Chapter 130: Chapter 130

No one could have anticipated this turn of events. The Soulfire High Priest couldn’t fathom it, Ducha was taken aback, and both Lianna and Firefly sat in stunned silence. Only after a moment did they process that Zero could cause a powerful being like the Ghoul High Priest to undergo such a grotesque transformation, demonstrating astonishing strength.

As Ducha and the Soulfire High Priest clashed like two rabid dogs, Zero’s face lit up with a beaming smile, playful, cruel, and filled with malice.

But when she turned to look at Lianna again, the wickedness evaporated, replaced by a gentle warmth. She softly said, “I need to step away for a moment, Lianna.”

“You… where are you going?” Lianna sensed something was off in her tone, “I’ll go with you!”

“No, I’ll be back soon,” Zero leaned closer, affectionately rubbing her cheek against Lianna’s, “Don’t worry.”

“I don’t understand.” Lianna thought to herself. If she were only leaving for a short time, why did she look so sad?

She had never seen such a forced smile on Zero’s face. This wasn’t how she should have appeared; having just annihilated a formidable adversary, she should be joyous, reveling in her victory with that previous air of disdain and mocking superiority.

What was troubling her?

The warm touch fell away as Zero released her and turned to walk away.

She could only watch as Zero moved further away, leaving a trail of darkness in her wake. Every foe, whether Ducha or the late-arriving enemy reinforcements, had their forms twist grotesquely, turning into monsters that followed her obediently.

She felt inexplicably anxious, calling out Zero’s name repeatedly. Yet, unlike all their previous encounters, this time Zero did not turn back.

Under the dim light of early dawn, the park behind the Soulfire Cathedral was steeped in the scent of battle and the chill of combat. Yvette plunged her bone blade into the soul of the Soulfire High Priest’s clone. The being didn’t even manage to let out a grunt before it transformed into a wisp of black smoke, dissipating into the air.

She frowned, feeling that something was off.

Previously, her confrontation with the Soulfire High Priest had been quite evenly matched. As her Pure White Touch hadn’t proven effective against spiritual entities, the fight had devolved into a pure magic duel. His phantoms, bone spears, and cursed winds were relentless, while she retaliated with her command of elemental spells infused with soul flames.

Before long, the Soulfire High Priest, seemingly irked that Yvette had struck him several times, called forth a bone blade of his own, engaging in an intense duel, their contest wreaking havoc that nearly obliterated the very pavement beneath them.

However, this exhilarating fight hadn’t lasted long. At one moment, the Soulfire High Priest suddenly froze, becoming as rigid as a marionette with its strings cut. Moments later, he completely relinquished his resistance, allowing her blade to pierce through with ease.

This was perplexing; even a clone crafted from a spiritual entity shouldn’t surrender so readily.

Could it be that the Soulfire High Priest’s true self was dealing with something, causing him to lose control over his clone as if their connection had suddenly dropped?

A strong sense of unease gnawed at Yvette as she fell deep into thought, finding it hard to shake the feeling that something unusual was taking place.

Fiery and tenebrous, Zero traversed the thick darkness before dawn, adorned in the black cloak that Lianna had draped over her.

The streets of Firth River stretched beneath her feet: silent and empty, except for an ever-expanding army of distorted creatures composed of flesh and metal that followed her, emitting bone-chilling shrieks.

Soldiers, police, and members of the Holy Order surged forth in a tide, their numbers in the hundreds or thousands. Yet, the instant they came into her line of sight, their actions froze in unison, only to begin to moan in terror, twisting and reshaping into grotesque forms, adding to her silent army of aberrations.

After several minutes, three armored magitek mechs, like moving fortresses, blocked the end of the street.

But the result was no different—Zero merely cast a glance at them, turning the three metallic giants into subservient masses at her feet.

She continued her advance, but perhaps due to the sheer terror she projected, the foes ahead began to dwindle, so few that she wouldn’t even spare a glance as the distorted beings self-sufficiently handled them.

