Chapter 106

“Killing demons, banishing evil spirits.”

As Xia’er was dragged into the Other Realm in an instant, two bony hands pressed tightly against her eyes, completely blocking her vision.

Even so, a constant stream of whispers continued to erode her sanity, the ringing in her ears reaching a point where she couldn’t hear anything else.

Xia’er felt her control over her body slipping away, sensing herself being rapidly dragged forward.

This was a peculiar sensation.

She couldn’t feel the wind, nor could she sense her heartbeat or breathing, yet she clearly perceived her body moving like a kite, being tossed around.

But she had no idea where these hands were taking her.

The summoned… Other Realm creatures…

They weren’t supposed to harm her…

Why…

Xia’er’s brain struggled to process, but before she could begin to think about what was wrong, she suddenly felt a fierce gust of wind from behind.

This wind seemed to tear at her hair and skin, like opening a window on a plane.

Xia’er narrowed her eyes slightly, but her flailing hair already obscured most of her vision.

The silver mask that had covered her face tightly lost all its power when she entered the Other Realm, separating from her flesh.

After a dizzying whirl, Xia’er felt the terrifying hands that had been holding her quickly dissipating until they vanished entirely.

Despite slowing down intentionally, her body still shot out like a cannonball, rolling frantically on the ground, causing excruciating pain as if her bones were being crushed.

“Cough, cough…”

Xia’er coughed up some bloody internal organs, her entire body trembling, but completely unable to muster any strength.

Lying on the ground like a corpse for several minutes, Xia’er’s figure flickered, and “Tempter” Xia’er became translucent.

Her red hair started turning gray-blue, and all her injuries and broken bones instantly healed. Xia’er abruptly sat up, but kept her eyes tightly shut, too afraid to open them.

However…

Xia’er’s mind was still filled with the buzzing whispers, but she regained some clarity, though feeling somewhat disoriented.

Had she left the Other Realm?

Xia’er reached out and touched the ground, feeling the touch of grass, and grabbed at the soft soil beneath it.

Only then did she confirm that she had indeed left the Other Realm.

She slowly opened her eyes and looked around.

The surroundings were an empty wasteland. She seemed to be on a high slope with some grass, and in the distance, she could see faint lights from the city skyline.

This place…

“Mother Goddess…”

Xia’er murmured.

Was she directly out of the city?

Xia’er pushed herself up, brushing off the dirt from her palms.

From being dragged into the Other Realm to getting out, it had only taken a few seconds. In such a short time, those hands had dragged her from Borough City to the outskirts?

This escape speed was shocking, almost indistinguishable from teleportation.

Was this some ability used by those hands in the Other Realm?

Oh no!

Suddenly, Xia’er remembered the Doom rule still affecting her.

The Doom was already exerting its force on her, and she had left Borough City… Xia’er felt the Doom stacking on her in a tangible way.

No, she must return to Borough City immediately… Even though the coin toss resulted in tails twice, as long as she returned to Borough City and prevented the Doom from continuing to stack, there would still be a chance of survival.

Picking up the scattered items beside her, she ran towards the city under the cover of night.

Now, Xia’er regretted randomly selecting the “Gambler” save file, lacking any means of quick travel.

Moreover, she couldn’t enter the city openly; she had to avoid Clock Tower Lane District, otherwise, there was a possibility of being arrested by Xiu.

The Doom could strike at any moment, so Xia’er could only run blindly forward.

She wanted to flip a coin to determine her future hour’s fortune, but she didn’t have a single regular coin on her.

Xia’er ran along familiar paths toward Borough City. Even when her feet finally stepped onto the black gravel roads within the city, her heart remained tense.

She wanted to immediately cross through Gemstone District to reach Clock Tower Lane District, find Amy—the only one who could help her, a devout servant of the Mother Goddess.

Just as Xia’er planned to bypass Clock Tower Lane District and enter via the Gemstone Factory in Gemstone District, she suddenly sensed a flicker in front of her.

Was [Time Disruption] starting again?

Xia’er slowed her pace. Archive switching caused a few seconds of flickering, which she was accustomed to, waiting for the switch to complete before proceeding.

As long as it wasn’t switching to the “Tempter” archive where she was completely immobile, she could accept it.

But soon, Xia’er noticed something was amiss.

She slowly raised her hand and stretched it out in front of her.

Xia’er’s palm was clear and solid, with traces of dirt from grabbing the ground earlier.

But… her hand was clearly still solid.

The flickering wasn’t Xia’er, but the entire street in front of her.

At some point, blood-colored mist had spread across the street, making the dark road eerily silent, like entering a deserted zone.

This blood-colored mist severely limited Xia’er’s vision. As the fog thickened, even objects a few steps away became indistinct.

The moon, filtered through the blood mist, appeared ominously dark red. Sharp, shrill laughter and distant, muffled whispers echoed incessantly in her mind.

Who… Who did this?

Xia’er stopped and looked back. The path she came from was completely shrouded in blood mist, making it impossible to see beyond it.

The sharp pain in her head distorted Xia’er’s expression, forcing her to repeatedly mutter the name of the Mother Goddess, praying that Goddess Sathana would protect her.

