Chapter 306-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
Cough, cough...
Ye Zheng braced herself against the wall and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, replaying what had just happened.
Her entire body had been sucked into an unknown space beyond her control. Her senses had gone haywire. She did not like that feeling of helplessness.
Ye Zheng tilted her head back to breathe. The sky in that world was the same azure blue as this one, yet the scenery beneath it was entirely different. She had caught only a glimpse, and her curiosity burned even stronger.
But it was best if she never appeared in that world again. For both worlds, it would be a disaster.
"The two worlds are drawing closer and closer. It's on the verge of spiraling out of control."
"System, did you do something just now?"
The link's passage had opened, then snapped shut again.
[No, I didn't do anything—or rather, I tried to do something, but it had no effect.]
[It's possible the link's power is still slightly insufficient, making the passage unstable. But just now—]
[Ye Zheng, you used Action Points.]
"...Action Points?"
All Ye Zheng could recall was the tearing pain, and a vague memory of ordering System to halt the worlds' merger.
[Your current Popularity Points stand at eight hundred ninety thousand. You originally had 6,100 Action Points remaining. 500 were just deducted, leaving 5,600.]
It had been a long time since Action Points were deducted. Five hundred was equivalent to half of Sykes's life—quite a significant sum.
After a moment of thought, the crease between Ye Zheng's brows smoothed out. She understood.
"That man is still alive."
Having her suspicion confirmed, Ye Zheng actually felt somewhat relieved.
"Action Points are used to resist the manga's rules—that is, to resist the manga creator's control over this world."
"If Action Points can be used, then—his consciousness is still active, and he is actively pushing the two worlds toward fusion."
"Does the company know about his situation?" Ye Zheng asked.
Seeing the latest chapter where the Emperor died, Ye Zheng had scoffed. She didn't believe for a second that he'd gone down that easily.
No one yet knew exactly what method the Emperor used to transfer his consciousness. His showing up to get himself killed might very well be part of his plan.
Having switched bodies so many times, he had long since lost himself. Ye Zheng theorized that he had no memories from before he entered this world five hundred years ago—but Percy and the Holy Sword were special. They might trigger something.
The Holy Sword, in particular: after the Hope God vanished, a group of fanatical, secretive followers had stolen it. It wasn't found again until five hundred years later, when she discovered it in the underground labyrinth.
The Holy Sword's true owner should be Wang Tao—now Vincent. With a weapon imbued with higher-dimensional power in hand, combined with Percy's dual abilities [Metal Transmutation] and [Death Rewind], Ye Zheng couldn't quite imagine what form he would take when he finally appeared before her.
[The company has confirmed Wang Tao's death and shifted the entire linkage focus onto you.]
[The Main System's projected timeline for the two worlds' merger was at least five years out, but given the current situation, it could be as soon as three days...]
"All right." Ye Zheng let out a soft sigh. "I almost forgot there's also the Main System to deal with."
Although Wang Tao had forgotten his true origins, his subconscious remained connected to the Main System, influencing it.
Ye Zheng didn't expect the company to have an epiphany about the sheer stupidity of what they were doing. Even if they learned what Wang Tao had done, they'd probably treat him as a research breakthrough and tear the rift in the abyss even wider.
To resolve this crisis, she could only rely on herself—and on them, on both sides of the screen.
[Ye Zheng, perhaps we should stop that man from taking over Percy's body.]
System sighed in a remarkably human fashion. It was too late for that now.
"Is that so."
Ye Zheng gave a noncommittal raise of her brow.
Her body feeling better, Ye Zheng suddenly leaped onto a rooftop and moved along the tops of the connected buildings like a cat.
She jumped between structures, surveying the Demonic Domain situation in every direction. Before long, she found the perfect vantage point.
Three Demonic Domains to the east, two to the west, four to the south, three to the north, and one directly ahead of her.
Ranks ranging from B to S.
Assessment complete, Ye Zheng leaped down and pressed both palms to the ground.
A rumble rose from deep underground, as if some ancient machine were grinding to life. The ground trembled faintly.
Ye Zheng looked toward the nearby Demonic Domain. Her dark, still eyes held the patience of the most seasoned predator. She waited. The white barrier suddenly fluctuated violently, then shattered as though it could no longer hold—a column of water erupted skyward like a magnificent fountain.
One after another, the barriers in every direction burst like soap bubbles. The fighters struggling inside stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
Ye Zheng stood up and dusted off her hands. Now only three particularly troublesome high-level Demonic Domains remained.
This technique had been inspired by what Bai Muqing had done that day.
The white barriers represented the boundaries of otherworldly spaces. Breaking through from the outside was nearly impossible—but for the two of them, it wasn't all that difficult.
Water infused with the power of [Mother of All Things] served as her extension—her eyes and hands reaching into the Demonic Domains through the water. Even split into multiple streams, each one could effortlessly annihilate an ordinary Demonic Domain.
A cold smile played on Ye Zheng's lips. The enemy was not to be underestimated—but choosing to make an enemy of her would be the single greatest regret of their lives.
A dirty scrap of newspaper blew to her feet. Ye Zheng picked it up. It carried an article published just two days ago, effusively praising the Pope's plans for the future, lavishing him with flattery.
