Chapter 107-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation

In the darkness, a tiny cluster of light suddenly shone, illuminating Ye Zheng's face.

Percy reacted as well, pulling out his lighter. Another small flame flickered to life, dispelling a bit of the darkness.

Sykes never carried such items, so he could only borrow their light to look around at the environment.

The space was extremely narrow; they reached the other end after only a few steps. Sykes pressed his hand against the hard, cold wall. "It's metal."

"It's Heterogeneous Stone. Our abilities are restricted."

Ye Zheng knocked on the wall and added.

Heterogeneous Stone is the material used to build shelters, capable of isolating the power of the Demonic Domain. But this was definitely not a shelter; its construction felt more like a cage.

Ye Zheng used the faint light of the lighter to grope the smooth wall. This couldn't be a completely sealed space; there must be an exit.

She held the lighter up, trying to see the ceiling from which the three had fallen, but only saw pitch black, like the bottom of a cliff where sunlight never reached.

No, it shouldn't be too deep, or she wouldn't have climbed up unscathed... Wait, what was Kiran's ability again? The data didn't seem to mention it.

Ye Zheng turned, wanting to ask Sykes, who was also an Aston, but accidentally bumped into another figure, nearly dropping the lighter.

"Percy?"

The flickering flame illuminated Percy's frozen blue eyes. Light and shadow crisscrossed his face, making his expression seem more stunned, as if he were lost in distant memories.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

Ye Zheng asked.

Percy snapped out of his daze and shook his head. Leaning against the wall, he said, "No, it's nothing. When I was a child, I think I was locked in a small, dark room like this by my parents because I was mischievous."

Ye Zheng frowned slightly. "You told me your parents seemed very gentle people. I didn't expect them to punish a child like that."

Percy's expression became awkward. In the firelight, he turned his face away, staring into the depths of the darkness, "Perhaps it was because I was too naughty back then."

His fist unconsciously pressed against the wall. Hearing Ye Zheng mention the past so naturally, her genuine, heartfelt words, the feeling of confusion and bitterness surged up in his heart again, even overshadowing the inexplicable fear he felt upon entering this space.

"Do you plan to keep talking about the past in here?"

Sykes's somewhat sharp voice sounded.

Ye Zheng retracted her probing gaze, having gained some insight into Percy's background.

She looked at Sykes with a smile, "Crown Prince, do you have a way out?"

Sykes choked up. He crossed his arms and turned his head. "Aren't you always the one with a way?"

"Your Highness, do you know Kiran's ability? He is your relative."

Ye Zheng ignored Sykes's sarcasm (snide, mocking tone) and asked curiously.

Hearing Ye Zheng's serious inquiry, Sykes lowered his golden eyes and began to think earnestly. After a while, he gave an uncertain answer, "I think it's Gravity?"

Kiran was once famous in the upper district, a favorite in front of the emperor. Even if Sykes, as a Prince, didn't want to know, those around him would have mentioned it.

Upon receiving this answer, Ye Zheng spread her hands helplessly, "Well, we don't have to count on going back the way we came."

The space was likely deep underground. Kiran must have used his ability the moment the three fell, which is why she was able to climb up from the ground unharmed.

A flash of anger crossed Sykes's golden eyes. Kiran actually dared to take it upon himself to imprison them in this damned place, all under the guise of protecting them.

With a grim expression, he suddenly took off his right black glove and punched the pitch-black metal wall.

A violent recoil instantly filled the confined space. Flying strands of hair obscured Ye Zheng's vision. She tucked her hair behind her ear and held the lighter close to inspect the result of Sykes's action.

A not-too-deep dent appeared on the wall; the metal was sunken but still showed no sign of a crack or light.

"Given that your abilities are restricted, achieving this much is quite impressive. Maybe a few more punches and you'll break through?"

Ye Zheng encouraged him in a gentle tone. Sykes momentarily couldn't tell if she was being sincere or genuinely sarcastic.

