Two people working hard together.
The lifeforms of this world had no parents, so they naturally didn’t know that giving birth to a child required…
But they still understood a few things.
For example, the Long Sword in Xia Mo’s arms was truly powerful, and for example, the Holy Sovereign really could be saved.
To them, this was very, very good news. Having someone with such formidable power as their comrade meant this entire situation was practically in the bag, right?
Was it? Regardless, Luo Shuangyue didn’t have much confidence in her heart.
But having no confidence changed nothing now. She could only grit her teeth and push forward, working hard to ensure she didn’t become a child with only a Mother.
The crow’s flight speed was very fast. By the time Luo Shuangyue woke up from a dreamless sleep, she had already arrived at the outskirts of the Sanctuary and was surrounded by a crowd of Sanctuary residents.
These residents were mostly saying things like, “She looks so much like the Holy Sovereign,” or “Is this the Holy Sovereign’s daughter?”
It seemed that while she was asleep, the Six-eyed Crow had explained her Identity to these residents.
Taking a quick glance around, Luo Shuangyue discovered that the population in the Sanctuary was not small at all.
It was similar to a small city in the Human World.
The only difference was that the average strength of the lifeforms here was much higher than that of Humans.
Magical Girls were a rare species on the Human side, whereas the lifeforms here all had Magic as their foundation.
Of course, those with truly great strength were still the minority.
Even those with Wang-Class strength like Taya weren’t numerous…
After all, Taya was an existence who could enter the Deadland alone to search for treasures.
Though she claimed she wasn’t strong, her actual combat power was not at all weaker than those of the same level who focused solely on fighting.
“How is your recovery?” Xia Mo squeezed through the crowd and walked over. She had also felt the enthusiasm of the Sanctuary, and it was honestly a bit overwhelming.
Among the few of them, she and Luo Shuangyue were still doing alright; Zheng and Xiaozi were the ones who truly had it rough.
The Sanctuary residents knew that Demons were villains and enemies, but this time they had actually met a friendly Demon they could communicate with.
This made the group of suppressed monsters and spirits incredibly excited.
In the time it took Luo Shuangyue to take a nap, Xiaozi had been petted so much that her fur was standing on end.
Now, anyone who dared approach her would be greeted by her sharp teeth and claws.
Yet, the residents of the Sanctuary still took tireless pleasure in teasing Xiaozi.
After all, Xiaozi was only hissing at them, which was vastly different from those Demons who would try to kill them at any given moment.
“I’ve mostly recovered, but I still don’t have much confidence. After all, there is simply too much Evil Intent to handle this time.” Luo Shuangyue felt her current state wasn’t bad. Her Mental Power had returned to full capacity after her nap.
However, she felt that even her full capacity might not be enough to achieve that grand goal.
“I believe you can do it.”
“Then I’ll take your word for it.”
The two looked at each other.
Luo Shuangyue stood up with a swish and looked at the Six-eyed Crow, who had been guarding her side.
“Let’s begin!”
“She’s still holding on, but the situation is clearly not great.”
Looking at the massive Cocoon in front of her, and at the silver-white color that was gradually being swallowed by dark red, Luo Shuangyue frowned slightly.
The Holy Sovereign was indeed a very, very powerful expert. T
o be able to support herself for so long while resisting the Evil Intent of all the Demon Emperors by herself… Luo Shuangyue suspected that even if she hadn’t come, the Holy Sovereign could have lasted about a month under the erosion of this Evil Intent.
After she approached the massive Cocoon, the silver-white on the Cocoon showed no reaction, but the dark red revealed a rather intriguing response.
It became restless, extending an invitation to Luo Shuangyue to join the grand occasion.
Yes, it viewed Luo Shuangyue as an ally who had come to help it. Although this ally’s strength wasn’t very high, even a mosquito’s leg was still meat.
This ally would surely be able to play a decisive role in this tug-of-war!
“I’m starting now.” Luo Shuangyue took a deep breath and nodded to the nervous crowd behind her.
Immediately, she reached out her Hand and pressed it firmly against the surface of the massive Cocoon.
In the next moment, Luo Shuangyue felt her consciousness being sucked into a pitch-black Abyss in an instant.
On the outside, countless silk threads suddenly sprouted from the massive Cocoon, dragging Luo Shuangyue directly inside.
