Sequence 13 – Disintegration.
In Christian legend, the number thirteen is an evil number, symbolizing the suffering and misfortune of God’s son, Jesus.
But Wu Xiaomi found comfort in this number.
Her heart was about to stop beating, and in her final moments of perception, she saw the silhouette of a woman.
She was dust scattered and disintegrated by a Demon Hunter, standing in the middle of that dust, her cloak fluttering lightly.
And that gentle yet commanding voice, followed by the words “Sequence 13.”
Whether real or not, such an ending didn’t seem so bad…
Wu Xiaomi closed her eyes, her consciousness gradually fading away.
“Don’t sleep, hold on a little longer.”
But she was so tired…
Her head seemed to rest on a soft pillow, her body light as if being supported.
Around her was warmth, a long-lost feeling of safety.
This must be the safest place in the whole world.
No random Demon Hunters jumping out to curse at her, no one coming to take Xiao Zhi away…
“Ma…”
A muffled sound emerged from her blood-filled throat, barely audible.
Like a baby who had just learned to speak, uttering the first word it ever learned for the world.
And as the other half of this bond,
The woman keenly caught the girl’s meaning.
“Don’t worry, I’m here.”
This had to be a dream.
Wu Xiaomi thought so.
And then she fell into a deep sleep.
……
No one knew how long she had slept, but it was a refreshing rest.
“Awake?”
It was the Witch’s voice.
Wu Xiaomi parted her lips but still couldn’t speak.
Oh right, she could use Mirror Shadow to speak.
“You saved me?”
Successfully sending her voice through Mirror Shadow, it seemed the seven-day effective period was still ongoing.
“The work of restoring your body is indeed my responsibility.”
Restoring…
She used the word restoring, not healing.
Though the meaning was similar, in the past, Wu Xiaomi wouldn’t have overthought it.
But ever since hearing those Demon Hunter words…
She was clearly influenced. She had begun to pay attention to such details.
“What about her?”
“Who?”
“…Her, the one who sent me here.”
“You came back on your own.”
“???”
Wu Xiaomi’s mind went completely blank.
She had clearly been riddled with wounds, unable to move at all—how could she have walked back by herself?
“The Siren Dance’s water flow supported you, carrying your feet as they drifted with the waves.
That’s how you floated back to the shop door and knocked.”
But I had no spiritual source left to release Siren Dance!
“What did you encounter in that mountain?” the Witch asked.
It was a long story.
There were Firewing Birds, Chicken-footed Bears, Rock Hearts, a massive Artery River, and the bionic altar hidden in the mountain’s belly, summoning Demon Hunters…
Wu Xiaomi recounted everything in detail.
And her.
That one who might be called Ah Fu.
“Ah Fu,” Wu Xiaomi said, “I didn’t see her face. Her voice was very similar to Fake Ah Fu’s, but her tone was somewhat like yours.
She raised her hand and unleashed Sequence 13 – Disintegration…”
“Oh?” The Witch listened intently.
“She saved me and admitted it herself, saying that I am her…”
Mama.
The Witch thought for a moment.
“I have a theory,” she said softly, stroking the girl’s hair. “It might upset you to hear it.”
“Hmm…” Wu Xiaomi shook her head. “It’s okay, I’m not afraid of anything.”
“You said at first you used the bionic altar to create Asklei Mountain and all the lifelike creatures and ecology on it.
Then you encountered the Green-faced Golem, which used your fear as its carrier to create a very realistic Demon Hunter.”
“Yes.”
“Is it possible that Ah Fu was also… created by you?”
“……”
Though the hole in her chest had been repaired by the Witch,
Suddenly, she felt hollow inside.
As if in an instant, her body lost all its strength.
“At that moment, your emotions were intense, and you were at the brink of life and death, with blurred perception.
You must have controlled the altar unconsciously.”
“You used the bionic altar to create an imagined version of Ah Fu—the way you thought Ah Fu should be.
That’s why she has Fake Afu’s voice, and a tone similar to the Mistress of Lust.”
“And since you and I have attended the Witch Gathering, you’ve heard our talks about Ah Fu and know how powerful she is.
So, in your mind, she took the form of someone capable of casually unleashing a high-level sequence.
She unleashed Sequence 13.
Plus, at that moment, you were desperate and scared, craving a reassuring elder figure.
All these factors combined, and she appeared.”
“……”
No matter how much she didn’t want to admit it, Wu Xiaomi had to accept the Witch’s hypothesis as the most realistic possibility.
“No, nothing else… maybe…” Wu Xiaomi bit her lip until it bled. “By the way, if the bionic altar is destroyed, what happens to the things it created?”
“They disappear.”
“What about the outside things—the Acidic Lifeforms and that mountain…”
“The acid remains, but the mountain is gone.”
The Witch opened the door, revealing the view outside.
Sunlight spilled onto Wu Xiaomi’s face, warm and gentle.
It was already daytime, and the tsunami tide had long since receded.
Far away, there was no longer a shadow of Asklei Mountain.
That magnificent mountain-living creature that only existed in Wu Xiaomi’s story had now returned to its rightful world.
Then, that Ah Fu, too…
Her eyes suddenly welled up.
Wu Xiaomi just sat there, dazed, as if her soul had been lost.
……
“How cruel. What’s the fun in bullying children?”
Suddenly, a figure blocked the sunlight outside the door.
She stood against the light, so Wu Xiaomi couldn’t see her face, but that unique voice— Wu Xiaomi would never forget it in her life.
“I’m a Witch. If I’m not a bit cruel, wouldn’t I be betraying my title?”
The Witch smiled slyly and righteously lifted her teacup.
The soft morning sunlight shone into the Witch’s red tea, reflecting in her smiling, squinting eyes.
The morning breeze carried a hint of fresh coolness, lifting the woman’s flowing hair.
Cherry-colored strands brushed her lips, occasionally letting through flecks of light that revealed a face remarkably similar to Wu Xiaomi’s in beauty.
Her dress was clean and pure white, as if she had just stepped out of a frozen landscape painting, wrapped in pristine snow.
Her jade-like feet lifted lightly; the slender, perfect legs shifted from stillness to motion, slightly curling and inadvertently lifting the hem of her skirt.
Her gentle aura was woven into every thread of her honeyed smile—born from her true nature, not feigned, and impossible to imitate.
Wu Xiaomi stared blankly.
But the more she looked, the harder she cried.
She didn’t even know why she was crying…
Damn it! The tears just wouldn’t stop!!!
“I thought… I thought…”
Wu Xiaomi couldn’t hold back anymore.
Some inexplicable grievance suddenly filled every corner of her heart.
“I thought you died! I thought you disappeared with the bionic altar!”
She was like a child, no longer able to hide her emotions, pouring out all her grievances and worries at once.
Because she instinctively knew.
Here, in front of them, no one would mock her weakness.
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