Percy also walked over and placed his hand on the dent. He used his Metal Transmutation ability to sense it, and after a moment, shook his head. "The wall is very thick. My current ability cannot penetrate it."

The atmosphere fell silent again. The small cage seemed to offer no space for them to use their powers, yet Ye Zheng continued to grope the wall, her ability [Stream] moving like a snake in the dark corners.

"Percy, look for any cracks or breakthroughs on the wall. Crown Prince Sykes, don't just stand there either. Your people are waiting for your rescue outside... and Lucy."

"Kiran threw us here. Danger might have already arrived. Many people are waiting for us to get out... and Lucy."

Ye Zheng turned around. The faint firelight made her clean-cut face look gentle and radiant.

"Lucy said she was going to invite us to be guests in her hometown."

"I promised. I never break my word."

Percy's heart pounded violently at that moment. The dark environment was clearly silent, yet his ears were filled with a buzzing sound.

So she hadn't forgotten Lucy, hadn't forgotten the promise she made as a member of the Cloud-Soaring Squad. In that case, what about the promises she made to him—

[Even if it means taking on a responsibility of glory that is too heavy for you, it's fine with me.]

Percy suddenly lowered his head and covered his face. In an instant, every word and smile of Zhao Mei and Ye Zheng from the past all overlapped in his mind!

She truly never lied to him, possessing a clear conscience. That's why, upon meeting again, she could speak and cooperate with him so naturally, as if nothing had ever happened.

Intense emotion flashed in his blue eyes. Percy seemed to finally realize what kind of person Ye Zheng was: a kind, noble, intelligent—and terrifying person!

"Percy, are you really okay?"

He stumbled backward as if struck by a powerful impact until his back was against the cold wall. Under Ye Zheng's gaze of concern, he turned his hands and pressed them against the wall, his five fingers clenching, as if he had finally grasped a piece of driftwood.

Suddenly, a peculiar sensation came from his fingertips. Percy's expression froze. He turned and bent down to examine it.

"Here, it's sunken."

Ye Zheng noticed Percy's unusual state, thinking he must have triggered some special memory again. Percy, who Zhou Yun called the "perfect replica of the God of Hope," couldn't merely be the child of a commoner couple from the lower district. He was probably adopted.

And before the adoption, perhaps he stayed right here in this West District cathedral?

Ye Zheng walked up to inspect the area Percy pointed out. Percy pressed his finger against it, and suddenly, he opened his fingers, taking out a palm-sized piece of metal from the wall.

A gap instantly appeared in the hard black wall, letting in a faint light. Even Sykes quickly moved closer.

The three exchanged glances. Sykes silently pushed the other two aside and forcefully pried at the gap with both hands.

Cracks began to appear in the cold, hard wall. As Sykes's [Destruction] deepened, the entire wall couldn't stop shaking. Sykes forcibly tore open a large rift wide enough for his height to pass through. Light streamed in, and he lifted his head and walked out first.

Ye Zheng also walked out of the dark, confined room. She didn't rush forward, instead thoughtfully looking back. The gap was like a small window that had been intentionally cut. Why leave such an opening?

She looked at Percy's retreating back. Perhaps because someone had stayed inside for a long time.

Ye Zheng walked slowly, observing the space outside, and was even more surprised.

It looked like a large laboratory. The lights flickered dimly, illuminating a somewhat messy table where various instruments were piled up. Most conspicuous were the rows of transparent jars beneath the tall white walls.

Slightly murky water was in the transparent, long jars, which seemed to have been unused and neglected for a long time. Ye Zheng looked at them one by one, and her gaze suddenly fixed.

In the last transparent, long jar, a black, palm-sized object was floating.

More accurately, it was the corpse of an unidentified creature. It was floating face up, its specific appearance unclear, but it sent a chill down Ye Zheng's spine.

That was definitely not a normal creature. The palm-sized black figure was strikingly similar to a human.

Ye Zheng instinctively felt this place must be very important to Project Hope. She went to a nearby bookshelf and started rummaging, hoping to find useful files or information.

