Chapter 206: Remains of the Deity (Part Three)
The ground trembles.
A thunderous roar buzzes in my ears as incredible chasms crack open on the black land, ashes swirling everywhere. Countless rocks flake off the terrain, defying gravity as they soar into the air. The entire world appears shattered, teetering on the brink of obliteration.
The red-haired woman leaps high from the crumbling boulder, darting gracefully among the suspended rocks, speeding towards me.
It’s… her…
The dancer…
Whoosh—
The wind howls as the dancer buzzes past me in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, I feel a hand grab my collar, followed by a swift yank that hauls me up from the precarious cliffside. I can faintly hear the hem of her skirt let out a “sizzle” as it emits a final, tragic sigh. My body is yanked across the decaying, jagged rocks and with a thud, I’m unceremoniously tossed onto the steep cliff’s summit.
“Cough, cough…”
My back slams against the uneven rock, sending shockwaves of pain through me. I involuntarily cough violently, spitting bl**d once more.
d*mn…
“You…”
I lie awkwardly on the jagged peak, struggling to calm my chaotic breathing, gritting my teeth to stay awake, and I turn my head to look at her.
Of course, it’s her…
The silver-haired dancer stands there, looking down at me, her cold expression devoid of emotion or words.
A thin ray of waning white light penetrates the ashes, casting an almost sickly pallor over her breathtaking face, her eye sockets slightly shadowed, and her once rosy lips now cracked and parched as if she hadn’t had a sip of water in days. Dust and ashes cling to her dirty dress, and her once-silky silver hair has lost its sheen.
She merely glances at me—a look that feels less like she’s seeing me and more like she’s gazing vacantly into the distance. Her hollow eyes, devoid of focus, seem to belong to a soulless puppet. Probably just confirming I’m still alive, her dull gaze quickly drifts away, and she raises her head to gaze into the distance at the squirming tumor.
She looks so frail…
But what do I care!
“You…”
The bone-deep pain slowly recedes, replaced by an intense, unbearable itch emanating from my grotesque wounds. I begin to feel my body again, realizing that the chaotic power is mending my injuries. I try to steady myself while trembling, suppressing the maddening sensation as I weakly stammer, “What… did you… do…”
The dancer ignores me.
I take a deep breath, summoning all my strength to shout, “What… did you… do? Cough cough!”
This must be her doing…
The trembling world… that tumor… the Dragon becoming that way…
She must have done something…
It’s definitely her!
The dancer remains silent.
The world around me shakes more violently. The peak beneath me starts to quaver as an ominous “boom” echoes through the air, ash fills the sky, fluttering like snowflakes on my face, and on the dancer’s head, landing on her long eyelashes. She pays no mind, simply gazing upward, a spectral figure lost in gloom, staring at the grotesque mass of flesh in the distance.
Crack, crack…
I hear the sickening crunch of bones from my body as steam rises from my wounds. The tumor writhes and slowly heals, intensifying the nagging itch that makes me want to bite my tongue off. I clamp my mouth shut, barely suppressing a whimper, my eyes wide and burning as I glare at the dancer, my breath quickening.
“I… want to talk to you…”
“You, d*mn heretic…”
My left arm and right leg feel somewhat less hurt compared to other injuries; the fractured bones are snapping back together amidst the itching, and my nerves start to come back online. Even though countless wounds are still bleeding, my fingers and toes regain some mobility while I call to the dancer.
“What the hell—”
Pain be damned, I override my lingering injuries; anxiety overtakes reason, and with a sudden slam, my left arm slams against the rock as I leap to my feet and launch myself at the dancer.
“What did you do?!”
As I shout, I form a bloodied fist, and right before I hit the ground, I land a punch!
Seemingly unaware, the dancer looks off into the distance without flinching.
Boom—
My fist lands solidly against her cheek, twisting her neck, sending her flying backwards with a whoosh.
I crash heavily against the rocks, my chin smashing against the hard edge, teeth clashing as I taste bl**d. Through my bleary vision, I see the dancer soar three to four meters away, tumbling on the ground, one shoe flying off to reveal her delicate foot, lying awkwardly with legs sprawled out, completely motionless.
But her eyes are wide open.
Despite my all-out effort, my limp state means I’m barely able to match even a tenth of my usual strength. The dancer lies there, her cheek red and swollen; it seems like I broke something in her mouth or lip, a streak of bl**d now at her lips, her hair matted, looking a bit ragged, but overall, she seems fine.
d*mn it…
Heretic!!!
I grit my teeth and swallow the coppery taste of bl**d, propping myself up against the chilly rock with my left arm, dragging my bl**d-slicked body towards her.
“You… killed so many… warriors… so many… people… died… because of you… because of you…”
She still doesn’t move. Crawling up onto her, I pin her down, fighting against the excruciating agony, raising my left fist to land blow after blow against her worn yet still exquisite face.
Boom—
“You!”
Boom—
“What did you do?!”
Boom—
“What the hell—!!”
My fists rain down like iron boulders. Even in my weakened condition, I pound at her until her eyes start to swell, her forehead bumps, and hot bl**d spills from her nose. Her head bounces against the rock, her body trembling with each hit, yet she doesn’t say a word, and she doesn’t fight back, her expression vacant as if she’s lost all will to live.
“Ahhhhh!”
Boom—
The final punch sends her head reeling to the side, rough strands of her hair falling against her rapidly swelling cheek. I’m out of strength, the pain suffocating my senses, and I fall limply onto her.
“b*stard…”
My eyes bloodshot, I weakly raise my left arm, aiming to grab her hair.
“Ha ha.”
Suddenly, I hear her light, airy laughter.
“Ha ha, ha ha ha…”
The laughter reverberates off the steep cliffs like a haunting echo, sounding both despairing and hollow.
“Silvya…”
At last, she speaks, her voice chilling as if it’s perpetually frozen in the Winter City, only slightly choked: “Just k*ll me.”
“Whew, whew—”
I gasp, my fury surging as I lift my head.
k*ll you?
“I… would love to… eat your… bones!!!”
The thin black mist hisses from my wounds, suddenly expanding with my broken shout.
I want to k*ll her…
Boom boom boom—
Suddenly, the rocks beneath me shatter with an astonishing roar, huge boulders collapse, and dust and ashes fill the air like a storm. The towering cliffs appear to come crashing down around me and the dancer as we plummet through the rain of debris.
