Chapter 40-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
The image of Wu Shu in the manga was a fleeting one. Ye Zheng scrolled down further and saw a cracked, arid desert. The black-haired, black-eyed girl was bowing her head submissively. A gentle-looking, middle-aged man in a white robe was smiling at her, but his eyes held no mirth—only a cold, scrutinizing gaze.
Ye Zheng's black eyes narrowed and widened slightly. How could the Pope be in this Demonic Domain?
She looked up abruptly, her wary gaze sweeping through the shelter. That man always sat high up in the Sei Curia in the upper district. The only possible reason for him to come here personally was either an immense disaster that required his intervention or an equally immense benefit...
Ye Zheng let out a breath and calmly considered the situation. According to the original plot, this shelter would have a bug outbreak, and countless people would be parasitized. If these parasitic hosts returned from the Demonic Domain to reality, these bugs would cause a massive disaster in the Empire.
Thinking along these lines, it wasn't so far-fetched for the Pope to appear here.
Her finger gently caressed the image of the black-haired girl on the screen. The girl's head was bowed, and her expression was unclear, but Ye Zheng knew herself—the look in the eyes hidden in the shadows must be even colder than the Pope's.
She hoped he was only here to help with the disaster, although the Saintess was not very convinced in her heart. In her three years at the Sei Curia, her understanding of the Pope wasn't very deep, but it was enough for her to despise him.
The screen went blank, with no more spoilers about Ye Zheng for the next chapter.
She stood up, deciding to find a way to completely destroy the bug eggs she had taken out and nip all potential dangers in the bud, so she wouldn't have to bother the Pope to come and save them.
"Damn it, this bug is so disgusting!"
The golden-haired boy was swept away by the furry foreleg of a giant centipede-like bug and rolled on the ground several times. His clean white shirt was covered in dust.
"Roy, use your fire to help me!"
The black-haired boy's blue eyes were calmly fixed on the mountainous bug. Its form resembled a spider, but with dozens more furry legs. It was covered in a hard shell, with only its bulging eyes exposed.
Roy cursed as he got up from the ground. Percy, who had rushed to his side, broke a dead tree branch, which magically transformed into a metal spear with an incredibly sharp tip in his hand.
While the Divine Academy team was fighting the monster, Percy seized the opportunity, aimed at a round eyeball, and threw the spear with great force. A strong flame propelled the sharp spear, which shot with a whoosh and plunged directly into the monster's eye. The giant bug's body lost control, and its dozens of legs twitched violently in pain.
"You threw that pretty accurately."
Roy looked at the monster's grotesque state and smiled in satisfaction.
"It's not that he threw accurately; it's that my 'Fate' made him hit it."
The silver-haired young man appeared behind them at some point, his eyes narrowed into a line as he smiled.
Percy glanced at the card Yin Kong was toying with. "Thank you."
Based on his observations of Yin Kong's ability, this person could not only predict others' fates through cards but also influence the probability of events occurring.
The moment Percy threw the spear, he estimated the probability of a hit was fifty percent. Yin Kong could use his cards to raise that probability to one hundred percent.
However, Percy was a little skeptical of this ability. Fate was a mysterious thing. How could he know if the hit was due to his own fifty percent success rate or if Yin Kong's ability had eliminated the possibility of failure?
He subtly glanced at Yin Kong. This person, just like his ability, was unfathomable.
"Hey, Yin Kong! Bai Muqing's an exception, but why are you, our captain, helping another team?"
A Divine Academy student in a white uniform not far away glared at his captain with dissatisfaction. What if this monster was the core of the Demonic Domain? Wouldn't Yin Kong's action be assisting an opponent and giving away points?
Yin Kong shrugged. "Future clergy, don't be so stingy. We are all fighting for justice and hope."
The team member choked on Yin Kong's words and angrily chopped off one of the giant bug's legs in front of him.
Percy looked at this peculiar opponent speechless. He could never understand his intentions. As Sei Curia people, Ye Zheng was more like what they would imagine the clergy to be.
The mountain-like giant bug let out a violent burst of chaotic attacks due to the intense pain. This aimless attack, on the contrary, provided Percy with an opportunity. He gave Caleb a look, and Caleb nodded in understanding.
Earthen pillars rose from the ground, from low to high. Percy stepped on them, leaped into the air, and transformed his arms into massive blades. He plunged them down from above into the giant bug's head. Immediately, green liquid splattered out. The giant bug struggled for a while before it went still.
Percy released the metal transformation of his arms. His arms, covered in green blood, hung at his sides as he stood on the giant bug's corpse. His mind suddenly wandered.
He must look a mess, covered in blood. Percy somehow thought of the girl who was just as disheveled not long ago. For some reason, that bloody and brutal color on her seemed to have a beauty that defied all logic.
He wondered how she was doing in that shelter. With Bai Muqing and Lucy there, she should be safe.
Percy jumped down from the giant bug. As soon as he landed, he felt the ground shaking, as if something was about to burst out of the earth.
"Again!"
The golden-haired boy's voice was a bit broken.
They had thought that the bugs parasitizing humans were the most dangerous things in this Demonic Domain. But now, one after another, giant bugs seemed to have collectively awakened, running rampant across the wasteland. This place had become their paradise.
The ground cracked, forming a fissure dozens of meters long, like a ferocious, gaping mouth swallowing everything. Then, a slender, cold-glistening bug leg emerged from the crack and planted itself firmly on the ground.
Percy's expression worsened. He estimated the size of this new creature to be at least twice that of the previous one.
The metal transformation spread from his fingers up his entire arm. Percy was ready to attack.