She was just pulling out a logbook when her body suddenly swayed. A strong tremor hit.

Ye Zheng looked up, her expression a little grim.

She glanced down at the logbook in her hand, tucked it into her embrace, and walked toward what was clearly a doorway.

"Let's go, both of you. The situation upstairs is probably not optimistic."

Ye Zheng stood at the door and reminded them.

Percy, who was observing the lab, quickly reacted and ran toward the doorway. Roy and Caleb were still outside, and Lucy was waiting for them. They couldn't delay any longer.

"Crown Prince?"

The blonde Prince stood motionless in front of a tall transparent jar, like a solidified statue.

"Sykes?"

Ye Zheng called him by name.

Sykes finally moved. He turned his body, and Ye Zheng froze for a moment upon meeting his gaze. His habitually arrogant golden eyes stared at her with extreme confusion, trembling slightly.

Ye Zheng gently sighed. She quickly walked up and took Sykes's arm. He allowed her to lead him.

Looking at this, it seemed Percy and Sykes were both once imprisoned here? As test subjects? One in a small dark room, the other in a transparent jar. Ye Zheng began to understand the 'sense of destiny' the System mentioned.

However, there was no time for the two young men to contemplate their destined connection. Ye Zheng adjusted the logbook in her arms. She had to go up and see what Kiran was up to.

Kiran stood by the door. In the fog, white-robed Knights were vaguely seen surrounding the gigantic monster. The monster impatiently flicked a wing, sending several people flying. One of them fell directly from a high altitude onto the ground not far away, a large patch of blood staining the grass.

The white-robed Bishop closed his eyes, silently praying.

Behind him was the restless commotion of the crowd. Children were crying heartbreakingly, and adults were clutching Priests and nuns, anxiously asking about the situation outside, like a pot boiling over.

After two weeks of delay, they still found their way from the other side of the mountain.

Kiran calmly watched the tense battle outside. Just one was enough to overwhelm those good-for-nothing people (incompetent and unproductive).

If they knew there were dozens more waiting for them, would they break down and give up fighting?

His fingers caressed the slightly wrinkled photo. Kiran stared at the four-person picture. He had no regrets. Even if everyone on the ground, including himself, died here today, he would still have no regrets.

To sacrifice oneself for the most noble cause, to die for the future of a hundred generations—that was the greatest ending!

As long as the three final results of Project Hope were safe, he would win!

Kiran thought of his own magnificent finale, looking at the distant scene of carnage, his body trembling, either from fear or excitement.

Suddenly, his tall, trembling body was forcefully pushed by someone. Unprepared, he fell to the ground, looking up in surprise at the figure running past him.

It was the Saintess Ye Zheng.

She didn't even look at him, pushing him aside like a convenient obstacle.

Ye Zheng rushed into the fog without hesitation. She stared at the faint human body on the massive dragon's form, and after a moment, confirmed it wasn't Lucy.

It was different from the manga spoilers; the hair color was wrong, and the figure was not the same.

She walked a few more steps and suddenly stumbled over a corpse—a white-robed Sei Curia Knight. Blood stained the tips of her shoes.

The girl stood still. She stared at the tiny figure on the dragon's body not far away, who was shrieking, with black scales streaked with dark red blood.

Was that also a result of Project Hope?

Ye Zheng heard hurried footsteps getting closer behind her. As she walked forward, she spoke softly in the fog:

"Zhou Yun, I'm not here to stop you, but please pause this for a moment."

"I am not Kiran's hope. Let's meet properly again. I believe our goals are consistent."

The fog around her was churning.

"Are you asking about my goal? If it's a short-term goal—"

"To make Kiran die in the most desperate way possible, as a loser, in atonement for his sins."

Ye Zheng felt the fog churn even more violently. She smiled.

"It seems you also think this short-term goal is quite good."

The thick fog violently rolled, and the girl's figure vanished in the blink of an eye.

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