Chapter 603

Chapter 225 The Curtain Above

My hearing gradually returned, and I heard the air brushing past my cheeks and temples, emitting a muffled sound like wind. My body rapidly descended in that wind, and just before hitting the rocks, the flame wings on my back suddenly spread out, flapping to slow down my descent. I flipped and staggered, then with a “plop,” I sat down on the cold rock wall.

“Hah, hah—”

I gasped for breath.

In the distance, the massive divine body fell from the gray sky like a meteor, causing an earth-shattering impact when it hit the ground. Dust and black smoke billowed up, and a crimson blood river spread out, staining large areas of land within moments.

I watched the scene, struggling to get up, holding my breath, waiting for the dust to settle. After a while, I saw no further movement from the terrifying corpse.

It should be really dead…

“Huh…”

I heaved a sigh of relief.

But I still felt uneasy, as if something was not right. I felt that such things could not be judged by common sense. It might suddenly rise again when I least expected it, releasing a devastating attack capable of destroying everything—yet I had no more strength left to resist divine power. If that happened, I would have to close my eyes and wait for death.

Thinking this, I clenched my fists, and my heart started pounding again.

I need to finish it off…

I didn’t want to be like those foolish characters in stories who let their guard down after defeating a boss and get killed by a sudden counterattack, losing the hard-won victory.

Whoosh—

The flame wings on my back flapped, and my small body shot up into the sky, quickly flying toward the direction where the divine body had fallen. Soon, I smelled the pungent smell of blood.

The massive corpse smashed into the collapsing rock formation, lying across the chaotic rubble. Dark red blood flowed continuously from the surrounding cracks, burning the ground with a hissing sound. The steam rose into the air. The hideous head of the corpse was shrouded in mist, half-reclining against a huge rock. The two black, deep eye sockets were now devoid of the previously burning red flames.

I flew down cautiously, arriving in front of its chest cavity filled with rotten flesh and a pungent stench, stopping about ten meters away. Taking a deep breath, I calmed my nerves and swung Captain Gray’s sword forward.

Clang—

The scorching light flashed and vanished instantly. The sharp blade encountered no resistance, and a crimson fire line flew towards the divine body, striking one of the ribs with a “boom.” Sparks flew everywhere, and thick black smoke rose slowly.

The sin did not appear…

After confirming this, I flapped my flame wings, abruptly rising to nearly a hundred meters high, hovering amidst the ashes. I held the scythe in my right hand, its blade pointing downward, while my left arm was raised above my head.

I closed my eyes.

Focusing my mind, gathering strength…

In the next moment, the swirling dark smoke emerged from my body like a snake, quickly gathering above my head. The chaotic sphere reformed, expanding to over twenty meters in diameter within two seconds, then crashing down toward the divine body’s chest at high speed—

Boom!!!

White light flashed, and the chaotic flames exploded with a deafening roar, carrying dark red flesh up dozens of meters into the air.

A hurricane blew over, and I couldn’t help raising my hands to shield my face. I felt weak, dizzy, and my limbs were extremely soft. Shaking my head to stay alert, I flapped my wings, turned around, and flew toward a higher rock below, landing on top of it and sitting down heavily. I supported myself with my hands on the protruding rock wall, breathing heavily.

“Huh, huh, huh—”

So tired…

A strong sense of fatigue overwhelmed me, and I felt my eyelids start to droop. The aftermath of the explosion ahead had yet to dissipate. In a daze, I didn’t see any further movements from the corpse. It must have truly died…

“Haha.”

I laughed again, finally able to put down the tension in my heart. Feeling secure, my tense body began to relax uncontrollably, and sleepiness surged even more.

So incredibly tired…

A tingling, slightly painful sensation emanated from my back, tailbone, and forehead. I touched my forehead; the two sharp protrusions seemed to have grown longer.

Is this the rhythm of becoming a demon girl?

I chuckled inwardly.

But at this point, I had no energy to worry about what I might become. I just wanted to lie down and sleep here first…

But I couldn’t sleep yet.

There was one more thing to confirm…

That dancer…

Elma of the Gate of Truth.

Earlier, the corpse had emitted a terrifying beam of light, which struck her position with overwhelming force. The dancer somehow survived, and she launched several counterattacks afterward, but there was no sign of her afterwards…

She should still be alive, right?

I didn’t know.

I had to go and check…

Regardless of whether she was alive or dead, I needed to confirm it clearly.

So I took a brief rest, waited until the explosion nearby completely dissipated, and saw that the corpse indeed lay motionless, no longer moving. I struggled to get up, gathered my hair and pushed it behind my head, slapped my face hard, and flapped my flame wings to rise again.

