“How is it? Is this enough for you to trust me?”
I looked at the thin, black shadow line and tried to grab it. It had no physical form, yet it definitely existed.
‘I still didn’t really know.’
‘I didn’t know what it meant, nor did I know what to do.’
Previously, Lu Xiu spoke and I acted. But now that the initiative had been handed to me, I didn’t know how to exercise this power.
Should I agree? Or refuse?
If I agreed, how would I pay the price of the trade?
If I refused, how would we deal with the avatar of death?
‘I didn’t understand.’
“Why do you want to make a deal with me?”
At the very least, I had to understand what the other party wanted, just like Lu Xiu would.
“Haven’t I already given you the reason?”
“Just because it’s me?”
“Only because it is you.”
“Then why do you still need to trade with me? Can’t you just help us deal with the death demon directly?”
“Well… not for now. First, I cannot stay in the present realm for long, and the death demon has already begun to merge with it, so time is the main constraint.”
“Second, root demons cannot have direct conflicts, or it might break the balance of hell and cause more unnecessary variables. For example… the birth of a seed of calamity.”
After all that rambling, the entire speech could be summed up in one sentence: I know it’s hard for you, but it’s also hard for me, so there’s nothing I can do.
“Then how are you going to help us?”
I didn’t want to hear any more explanations. After all, I wouldn’t understand even if it said more.
It opened its mouth. A hand from the mouth on the stomach reached inside and pulled out a dagger as black as ink, presenting it to me.
“This is the dagger of negation. Stab it into the death demon’s body, and it will be eroded by negation.”
I frowned. “Isn’t that just seeking death? As soon as I poke it, it will wake up, and then Lu Xiu and I will be done for.”
“Hahaha… There is no need to worry. As long as it is struck, it will fall into an even deeper slumber. Even if it does wake up, you do not need to worry.”
“By then, Mr. Lu Xiu’s death will have been negated. Along with you two, it will not perceive anything about you. Perhaps it will only notice after many years, but that will be enough, won’t it?”
‘It sounds like that’s the case.’
The mouth on the stomach stuck out its tongue, coiled it around the dagger, and held it in its hand. It felt as light as nothing, yet as heavy as a thousand pounds.
“You really won’t hurt me?”
“You already know my true name.”
“I still don’t trust you.”
“It’s all right. We have a long time to build this trust.”
‘Ugh, that sounds disgusting.’
“By the way, please do not tell Mr. Lu Xiu about this. After all, he harbors a great deal of hostility toward me.”
I nodded.
“Very well. Then, goodnight, my… supreme. Please remember that I, they… we are all watching you.”
After saying that, its body began to melt, turning into a puddle of black water that seeped into the ground until it was no longer visible.
*Plink*
The condensed water droplets, bound by gravity, fell from above and splashed into a dark flower on the ground.
Clanging sounds rang out.
Lu Xiu continued to pound on the mirror.
“Lu Xiu! Lu Xiu!”
“Hmm?” He turned his head. “What’s wrong?”
“I am a super invincible thunder big watermelon!”
“???”
I immediately covered my mouth.
‘Wait! That’s not what I wanted to say!’
“Actually, concrete undergoes super sublimation in water, like a wululu with a rocket launcher among a flock of penguins squawking and quacking, but I like swimming in lava.”
‘What is going on?!’
‘I clearly meant to talk about the negation demon, so why did my attempt to tell on it turn into nonsense?’
‘I get it! It must be that weirdo’s doing!’
‘The dagger… right, I still have the dagger…’
“Eh?”
‘Where was my dagger?’
My hand was empty; there was nothing there.
Lu Xiu’s lips twitched. “If you’re bored, there are cans in the box. Help yourself.”
“What flavors are there?”
“Beef, chicken soup, and things like that.”
“Is there an apple flavor?”
“I’ll buy a few cases of canned apples next time.”
“Yay!”
‘No!’
‘Why did the topic suddenly shift here?!’
But no matter how hard I tried to tell Lu Xiu—even through writing or other means—I was completely interfered with. I couldn’t convey it to him at all.
In the end, I simply gave up.
I rummaged through Lu Xiu’s box, found a can, and started eating in small bites.
After eating two cans of food, I realized that I didn’t need Lu Xiu to continue these rituals anymore.
“Lu Xiu, let’s go fight the death demon.”
He paused slightly, turned around, and looked at me.
“Are you serious?”
“Mm-hmm.”
After glancing at the mirror in his hand for a moment, he sighed and tossed it aside.
“Alright, let’s go.”
“Eh? Just like that? Aren’t you going to ask me why?”
“Why?”
“Because Kuyan Fire Village will turn into taro paste boba milk dew under the sun, forming an apple atmospheric effect.”
‘That damn negation demon!’
We walked toward the pitch-black tunnel.
Lu Xiu was still in front of me.
As we progressed, the surrounding darkness seemed to undergo a slight change.
The first thing to appear was a tombstone—a black tombstone, quietly blocking our path, standing silently.
“Sui, get ready for battle.”
After Lu Xiu spoke, he took out a golden rope, wrapped it around his arm, and pulled.
Instantly, a bright flame coiled around him, dispersing the surrounding darkness and revealing a forest of tombstones growing layer upon layer in the dark.
**[Lu Xiu, died from a fall.]**
A line of small characters emerged from the tombstone in front of us, just like the tiny text on the surface of the death demon back then.
**[●, crushed to death by a stone.]**
*Crack*
Just as this line of text appeared, it was shattered by Lu Xiu’s sword.
“Sui, destroy the tombstones.”
“Oh, okay!”
I pushed my hands forward. My whole body felt like it was falling backward in weightlessness, but I was caught by a giant bone palm rising from the ground.
Then, countless claws emerged from behind me, merging into a sea of white bone that surged toward the pitch-black forest of tombstones.
*Boom—*
One piece shattered, but another grew back, springing up like bamboo shoots after rain, endless and incessant.
“There are so many! I can’t finish them all.”
‘Isn’t there a better way?’
Right then, my breath suddenly hitched.
‘What’s happening?’
I whipped my head around and saw the small characters wriggling on a tall tombstone nearby: **[■, died of suffocation.]**
‘Is this the effect of these tombstones?’
I raised my right hand high. The bone palms behind me gathered layer by layer, forging into a bone greatblade. As my palm swung down, it fell with a crash!
*Boom*
The spreading aftershock, along with flying pebbles, pierced through the smoke, and that feeling of suffocation vanished.
“The words on these tombstones will affect us. Don’t let the tombstones grow. Prioritize attacking the special tombstones with wriggling text and massive frames!”
Lu Xiu slashed through a tombstone with one strike. The brilliant golden flames spreading from his arm also surged onto the tombstone, spreading and burning the others.
“Got it!”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.