In the darkness of night, a single horse galloped madly along the small path leading back to North City.
Zhe Zilin was burning with anxiety.
His eyes remained fixed straight ahead without moving, allowing the cold wind to drill into his eyeballs.
I knew the fake Leon knew everything, yet I still let Osha stall him.
How could I make such a mistake? How could I…
Zhe Zilin’s abdomen suddenly tightened. A sharp pain erupted in his stomach.
His vision blurred in an instant.
Thud!
His abdomen tightened again. A large mouthful of black blood surged up from his throat.
Zhe Zilin’s mind buzzed. On the rapidly moving horse, he nearly fell off.
Only the hand gripping the reins still had a trace of strength left.
I could not have been this careless. I must have overlooked something.
Zhe Zilin’s brain felt like it was about to explode. His strength was instantly drained.
He fell off the horse.
If his body had not been several times stronger than an ordinary person’s, falling from a galloping horse at high speed would have been enough to kill him.
Even so, after rolling more than ten times on the ground, he was seriously injured even if he survived.
At this moment, Zhe Zilin’s entire body was in pain, not just his abdomen.
He guessed that several ribs in his chest might be broken.
A broken tree branch had pierced into his thigh. Perhaps due to adrenaline, he did not feel the piercing pain yet.
But he could not care about his injuries. Clutching his stomach, he recalled everything that had happened that night.
Why does my stomach hurt? Why is my mind so foggy?
His current state looked like food poisoning.
But I cooked dinner with my own hands…
Zhe Zilin held his head.
Every time he tried to recall, a splitting pain spread through his brain, making it impossible for him to calmly analyze the situation.
As time passed, his stomach also began to act up. Mouthful after mouthful of black blood poured from his mouth.
Now, he was even more certain it was food poisoning. It must have been something in dinner!
“There he is!”
The half-orcs had followed on horseback.
One-Eye was the first to spot Zhe Zilin lying on the ground. He immediately dismounted and helped him lean against a tree.
Seeing that Zhe Zilin’s breathing had weakened to the extreme, Scar’s expression turned panicked. “One-Eye, what happened to Leibang?”
One-Eye wiped a bit of the black blood from the corner of Zhe Zilin’s mouth and brought it to his nose to smell.
His face instantly turned heavy.
“We have seen this black blood before. It was the same when Tana’s husband died.”
“After consuming the Ice Demon’s flesh and blood, hallucinations appear as it is slowly digested in the body. Once the flesh and blood are fully absorbed, poisoning occurs and black blood is vomited.”
Scar swallowed hard, gradually falling into despair.
“Leibang… is there no saving him…”
The half-orcs sat around Zhe Zilin in a depressed circle.
Every face was filled with sorrow.
Scar turned his head.
“We finally met a good leader, and before we could even work for him, he is going to die before us.”
“Am I really cursed to bring misfortune to my leaders?”
Zhe Zilin suddenly patted Scar’s shoulder. His scattered consciousness cleared once more. The pain in his body disappeared. He returned to normal.
The System’s voice rang in his mind.
[Drug Resistance LV2: Maintain normal activity for three minutes after being poisoned]
The skill had activated.
This meant the Ice Demon’s flesh and blood had been fully absorbed. It also meant he only had three minutes left to live.
Zhe Zilin pressed down on Scar’s shoulder and stood up. He said one word of apology.
“Actually, I had thought about killing you all if necessary. But now I am very glad I did not do anything stupid again.”
Under the half-orcs’ shocked gazes, Zhe Zilin led over a horse.
“Where are you going?”
Zhe Zilin mounted the horse and stared in the direction of North City.
“I made a mistake. I let Osha stall the fake Leon. Now I want to try my best to fix it.”
“That was not your fault. The Ice Demon’s flesh and blood affects your mind and causes hallucinations. No one can stay clear-headed.”
Zhe Zilin sat on the horse without speaking. What could he do in three minutes?
Reaching North City would already take up most of the time. What could he do with the remaining few dozen seconds?
He did not know.
Perhaps because he had spent so much time with Osha and Ailia, a kind of paranoia had also formed in his heart.
A stubborn desire to make Osha and Ailia live in peace with each other.
Zhe Zilin spurred his horse toward North City.
Time slipped away second by second.
By the time he reached North City, he had almost run out of time.
Before his eyes was the expected sea of fire.
Blazing flames tore through the heavy night sky over North City.
The crackling sound of burning pierced through the night wind. Snow was no longer falling from the sky. It had been replaced by thick smoke.
Zhe Zilin cast his gaze into the city and charged into the rising ashes without hesitation.
Between the gaps of the raging flames, two familiar figures stood facing each other from a distance.
Osha’s silver-white long dress was stained with blood.
The dagger in her hand was bent. Her breathing was chaotic and she looked battered.
Opposite her, Ailia’s dark-red robe was tattered. Her face and body were covered in blood and grime.
Zhe Zilin’s heart suddenly clenched.
The outcome he feared the most, the one he had stubbornly wanted to prevent, had finally happened.
Osha’s chest heaved violently. The gentle eyes that once looked at Zhe Zilin were now filled with crimson.
Fury surged in her gaze. The veins on the hand gripping the broken dagger bulged. Even though her weapon was damaged, she still pointed it firmly at Ailia.
“You took Ed away from my side, yet you still let him get hurt and lose all his memories. You cannot even protect Ed, so why did you take him away?!”
Ailia’s pale cheeks were stained with black ash and blood.
Those eyes that used to be too shy to look at Zhe Zilin were now firmer than ever.
“I took Ed away to save him. You kept saying you would protect Ed well, but why is the future I see one where Ed dies in the royal capital?!”
“Impossible. With me here, no one can hurt Ed.”
“The Witch God’s prophecy never fails.”
Ailia’s originally soft voice was now especially clear amidst the sea of fire.
“You are nothing but a madwoman who only knows how to act willfully. Besides destroying everything, you cannot do anything.”
Osha sneered.
“You have no right to say that about me. Your so-called salvation is making him lose all his memories and become completely yours?”
“I am not wrong… I just wanted him to live…” Ailia muttered, her voice carrying a suppressed sob.
This was a debate that was destined to have no resolution. Two stubborn people would never easily acknowledge each other.
Zhe Zilin counted the time. He had twenty seconds left. That was only enough for a few sentences.
After twenty seconds, he would die. In truth, no matter what he said, it would not matter. But he wanted Osha and Ailia to live.
He had to say something. After his death, the System would narrate a brand new ending — the one he wanted to see.
Zhe Zilin had to seize this opportunity. In the next revival, he would struggle. He would change things.
Flames burned endlessly across the sky. The fiery wind blew his hair into disarray.
Osha was on the left.
Ailia was on the right.
Zhe Zilin stood on the scorching scorched earth.
He knew he did not need a loud voice. Even speaking normally, both of them would definitely hear him.
“Osha, Ailia, I want to know what you desire. I want to know the words you have buried deep in your hearts and have never said to me.”