This sudden scene caused everyone to panic, not knowing what to do.
“Don’t panic, we just need to do what we’re supposed to do!” It was Xia Mo who spoke up in time to stabilize their morale.
Although what just happened was beyond her expectations, she had discussed various situations that might occur when purifying Evil Intent with Luo Shuangyue before.
Luo Shuangyue had also been very clear that the Evil Intent would definitely resist. Being swallowed directly into the Cocoon was simply one form of that resistance.
Even though she was worried, Xia Mo felt that all she could do now was trust Luo Shuangyue—trust that Luo Shuangyue could accomplish those things.
Soon, Xia Mo noticed the massive Cocoon trembling slightly. A wisp of turbid dark-red gas drifted out from the Cocoon, emitting an incredibly revolting aura.
The moment she saw this wisp of aura, Xia Mo thrust out the Long Sword in her hand, giving it a light swing toward the gas.
The Evil Intent met the White Light and vanished in an instant, like mist encountering sunlight.
As expected, the plan was proceeding smoothly…
Boom!
Just as Xia Mo’s thought emerged, the sky above her head suddenly turned dark. Pitch-black air currents converged directly above the massive Cocoon, transforming into an enormous Darkness Vortex.
The Black Calamity?
Why would it appear here at this time?
Xia Mo was stunned for a moment before realizing this was no coincidence.
The Black Calamity created Demons, and Demons traveled alongside Evil Intent.
So, when the largest mass of Evil Intent in The World faced a terminal crisis, would the Black Calamity just stand by and watch?
Xia Mo didn’t know if the Black Calamity had its own will, but the current situation clearly proved that the Black Calamity was not a purposeless natural phenomenon.
Behind it, there existed various rules with unknown principles.
So, now the Black Calamity had come to support its comrade. It wanted to help its comrade on a physical level to defeat these enemies.
“We can’t let Demonic Energy interfere here!” In a flash, Xia Mo made her judgment.
Once Evil Intent fused with Demonic Energy, it would become something extremely difficult to handle.
And since there was so much Evil Intent inside the massive Cocoon right now, if it fused with a Black Calamity of such unprecedented scale, it would surely create an incredibly terrifying monster.
That kind of monster might be something even the sword in her hand couldn’t solve.
Therefore, she couldn’t let the Black Calamity have its way. She had to completely separate the two.
If she were alone, even with the Long Sword gifted by White Night, she wouldn’t be able to completely isolate the Black Calamity from contacting the Evil Intent Cocoon.
A single person’s power ultimately had limits. Moreover, the power she wielded didn’t belong to her, so she couldn’t control it perfectly.
Fortunately, she wasn’t fighting alone this time. By her side were comrades she could place her trust in.
The most powerful people in the Sanctuary were all behind her, watching every development.
And for a situation like this, she naturally needed them to share her burden.
The Six-eyed Crow responded immediately after the Black Calamity descended.
First, it sent a message telling the weaker residents nearby to leave quickly.
Then, it gathered the remaining strong residents together, propping up a bright silver Barrier with Xia Mo at the center.
As the Close Guard personally chosen by the Holy Sovereign and the de facto second-in-command, the Six-eyed Crow was not only powerful but also quite capable as a leader.
Having it unify the efforts to resist the Black Calamity was the best choice so far.
The silver light curtain descended, beginning a silent collision with the pitch-black sky.
A flash of shock crossed the Six-eyed Crow’s eyes; this Black Calamity was powerful beyond its imagination.
“Twenty cycles of day and night. That’s the most we can hold on for.” It quickly finished its calculations and gave Xia Mo a duration that wasn’t very long.
After twenty cycles of day and night, their strength would no longer be able to maintain the current Barrier.
“I understand.” Xia Mo nodded, her expression not changing much.
In truth, how long they could hold on here didn’t mean much. The key to this battle had never been here, but rather inside that dark-red massive Cocoon.
Drifting her gaze toward the nearby Cocoon, Xia Mo prayed silently in her heart, hoping that Luo Shuangyue could come out in time and bring the Holy Sovereign back to the living world.
***
So, how was the highly-anticipated Luo Shuangyue doing now?
She felt her condition was bad—very bad.
After being swallowed into the massive Cocoon, she could no longer feel her body.
She could only rely on instinct, driving the chaotic air currents around her to push herself forward.
