Chapter 24: Disguised as Hope, Despair

With a loud crash, the monster’s claw slammed heavily into Li En.

The immense impact even sent Laira, who was standing nearby, flying backward.

“Li En!”

She struggled to her feet, looked at the blood in the huge crater, and knelt down helplessly.

“I’m sorry… if it weren’t for saving me…”

Just as she was stunned, she felt her body fixed by something invisible, slowly floating upward.

“Oh? So this is the power of a Divine Emissary? Quite unique. Now I think I understand why the Heretic God Sect wanted to keep him alive.”

The monster looked at Li En, whose body was already half assimilated, feeling that strange power. It became more and more convinced that its decision to betray the Heretic God Sect was absolutely correct.

“And you, my dear daughter.”

With that, it shifted its gaze to Laira.

“Campbell! Let me go!”

Laira weakly pounded at the invisible thing, but strangely, whenever her hand got close to a certain range of her body, it twisted and passed right through.

“Die! Die!”

“Don’t waste your energy. What’s binding you is space itself. What use are your feeble attacks?”

“What exactly are you trying to do, Campbell? Just to survive? Are you willing to throw away your territory, your family, everything?”

Staring into those huge, deep crimson pupils, Laira’s eyes overflowed with endless hatred.

“That’s right.”

The monster answered calmly.

“I’m no worse than anyone else, so why am I dying so young? I hate God! I refuse to accept this! I don’t understand why the gods would treat me like this…”

“But now I understand… This was only a trial for me. I am destined for eternal life, a man who will ascend to the top of the world!”

“The fact that I’m still alive proves that.”

“Heh… heh heh…”

Laira floated in the air, laughing coldly and weakly.

“…What are you laughing at?”

“I’m laughing at you for being a beast! And I’m laughing at myself for still harboring illusions about you…”

At these words, the monster’s eyes hardened.

Then Laira felt the force binding her grow stronger and stronger. The crisp sound of bones breaking rang out incessantly. Intense pain nearly made her faint.

“This is the sorrow of mortals—powerless, useless. Their lives are in someone else’s hands, and they can die at any moment. Now… do you understand, my daughter?”

With that, the binding force suddenly disappeared, leaving her to fall from a height, crashing heavily to the ground.

Her body twisted, blood continuously overflowing from her mouth and nose, and even her pupils began to dilate.

“Father…”

Her eyes filled with hot tears. It was as if she had returned to the days ten years ago, seeing again Viscount Campbell, who was suffering a serious illness yet remained gentle with his family.

“Daughter… is coming to find you…”

“Accept me, Laira. My daughter, you are one favored by heaven. As long as we merge into one, we will become the most perfect being!”

“No death… no aging… eternal existence…”

With that, a bloody giant hand slowly reached out toward Laira.

As Laira was absorbed, the monster’s form began to slowly change.

Around its exterior, countless scarlet, thread-like mana gradually wrapped around it. Before long, a giant cocoon hung suspended in midair.

The blood barrier surrounding Campbell City also began to slowly dissipate.

Around the cocoon, more and more red miasma emerged. This miasma seeped into the giant cocoon, continuously absorbed by Laira and Campbell.

“Yes! Just like that, my dear daughter! Absorb a little more, so our fusion will be even more perfect!”

The gaunt Campbell gently held the unconscious Laira, their bodies slowly merging.

“Lady… Laira…”

Amidst the flesh and blood, Li En was suddenly spat out.

Although he had lost half of his body, he had timely used space power to seal his wound.

It was precisely because of this that the monster could not continue absorbing him.

“I won’t… let you succeed…”

He crawled weakly, finally reaching the two of them.

Campbell, who was absorbing Laira, instantly sensed something wrong.

Not only could he no longer absorb Laira, but some force was continuously separating them.

“Li En! How is that possible? How are you still alive!”

His expression immediately twisted, and as he watched Laira drift further and further away, the anger of having his plans ruined completely clouded his mind.

“Fine, this time I’ll kill you for good!”

His hand instantly transformed into the shape of a monster, rushing toward Li En at incredible speed.

But in an instant, he found he could no longer approach Li En.

“Get… out!”

With an irresistible force, Campbell felt himself violently flung outward by something.

He broke straight through the blood cocoon, and due to the immense impact, even part of the flesh on his body was stripped off, collapsing onto the ground like a pile of mud.

The moment he was torn away, the huge blood cocoon immediately collapsed, turning into a pile of writhing flesh.

He struggled desperately, squirming toward that pile of flesh, but even using all his strength, he only advanced a short distance.

“Li En…”

Laira crawled toward the motionless Li En. After a long time, she finally supported his head and held him in her arms.

“Lady Laira… I’m not a coward… I avenged you…”

Before she could even finish the last word, Li En’s pupils had already lost their luster, and blood began to seep from the huge wound on his body.

“I’m sorry, Li En… I’m so sorry…”

Holding the dead Li En, she cried silently.

“Laira! My daughter!”

In the distance, Campbell was still trying to call out to her.

“Help me! Just put me back into that pile of flesh, and I can save Li En! Not just Li En! I can save everyone in the entire city!”

Laira still did not move.

“Oh… oh… and Mrs. Vagri! Even your mother, I can bring her back.”

He pleaded with Laira, as humble as possible.

Laira gently set down Li En’s body, staring at Campbell without a word.

“So this is what you call a perfect being? How ugly. But I’ve always had one question… If you died at the hands of a monster you created yourself, what kind of expression would appear on your face?”

“It really makes one… look forward to it…”

After speaking, Laira cast her gaze toward the writhing pile of flesh.

The next moment, that pile of flesh began to struggle violently. It gradually took on a human form, lifted a huge stone, and slowly walked toward Campbell.

“How is this possible? When did your ability awaken? You never took even a single sip of that potion…”

Before he could finish, the huge stone smashed down. The force was so great that it shook the entire ground.

Then, continuous loud sounds rang out one after another.

Blood flowed from the corners of Laira’s eyes. Her eyes were bloodshot, feeling as if countless needles were piercing through them, a burning pain.

Before long, her gaze began to blur. The flesh that had been smashing continuously also stopped, reverting to its original form.

“Just like this… it’s all over…”

Laira lay on the ground, completely exhausted. Her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.

“Goodbye… Father…”

Her eyes closed tightly, and she completely lost consciousness.

The pile of flesh slowly moved toward Laira. As time passed, it finally reached her vicinity.

Then, the flesh transformed into wisps of crimson mist, continuously merging into Laira’s body.