? Even though our Organization's people have recently gone to the Eastern Continent."
A lazy, slightly roguish voice rang out. The effeminate man, Jazz, turned to look.
"Mad Dog Siri."
Jazz's gaze turned cold. His entrance combined many traits of idiotic villains: a bunch of useless chatter, not killing the target quickly, and still not killing them immediately when a strong enemy appeared.
This, of course, wasn't the real Jazz, but a high-ranking member of the Organization in disguise. The real Jazz of the Hunter Company was one of the four major shareholders, one of the four most powerful people there. His overall strength ranked second in the Hunter Company, close to Siri's combat power. The two had clashed a few years ago.
Jazz was silent for a few seconds before finally leaving with the Blood of Fate. Siri didn't stop him. This was reasonable. If the real Jazz had come, Siri and Jazz fighting in Gaman City would cause devastating losses.
Siri lit a cigarette and sat beside Aiqi, saying:
"Young man, the Devourer inside you has reached the fifth stage. Just now, five 'Dark Eyes' opened on your arm. I've never seen so many Dark Eyes on a Devourer host. Most hosts have at most three, but you have five. Still, it doesn't matter. Once the Devourer inside you awakens, you'll lose your mind. Cherish your last few minutes, young man."
Siri exhaled blue smoke. With a flick of his hand, he drove a short knife into the ground before Aiqi, meaning he would use this knife to end Aiqi.
Sensing that Siri meant no hostility, Nainaini tried to approach. Geya naturally followed. She was familiar with Siri. At Organization headquarters, he was a big shot but always shamelessly stole her food.
Siri pulled out a pocket watch and began waiting for Aiqi to lose his mind so he could finish him. But he smoked nearly a pack of cigarettes and waited over two hours. Aiqi was still lying on the ground, not losing his mind.
"Young man, can you hurry up? I have an appointment. I've already paid. Time is money."
Hearing this, Aiqi almost rolled his eyes. He wanted to say: 'Sorry for not going berserk and wasting your time. Really 'thanks' for waiting here to kill me.'
"Damn, almost three hours."
Siri looked around, as if evil thoughts were brewing, but in the end, he just cursed under his breath.
"Wait for me. I'll consult our Legion Commander."
Siri took out a communicator, said something, and then nodded repeatedly.
"What did your Legion Commander say?"
Nainaini asked nervously. She knew very well that neither she, Aiqi, nor White Hair were in the same strength tier as this roguish man.
"Our Legion Commander said to decide for myself. That's troublesome."
Siri scratched his head, pondering the question of kill or not kill. Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
"Young man, after this, will you seek revenge on the Hunter Company?"
Hearing this, Aiqi was silent, but the anger in his eyes said it all.
"So you'll go to the Eastern Continent. Even if you go berserk, you'll only cause trouble for the Transcendents there. No direct relation to our Organization. Wonderful. Good."
Siri pulled the short knife from the ground, patted the dust off his pants, and walked away into the distance, leaving behind the white-haired youth, Aiqi, Nainaini, and Geya.
"Sorry..."
"I misunderstood..."
The white-haired youth and Aiqi spoke one after the other. Then, neither said another word, only their fists lightly touched.
"Hunter Company."
The white-haired youth and Aiqi spoke simultaneously this time. They looked at each other, and their thoughts immediately became clear. It was all the Hunter Company's fault. That company was truly evil.
...
Deer Flower Manor, second-floor study of the castle.
The study was dim. Su Xiao sat behind the desk. Whoosh—a gust of wind blew open the window. A glass bottle containing golden-red blood flew in through the window, stopping steadily above the desk in front of Su Xiao. The window slammed shut, and the wind subsided.
"Lord Bai Ye, mission... complete."
The ethereal voice faded as the visitor retreated, leaving only the fully sealed glass bottle, 10 centimeters tall. Inside was the Blood of Fate—Blood of Fate that exceeded its original limits.
Su Xiao picked up the sealed bottle from the desk. A flash of golden lightning flickered through the air before vanishing. The Blood of Fate was his.
[Tip: You have obtained Blood of Fate (World-Class Item).]
PS: (Two chapters today—one 6000-word chapter and one 3800-word chapter, nearly equivalent to the amount of five previous chapters. For continuity, they weren't split.)