As she tried to peel a wisp of Evil Intent from the deep Darkness around her and send it outside, this Containment Space immediately viewed her as an intruder and began to attack her frantically.
The body she couldn’t feel just moments ago finally reappeared, but the sensations coming from it were quite bad.
It hurt a lot, as if her body were melting bit by bit.
The pain was intense, yet it was also “friendly” to Luo Shuangyue.
At least she could continue to control her body and complete her Mission.
As the Darkness attacked her, a glimmer of silver light vaguely drifted out from the depths of the Darkness.
It was a Silver Butterfly.
It had sensed a stranger appearing in this space, and so, it came to the stranger’s side.
As the silver light fell upon Luo Shuangyue, the collapse of her body gradually stopped.
Then, a voice that Luo Shuangyue was very familiar with, yet hadn’t heard for a very, very long time, appeared by her ear.
“Who are you?”
Very familiar, yet very strange.
The familiarity came from the fact that Luo Shuangyue had heard this voice for many, many years; its tone was already etched deep into her memories.
The strangeness lay in the fact that the tone of this voice carried an emotion she had never felt before—a very indifferent emotion that only someone standing at the peak of the clouds would have.
To be specific, it was like a great saint.
And the father in Luo Shuangyue’s memory was never a great saint.
“I’m the person here to save you. You should know that you definitely can’t win, right?” Luo Shuangyue tried to open her mouth, but she couldn’t make a single sound.
In her helplessness, she could only use her consciousness to speak.
The Silver Butterfly fell silent for a moment, not denying Luo Shuangyue’s judgment.
Over these days of tug-of-war with the Evil Intent, she had also realized that her chances of success were very slim.
If nothing unexpected happened, she would lose.
Then, the Evil Intent that had swallowed her would become the greatest disaster in this World, rapidly destroying the entire foundation of the World in the time to come.
If this battle were lost, the entire World would be destroyed.
“You seem to carry my aura, but I don’t recall ever having any interaction with you.” The Silver Butterfly changed the subject.
These words immediately caused Luo Shuangyue’s eyes to fill with speechlessness.
It’s easy for you to not remember anything, but I, the seed you dropped in an alternate world, still have to laboriously run over to save you.
Who am I supposed to talk to for justice in this matter?
“I am your daughter.”
Those words caused the Silver Butterfly to fall into silence once again.
Luo Shuangyue thought the Silver Butterfly didn’t understand the meaning of the word “daughter,” so she sent the meaning of daughter to the Silver Butterfly via a Spirit Wave.
The Silver Butterfly remained silent for even longer.
She never expected that after staying in the Sanctuary for so many years and being its pillar for so long, she would suddenly have a daughter out of nowhere.
“I mostly understand… Was it done by the other me?”
“The other you? Where is she now?”
“She has already returned to my body. That is also one of the reasons why I have gradually become unable to resist the Evil Intent.”
A trace of exhaustion leaked from the Silver Butterfly’s voice.
When the black and silver butterflies collided and their consciousnesses touched, their originally unified consciousness had already merged into one.
She had gained that version of herself’s memories, but she had also gained the innate Evil Intent that Demons were born with.
This innate Evil Intent was like a crack, causing her solid dam of consciousness to gradually become unstable under the impact of the flood of external Evil Intent.
“That’s why I came here to help you. I’ll help you drive this Evil Intent out!”
The Silver Butterfly fell into silence once more. Only after a long time did she speak with a faint bit of regret, “You can’t do it.”
“How will we know if we don’t try?”
“The gap in strength between you and me is too great, and that Evil Intent can completely crush your consciousness in an instant,” the Silver Butterfly said in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Coming here is nothing more than a meaningless act of seeking death.”
She could already see Luo Shuangyue’s future.
As the power she used to protect Luo Shuangyue gradually vanished, Luo Shuangyue’s body and consciousness would completely melt in this furnace, becoming raw material for that world-destroying entity.
It was destined. When Luo Shuangyue stepped into this place with such strength, everything was already destined.
“So you’re actually such a pessimistic person?” Luo Shuangyue looked at the Silver Butterfly in front of her, her expression somewhat surprised.
Eh, thinking back carefully, that father of hers did… occasionally show a lonely and disappointed expression?
Her Mother’s evaluation of her Dad was about the same: something about not listening to people, being stubborn as a mule, and liking to assume the worst.