Looking down, the scorched earth hundreds of meters wide, torn open by the raging energy, came clearly into view. I gritted my teeth and flew over to that scorched earth, lowering my flight altitude. My dark eyes scanned quickly, trying to find the red figure amidst the still-heating black stone ruins that stretched endlessly.

I found her soon.

The flame wings folded, and I gripped the scythe tightly in my hand, standing at the edge of the scorched earth.

On the scorching rocks, the dancer lay not far away.

“Win… did I…”

As if sensing someone’s arrival, her bloodied head lifted slightly, using a hoarse and trembling voice to speak incoherently, calling out my name: “Sylvia…”

“…”

Stunned for a moment, I replied softly, “It should be dead.”

My emotions were inexplicably complex.

The dancer was still alive, lying on the scorching rocks. Amidst the black blood, much of her body had been destroyed, her bright entrails spilling out. Her skin seemed scorched by lava; her hair, eyes, ears, and lips were gone.

She was just still alive.

Just still breathing, still able to speak.

“Is that so… That’s truly…”

“Hey.”

The dancer struggled to speak, her words slow and unclear. I quickly interrupted her, “You won’t die from such injuries, right?”

“I… won’t…”

The dancer’s残骸 trembled. After saying “I won’t,” she took a long breath. The muscles around her mouth twitched as if she were smiling, “Did I disappoint you…”

I was quite disappointed.

But at this moment, I didn’t say it out loud.

“I won’t die, but I can’t move for now. You’ve lost your power to resist, and if I wanted to kill you now, wouldn’t it be as easy as moving a finger?”

My eyes narrowed.

“Heh… heh…”

The dancer was indeed laughing.

She slowly lowered her head back down, lying quietly on the ground, letting the rocks burn her: “If you want to kill me… then do it…”

“Do you want to die?” I asked her.

“You caused the deaths of so many people, and in the end, it all ended in failure. Regardless of your purpose, you caused harm, and you know this. That’s why you’re determined to end your life like this… I don’t care what your psychological state is. Whether it’s out of a whim, redemption, or trying to make amends, I don’t care about those things.”

I paused.

My vision blurred, and the dizziness intensified. I rubbed my temples, trying to gather my thoughts: “You are an unrepentant villain. Although that’s the case, I don’t want you to die yet. I want you to stay alive here, for now. You can’t go anywhere.”

I looked at the dancer’s trembling body. Her chest rose and fell violently, as if she wanted to speak, but I didn’t give her the chance.

I don’t have time…

“Just stay here. Because without me, you can’t get out… right? That branch is with me now. So, I plan to keep you in this world, with the fairies as company. Then, I’ll find a chance to go to the village you mentioned. I’ll go to your cellar, and after I see what’s inside, I’ll come back to see you once more. By then… we’ll decide whether you live or die… uh…”

My steps began to wobble, and I almost fell.

I don’t have time…

“Sylvia…”

The dancer called out to me.

I didn’t want to respond anymore and turned to leave: “Take care of yourself until I return.”

“Go outside… be careful of the church…”

After taking two steps, the woman’s weak voice came from behind.

I paused in my steps.

Then shook my head and didn’t respond further. My gathered flames spread suddenly, and with a roar, I flew up toward the sky.

I couldn’t hold on anymore…

I must sleep first, immediately… but not here.

I wasn’t sure how long I would sleep. If I lay down, Elma would probably recover before I woke up, and who knew what she might do…

I couldn’t sleep here; I had to leave first…

But how could I leave…

The wind rushed past my ears, and ashes scattered before my eyes. I no longer had the energy to gather dead smoke to protect myself. Letting my body be buffeted by the wind, feeling the air slice across my face, kept me somewhat awake as I flew higher into the gray sky.

At the same time, my hazy mind struggled to think.

The white tree branch and the great spirit, according to the dancer, were within me.

That was the power to freely open the entrance to this world, but now, I had no idea how to use it—how to utilize this power. It shouldn’t be too difficult to figure out, just needing some focus and practice… but now, I lacked both the energy and time.

The choice before me seemed clear.

I forced my eyes open and looked up at the black crack drawing closer—the massive tear in the sky opened by the divine body, which had shrunk significantly.

Though it was still shrinking, it hadn’t fully closed yet.

I could make it…

To leave before falling asleep, this was the only way…

Hopefully, nothing goes wrong…

Whoosh—

The sharp wind pierced my eardrums, ensuring I wouldn’t fall asleep in mid-air. At this moment, I was practically biting down on my teeth, pushing through with every last bit of strength, flying full speed towards the closing crack above the gray sky.

One hundred meters, fifty meters… thirty… ten!

I finally plunged into it just before it completely closed.

—

The translation is complete.