At last, the first light of dawn struggled to pierce the horizon, revealing a silver-haired girl wielding a bone blade slowly approaching from the far end of the road.

It’s almost time… Zero thought quietly, glancing up at the murky sky.

Several kilometers away, upon the bone dragon’s back, the Soulfire High Priest’s true self, still engaged in combat with the distorted Ghoul High Priest, froze momentarily.

His body began to convulse uncontrollably, expanding as purple-red veins surged beneath his skin.

Simultaneously, the very bone dragon beneath him began to emit agonized howls and violently contort.

It was unclear how long had passed, but as the chaos and distortion subsided, the faint morning light broke through. The aberrations vanished beneath the earth as if they had never existed.

Yet now, much of Firth River had turned into a massive, silent graveyard. The streets lay deserted, marked only by pooled blood, scattered weapons, and crumbling buildings that whined against the cold wind.

How many people had died? Two hundred thousand? Three hundred thousand? Or even more?

What of the Soulfire High Priest? Had he fled? Or had Zero slain him as well?

What had happened to Lianna and Firefly?

These questions wandered in Yvette’s mind, but she had no time to ponder. She needed to keenly focus on Zero’s every move, as she understood one thing very well—that without Lianna present, Zero would display a significant level of aggression toward her.

Moreover, at this moment, Zero’s usual mischievous smile had vanished, replaced by a chilling indifference, as though she were a delicate and cold porcelain doll, walking along the path of destruction.

Then, shortly thereafter, Zero’s pace quickened, shifting into a run as she charged toward Yvette.

Without hesitation, Yvette activated her distortion magic. Her silver hair spilled down like a cascade in the universe, sweeping toward Zero.

This technique had always worked well; it had consistently immobilized Zero, and she had grown quite adept at it.

But this time, an unexpected change occurred.

From within Zero emerged an unfamiliar yet familiar power, causing all of Yvette’s silver strands to contort and writhe, transforming into purple-red tendrils that lashed back at her!

This was unprecedented; Yvette had never imagined that her Pure White Touch could be infected by distortion!

She was supposed to be the nemesis of adversity against distortion!

Instantly, her ability to devour activated, engorging the distortion factor with its absorption and digestion, sparking her Pure White Touch back into its original form.

But at that very moment, Zero had lunged right up to her, delivering an unexpected shoulder check that sent Yvette crashing through the wall of a nearby two-story building.

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The wall collapsed, bricks flying everywhere as dust swirled within the air. Since the nearby civilians had been indiscriminately slaughtered by Zero, there was no one else left—only Yvette, lying amid the rubble, and the motionless Zero resting in her lap.

Yvette’s head buzzed; despite her crimson armor being shattered so easily, more strangely was that after her defense crumbled, Zero had either grown weak or tempered the force of her attack. Regardless, the impact hadn’t inflicted any serious damage, leaving her merely dazed.

Yvette heard Zero’s voice—a tone she had never heard before, soft and gentle, surprising her.

But only two seconds later did she realize the significance, saying, “What did you just call me?”

Zero smiled slightly, her voice soft, filled with exhaustion, yet somehow charming. She did not answer Yvette’s question; instead, she spoke in broken, dreamlike phrases, “This place… is not a… completely false world…”

“I… need to sleep for a while…”

“Look after… Lianna for me…”

As she spoke these words, she pressed her cheek against Yvette’s soft chest and drifted into a deep slumber.

Yvette stared blankly at her; before she could comprehend the situation, she noticed a faint starry glow emanating from Zero’s body, which gradually dispersed like sand, vanishing as though she had never existed.

At the same time, she saw her own body ablaze with starlight, but rather than disappearing, it wrapped around her, undergoing subtle transformations.

This process lasted for over a minute, and as the last hint of starlight vanished, Yvette slowly rose, surveying the loose clothing now clinging to her differently shaped body, confirming one crucial thing.