“I… where am I?”
Mann slowly opened his eyes. Surrounding him was a pure white space, and before him was an extremely familiar face.
That golden yellow hair and those violet pupils were unmistakable.
“Mei…”
The back of his head seemed to be supported by something smooth and warm. The gentle sensation made him involuntarily start to relax.
“A lap pillow? If only it weren’t an illusion…”
He knew full well that everything before him wasn’t real. Neither this space, so fake it was beyond words, nor the maid before him—it was all fake.
“But perhaps this is good enough.”
‘Maybe the only correct choice for that world is to follow the original novel’s path? After eliminating me, this anomaly, it can finally return to the right track.’
Just then, as he looked at Mei, who suddenly spoke, Mann was startled.
“You… can hear my thoughts?”
“You really have worked hard.”
Mei looked at Mann gently, nodded, and softly caressed his cheek.
“Maybe… but those are all things of the past. I really am… a bit tired.”
“Originally, I would have died on the way to Campbell Territory. Thanks to you, I was able to survive.”
…
“And when Sir Dan Luo and I were imprisoned, it was you who stepped in to save us. And Miss Laira—you pulled her back from the hands of the Blood Demon.”
…
“Sir Commander’s subordinates, the territory’s people, and even Viscount Matthews—all of them were able to move to a safe place thanks to you.”
As she spoke, these incidents appeared one by one in the pure white space.
“You have done your utmost in everything. So please don’t blame yourself. You must once again… stand up bravely!”
“Just like how you never bowed to an unjust fate!”
Countless glowing hands appeared beneath Mann, gently lifting him up.
“Father… Lord Dulufu… and everyone…”
Somehow, tears began to well up in his eyes.
“Your efforts are not wasted, child. Now, go and finish what remains unfinished!”
“Mmm…”
Mann’s gaze became resolute. Meanwhile, behind him, Mei gently pushed his back.
“Goodbye, Master Man En. Do your best…”
…
“The Blood Demon’s Heart? Why is that on Mann?”
Though Te La’er was baffled, he still had to find a way to resist its erosion first.
And after planning for so long, how could he let this thing ruin the big picture?
“Hmph! What right do you have to control this body?”
He reached into his chest cavity and forcibly pulled out the heart that was attempting to merge with the body, along with the blood vessels that had extended inward.
At the same time, Mann’s fingers twitched ever so slightly imperceptibly.
“Let… let me go!”
A ferocious expression gradually appeared on the heart’s surface. It continued to struggle in Te La’er’s grip, though it was futile.
No matter what tricks it tried, its attacks couldn’t get anywhere near Te La’er.
“I… I just want to survive!”
Te La’er didn’t intend to pay it any mind. His hand tightened, and the heart became more distorted.
“No… don’t!”
“Coveting the Divine Body—this is the price you must pay! And you should have died a long time ago, Te Li’en Campbell!”
Sensing danger, the Blood Demon’s Heart instinctively retracted its extending parts, hoping to survive the crisis by going dormant. But not only did its surface deformation not stop, it got worse.
Shortly after, with a muffled popping sound, the Blood Demon’s Heart was crushed barehanded by him, and the remaining tissue began to burn.
In Te La’er’s hand, within moments, the thing was completely destroyed, leaving no trace.
“Alright, the matter at hand is resolved. So what to do next?”
Te La’er took a few steps forward, his smile gradually turning ferocious.
“Indeed, I should go kill everyone he transferred away! That would further erode his consciousness. Heh…”
“But killing them all at once is too boring. I’ll torment them one by one—that will be more fun.”
“I’m already looking forward to his expression. Hahahaha…”
“So, who to start with? His father? Or that maid? Or perhaps…”
Te La’er looked up into the distance. Sophien was struggling to get up, but after several attempts, it was all in vain.
Her hair had turned white, and her skin was beginning to shrivel. Typical consequences of excessive mana output.
The next moment, Te La’er appeared before Sophien.
“Hey, messenger of Polutini, you can still struggle, can’t you? Don’t make me too bored.”
He lifted Sophien with one hand, but when he saw her wretched state, disappointment filled his eyes.
Perhaps seeing that she had completely lost the ability to resist, he somehow felt suddenly bored.
“Enough, die!”
However, after a long while, his hand only hovered in front of Sophien’s chest, trembling incessantly.
Soon, even the Sophien he had lifted fell from his grip.
His expression turned to terror.
“Mann Matthews… why can you still control this body? Shouldn’t your consciousness have sunk to the depths of the Abyss?”
Te La’er stared in horror at the trembling arm.
“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint you.”
“How do you have the face to come back and keep fighting for this body? How many people wouldn’t have died if not for you?”
“…”
“And your fate was already sealed. As the Holy Son, you have no right to choose!”
“Enough.”
Mann said flatly, his voice devoid of emotion.
“If not for you and the Heretic God Sect, all those who died would have lived well! The root of the problem is you all!”
“And… fate can be changed. I’ll prove it to you now!”
As a strange energy spread around Mann, Te La’er instinctively felt something was off.
Since he was in the same body as Mann, he instantly understood what Mann was about to do.
“What are you doing? Stop!”
“Don’t you even care about your own life?”
“I have to deal with the mess I made. I don’t care if I live or die, as long as I can take you with me!”
“Stop! You lunatic!”
However, Mann paid no heed to Te La’er’s hysterics.
He slammed his hand onto the hole in his chest, and the mana around him began to circulate recklessly in reverse.
“Turning Sophien’s mana into your own—that was your biggest mistake!”
The next moment, Te La’er felt his mana constantly flowing out of his body, unstoppable.
“Regression!”
An enormous amount of mana turned into a massive vortex around Mann. Beneath the vortex was a bottomless cave, like an abyss.
Countless black mists emerged from his body, swept up by the vortex, and eventually merged into that cave.
Realizing that it was hopeless and knowing that Mann was determined, Te La’er couldn’t be bothered to say anything more.
“I didn’t expect you to leave that heart in yourself as a backup. I underestimated you, Mann Matthews.”
By now, the black mist had been completely extracted. It took the form of Te La’er and stood before Mann.
“This time, I’ll admit defeat. But this isn’t the end… When you fall into despair again, I will seize your body once more…”
“I have already seen your future… after all, we were originally…”
Before he could finish, he was swept into the abyss by the mana vortex, with no trace left. As if he had never appeared.
“Hmph, you… you first get out of the Abyss… before you talk!”
The surroundings became calm again.
“D-Did it succeed? Lord Mann?”
Sophien struggled to rise from the side. However, Mann suddenly collapsed to his knees before her, falling helplessly into a pool of blood with shocking wounds.