Only two days had passed.
Ye Zheng let it go. The scrap fluttered to the ground. She walked on.
*
Bai Muqing had been fighting without sleep for two days straight.
Because the Dragon Bones had been placed in the East District, many East District residents had already left earlier. After the East District was ambushed by the aristocrat army, all remaining residents were forced to evacuate, resettling in other districts.
The lower district was already bursting with people and crammed with buildings. Even with the Sei Curia making arrangements for the refugees, no amount of planning could absorb that many displaced East District residents—even temporarily.
So when Bai Muqing heard about the chaos in the South District, she left the now-deserted East District and headed there.
Then came Ye Zheng's proclamation, and the catastrophic disaster descended.
"Miss Bai, I already went back to sleep and you're still here?"
A nun walked over, gasping in surprise. Bai Muqing still stood ramrod straight. The nun was almost certain Bai Muqing hadn't rested at all.
"This place... needs me to stand guard."
This area housed the temporary shelters built for the East District evacuees—flimsy structures packed with people. If the descending Demonic Domains weren't dealt with swiftly, many would be injured or killed in a panicked stampede before the monsters even got to them.
"That's exactly why you need to take care of yourself—because this place needs you."
"For an ability user, a little less sleep has no effect whatsoever."
"Liar. I'm an ability user now too, and I still need sleep." The nun looked thoroughly unconvinced.
Bai Muqing wanted to point out that there were vast differences between ability users, but hesitated—she didn't want to dampen the nun's excitement. So she said nothing.
She truly wasn't pushing herself.
This apocalyptic disaster was somewhat different from what she'd imagined—at least, what she had seen so far wasn't quite a living hell.
Compared to five hundred years ago, when Demonic Domains had appeared out of nowhere, plunging everyone into the darkness and despair of the unknown, the Empire had now coexisted with Demonic Domains for five centuries. Both ability users and ordinary people had experience dealing with them. The crisis, in essence, was simply a dramatic spike in frequency.
Another thing that surprised Bai Muqing: the descending Demonic Domains weren't particularly strong.
Over two days, roughly forty Demonic Domains had appeared in the South District, but only one was A-rank. The rest were mid- to low-level, manageable for ordinary ability users.
What shocked Bai Muqing the most was that a significant number of people had suddenly awakened abilities in the past two days—mostly women, with a small number of men. The men, however, universally exhibited berserk episodes. Several had exploded from the inside, and the rest were placed in confinement. The pattern was identical to what had happened five hundred years ago.
In the early period, large numbers of newly awakened ability users displayed unstable symptoms, and the havoc they caused was sometimes no less than the Demonic Domains themselves. But historical records made no mention of any gender disparity in the berserk episodes.
Bai Muqing stood motionless on the steps, lost in deep thought. The nun's chatter drifted past her ears like wind, leaving no trace.
"...They've already put together a team to head for the East District. Once they leave, the South District will barely have any capable ability users left. But with you and me here, defending this place should be no problem..."
The nun rambled on. Bai Muqing, who had been silent the entire time, suddenly seized her gesticulating hand.
"You said they're heading to the East District. Who are 'they'?"
"Just Reynaud and his guys—the high-level ability users the government stationed here in the South District. They've got small territories here, though they're nothing compared to you..."
"Why are they going to the East District?"
"They want to slay the Demon Dragon and the—basically, they're delusional enough to think they can be the next Hope God and save the world." The young nun pursed her lips, clearly unimpressed.
"Bai Muqing, where are you going?"
Bai Muqing grabbed her hand and pulled her along. "Where are they?" She had to stop them.
All the current anomalies pointed to the fact that the disaster of five hundred years ago was not what it seemed. Besides, she knew exactly who had triggered this Demonic Domain catastrophe.
"Why stop them? They can't pose any threat to... you know."
That name had practically become an unspeakable taboo overnight.
Bai Muqing's lips pressed together slightly. She suddenly said, "Would other people be thinking the same thing? Not just in the South District—elsewhere too?"
The human heart was endlessly complex, and Bai Muqing was a poor student in that subject.
The nun hesitated. "Probably? Although going to the East District is dangerous, the payoff is tempting enough. If someone actually pulled it off, the next Hope God might just be born..."
"There is no god in this world. What Ye Zheng said is the truth."
"Are you really going to say that to a nun?"
"...I'm sorry."
Seeing the crestfallen look on Bai Muqing's face, the nun couldn't help softening first. "I mean, it's not like I haven't wavered. It's just... without the Hope God, what am I?"
"Maybe those people are thinking the same thing. Truth or not doesn't matter—what matters is their own sense of purpose."
"With the Hope God gone, the disaster here, and Her Eminence becoming public enemy number one—there's no shortage of people who fancy themselves the chosen savior."
At this, Bai Muqing's stride toward the exit didn't slow for an instant. She said, simply, "Take me to them."
The nun shrugged in resignation and took the lead.
"And how exactly are you going to stop them—stop even more people? Beat them all up?"
"I go to the East District. That will be enough."
Bai Muqing said evenly. Her pure white eyes, utterly free of impurity, carried a cool, lofty edge.
"In my presence, none of them have the right to go to the East District and play savior."
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