But now, the “Gambler” Xia’er’s mind was devoid of any whispers of Sathana, as if other stronger voices had overwhelmed her.

Murmurs drowned it out, and even the “Satarna Mark” on “Gambler” Xia’er started to crumble and dissipate.

“Gulp…”

Pattering sounds—

A series of fragmented noises echoed around Xia’er’s feet. She looked down and saw a terrifying creature, about the size of a fist, composed of blood flesh and gray fur, crawling towards her feet with twisted limbs. Its dozen or so small black eyes turned toward Xia’er, and its mouth, filled with jagged teeth too narrow to fit a finger, opened wide, letting out a screeching roar.

A silver light flashed, and the “Lethal Bloody Orchid” appeared in Xia’er’s right hand. She held the gun with both hands, aiming at the monstrous creature on the ground.

“Gulp—”

Seeing Xia’er’s action, the monster let out a strange roar and immediately turned to flee, disappearing into the blood mist.

Xia’er resisted the dizziness caused by the “Bloody Orchid’s” side effects and the low murmurs in her mind. Her grip on the gun trembled slightly.

In her vision, the gun barrel of the “Bloody Orchid” was entangled with slender black branches, binding Xia’er’s hands tightly.

Bloody orchids bloomed along the branches, their crimson petals reflecting unfamiliar faces—angry or gentle—on them, all of which seemed to be shattered into pieces.

Blood dripped from Xia’er’s hands, and the dizziness from lack of blood began to overwhelm her. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.

No, she couldn’t stay here any longer… There’s an Extraordinary Person causing trouble nearby!

It could very well be the mastermind behind the Doom rule cast upon her!

Xia’er no longer hesitated. Holding the “Bloody Orchid,” she quickly charged forward into the blood mist. At this moment, her figure flickered again; her gray-blue hair turned red, and she was wearing a slightly larger, expensive dress.

Why now…

[“Time Disarray”] had switched Xia’er’s body to the No. 0 pure archive, temporarily stripping her of all extraordinary abilities. However, everything before her did not dissipate with the switch.

This wasn’t a body-locking ability… nor was it some hallucinogenic toxin. If it were either, everything would vanish when the archive switched.

But now, the blood mist didn’t disappear; instead, it thickened. Even Xia’er’s breathing felt like drinking blood, making her throat taste metallic rust.

The most important thing was—

The whispers in Xia’er’s mind didn’t stop.

This was the No. 0 pure archive, a state completely human and never invaded by whispers. Yet, Xia’er heard screams and murmurs that should not exist in this reality.

Creak—

A shrill crow call made Xia’er look up involuntarily. Her vision pierced through the blood mist, focusing on the “creature” above her.

It was a massive three-headed bird, flapping its wings in the air. Its wings were devoid of feathers, covered instead with black, hair-like filaments.

Just like the crow she saw before encountering the Doom rule.

Was it the same one?

There was no time to confirm. Xia’er raised the “Bloody Orchid,” aimed at the circling giant beast, and pulled the trigger.

“Bang—!”

Xia’er felt her flesh being torn. The gun discharged a spray of blood, and a deep red bullet shot through the layers of blood mist, piercing the giant beast’s body.

But the bullet passed through it, flying far into the sky. It seemed the giant creature existed in a different dimension, unaffected by the bullet.

“Gulp—”

Suddenly, a gurgling sound, reminiscent of a deep monster, echoed before Xia’er. She lifted her gun, aiming at the blood mist in front of her.

In her vision, a horrifying humanoid monster, half-rotted and holding a bone rod, approached her. Greenish liquid, like concentrated sulfuric acid, dripped from its body. It raised the bone rod with its right hand, aiming at Xia’er, while placing a rodent skull in its left mouth.

Next moment, green pus spewed into the small distorted skull, and a sharp, mournful scream reverberated in Xia’er’s mind, almost breaking her spirit.

What a powerful Sealed Object!

Xia’er didn’t hesitate. She pulled the trigger!

“Bang—!”

A blood-red orchid bloomed on the monster’s chest, and it fell backward, lifeless.

However, the fall of one monster summoned more. The Sealed Object in its hand called forth its companions!

The shrill cries began echoing. The monsters swung their bone rods, advancing toward Xia’er.

At this moment, Xia’er’s form twisted again. Her expensive dress turned into a black robe of the Church. An indescribable fire ignited in her chest.

Luckily, the “Judge” Xia’er returned to her control.

The unbearable noise made Xia’er’s head ache. Sobs and screams echoed in her mind. The more the monsters affected her, the stronger her anger grew.

“Hmph…”

Xia’er glared at the monsters, took a deep breath, and silver light flashed. The “Bloody Orchid” disappeared, and she raised her right hand, pointing two fingers forward. Four shadows surged from behind.

The monsters charging forward collapsed under the shadows, their toxic-looking pus flowing over black bones, creating white smoke.

The death of these monsters didn’t ease Xia’er’s burden.

Rather, a louder, more tragic wail echoed in her mind. Under the blood mist, more shadowy figures emerged from the darkness.

Those terrifying creatures ran wildly, roaring in fury.

They intended to torment Xia’er to death.