A red eyeball larger than a human emerged from the ground crack, followed by a black proboscis and a gigantic body.
"What a disgusting thing."
The golden-haired, golden-eyed boy leaped onto the bug's head at some point. His ruthless golden eyes looked down at the monstrously large bug.
He squatted down, placed one arm on the bug's head, and used it to launch himself off, landing lightly on the ground. He unhurriedly put his black glove back on his right hand and looked directly at the young people who were ready for battle not far away.
Behind Sykes, the giant bug didn't even have time to let out a cry before its massive body vanished like dust.
Seeing the monster eliminated, Percy felt no relief. Instead, he became even more vigilant—
Once Sykes acted on a whim, he was far more terrifying than any Demonic Domain.
"How many have we killed now?"
Sykes asked Yu Tianming, who had caught up to him, with a blank expression. Yu Tianming answered precisely, "Your Highness, twelve."
The Cloud-Soaring Squad and Divine Academy teams who heard this conversation quietly gasped. All of them combined had only managed to take down three.
It made sense. Sykes's [Destruction] was the legendary 3S-rank talent that only deities could possess. With a light touch, all things were reduced to dust. It was powerful to the point of being unsolvable.
Yin Kong looked at the crown prince's arrogant figure, thinking with interest that while the [Destruction] ability was powerful, it didn't really seem like an ability a deity would have. The Sei Curia and Royal Family should change its name to better fit their purpose.
When Sykes heard Yu Tianming's answer, he glanced at Ryan. "Are there any other monsters with strong fluctuations nearby?"
Ryan concentrated on sensing and shook his head, confirming there were no more. "Your Highness, no other discoveries."
Percy, who had heard the Royal Team's conversation, slowly furrowed his brows. Why hadn't the core monster appeared after so many monsters had been killed? Did they have to wait for the right moment, or had they not found the right location?
He looked up and scanned his surroundings. His gaze suddenly stopped. A black figure seemed to be standing on a distant hill, but in the blink of an eye, the hill was empty.
Inside the underground shelter.
In a corner, a swarm of colorful butterflies was releasing poisonous scales into a large bucket. According to Lucy, her [Butterfly Waltz] ability's poison was extremely potent, enough to completely kill the vitality of these bug eggs.
Ye Zheng looked at Bai Muqing, who was lost in thought in another corner. After some consideration, she decided to ask her to check for parasitic hosts one more time. She would give her a gift and properly compensate her after they left this Demonic Domain.
"Muqing, are you able to check one more time now?"
"My check won't be wrong."
"I found 51. It is 51."
Bai Muqing said indifferently. Ye Zheng was about to say something else. She knew Bai Muqing was actually very easy to talk to. Suddenly, she swallowed the words she was about to say, her voice becoming a bit strained:
"You said, 51?"
Bai Muqing nodded. Realizing the implication belatedly, she slowly turned her head, her white eyes "looking" at Ye Zheng.
"But we counted the unconscious people, and there were 50."
The two looked at each other until a cry of surprise broke the eerily calm atmosphere.
"You, what's wrong with you?"
"Don't come over!"
"Help, help!"
Immediately, screams and cries swept through the entire shelter like a tidal wave. Ye Zheng turned and saw a terrifying scene she would never forget.
A slender, dozens of meters tall bug body nearly reached the ceiling. Countless short legs twitched densely on its sides, and at the very top of the gigantic, centipede-like body was a small human head.
At this moment, Ye Zheng hated that her eyesight was too good.
She recognized that the head belonged to the woman she had just saved outside, the woman she had quietly saved from the chaos with her ability.
The girl's body was pale and rigid, and her usual composure was gone. In a flash of lightning, she pieced together all the possibilities.
With Bai Muqing's ability, even with a fifty percent reduction, it was impossible for an ordinary person to resist the effect of unconsciousness and become a loophole.
Such a powerful force... It was highly likely to be the core of the Demonic Domain!
Ye Zheng told herself that she hadn't changed any of the plot after entering this Demonic Domain, but in the original plot, she didn't seem to save anyone.
In the original plot, this woman should have died. The bug inside her body might have then parasitized someone else, wandered outside, and encountered the protagonist team, leading to a great battle.
But now, because of her actions to save her, this bug egg with immense power successfully hatched inside the woman's body, right inside the shelter!
Looking at Ye Zheng's bloodless face, the System's voice tried to comfort her in a panic.
[No one could have predicted this. In the original plot, this boss also appeared suddenly outside. No one knew its origin!]
"The plot really loves to play jokes on me."
Ye Zheng said coldly. A violent power fluctuated from her body.
Even if she exposed her true strength here, even if it led to huge trouble afterward, she would fulfill her promise to save everyone.
Bai Muqing's face was solemn, her white eyes unblinking. Holy specks of light descended throughout the shelter, calming even the terrified people.
Lucy, who was using her ability, felt her power suddenly increase. She didn't have time to think and sent countless colorful butterflies to attack the grotesque human head high above.
In the midst of the chaos, Ye Zheng took a step towards the bizarre giant bug. A stream of water began to spread around her. A small tributary wrapped around a child who was about to fall and placed them in a safe corner.
"Ha, as expected, the true core is here."
Hearing the woman's frivolous voice, Ye Zheng looked up with a cold expression. A short-haired woman in black was leaning against the staircase railing, her keen eyes watching the giant bug.
"Even the Crown Prince's well-trained dog couldn't sniff it out. It could only be in the shelter, which isolates abilities."
Wu Shu lightly jumped down from the stairs, her expression teasing as she turned to the Saintess. "I'll assist you. The points belong to me, how about that?"
Author's note:
I'm just a little girl who loves watching women team up and fight.
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