Chapter 55: I Only Want to Help You Survive

In the past, before the curse erupted, there would always be waves of stabbing pain from her shoulder and neck.

But this time, without any warning, the curse exploded all of a sudden.

It was no longer a slow, dull ache, nor was it the intermittent agony she had grown used to; it was like a flood bursting through a dam, submerging her in an instant, sweeping over every inch of her flesh and blood.

The pain from the curse seemed to transform into a blazing fire, madly scorching her internal organs, as if intent on burning her to ash. At the same time, it was like barbed tendrils reaching into her very soul, wrapping around and savagely tearing at it.

“Ugh…”

Her body collapsed, curling up on the big bed pressed against the room’s wall, convulsing uncontrollably. Ragged, bellows-like gasps escaped from her throat.

She tried to grit her teeth and endure the pain, only to nearly shatter her silver teeth in the process. Her consciousness floated in an endless sea of agony, as if it might shatter entirely at any second, plunging her into utter darkness and unconsciousness.

If she closed her eyes this time, would she ever be able to open them again? That was now a question without an answer.

The rampaging curse truly seemed determined to claim her life in this very moment.

“Yuri-chan?”

Elise, who had been floating by the window, gazing at the night moon outside, heard the commotion by the bed and turned around. Seeing Yuri’s face twisted in unbearable pain, the Little Evil God’s lips curved into a smile as she approached.

“Yuri-chan, you look like you’re almost done for.”

The moment had come even faster than Elise had expected.

“Look, there are two choices for you now. One: keep enduring the pain like this, and maybe you’ll be a cold corpse in the next second.

The other? Obediently offer up a part of your body in exchange for a chance to live.

So, what will it be? Just like when you first encountered the gargoyle, it’s the same kind of choice. How about it? A clever girl like you should be able to decide in an instant, right?”

She waited for Yuri’s answer. But Elise didn’t get the response she expected.

“Yuri-chan? Yuri-chan?”

She waved her hand in front of Yuri’s eyes. At this point, Yuri’s muddled consciousness could no longer make out the white figure before her, nor could she hear Elise’s voice.

She could only force herself to move, opening her spatial pouch and rummaging out a wooden box.

Her trembling fingers, like withered leaves in the wind, opened the box. Inside, lying quietly, was an abyssal crystal of white quality.

“Hey, hey, Yuri-chan,” Elise’s voice now carried a hint of surprise, “are you really going to use that? You might end up being devoured by the Abyss before the curse even kills you!”

Using the crystal could mean being corroded by the Abyss, hastening her demise.

Not using it, and the curse would surely take her life.

Yuri didn’t speak, but made her choice through action.

She pressed her quivering fingertip to her mouth and bit down hard, drawing blood with the last of her strength.

Drip. Fresh blood fell onto the pristine crystal. The instant her bloodied fingertip touched the crystal, it was like a drop of water falling into boiling oil—a violent reaction erupted at once.

The abyssal aura hidden within the crystal was instantly awakened. Like bloodthirsty hounds finding their prey, it surged madly into Yuri’s body through the wound on her finger.

“Mm!”

If the pain from the curse was like a fire scorching her soul, then the abyssal aura flooding her body now was an icy poison, freezing her blood and corroding her flesh.

The moment the abyssal energy entered her body, two utterly different forces began to collide within her, waging a fierce battle.

This dual torture, inside and out, instantly shattered the limits of what Yuri could endure. The world before her eyes darkened, and she felt her consciousness being shredded in a meat grinder.

The abyssal aura would continually clash with the power of the curse. In the process, both would be weakened, until the moment the curse’s power was exhausted and finally suppressed.

But this time, the curse showed no signs of weakening. At first, the abyssal power could contend with it, but soon, the curse overwhelmed the invading aura.

With the current rate of abyssal energy entering her body, it was utterly insufficient to suppress the rampaging curse. Though accelerating its influx would be risky, Yuri had no choice anymore.

Under Elise’s astonished gaze, a hint of frenzied determination flashed through Yuri’s unfocused gray-blue eyes.

With a crunch, she crushed the crystal in her hand.

In that instant, a torrent of wild abyssal aura burst from the shattered crystal, surging into Yuri’s body like a tide of black water.

“Tsk tsk. You know, you only needed to come to me. I wouldn’t let you suffer like this.

Idiot. Idiot Yuri, you stubborn fool!”

Staring at the girl writhing in pain on the bed, Elise sighed lightly. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to help, but since Yuri had chosen this path herself, all she could do was watch her continue forward.

The surging abyssal aura briefly overwhelmed the power of the curse, and the pain gradually lessened.

Just as things began to look hopeful, the curse—hell-bent on killing Yuri—erupted again, instantly suppressing the abyssal aura that had been holding it at bay.

“Oh no, this is bad. What do I do…”

Elise had thought Yuri would reach out to her, would seek her help.

But she didn’t. Instead, she pulled out a blue-quality abyssal crystal.

“Wait—”

Elise’s pupils shrank suddenly. “Don’t!”

Yuri could no longer hear her. The instant Elise shouted, Yuri crushed the blue abyssal crystal.

Like tossing a torch into an oil depot, the terrifying, soul-chilling abyssal aura burst forth into a black storm beside Yuri, engulfing the entire room.

Elise had no choice but to use her power to set up a barrier formation, sealing the room off and preventing the abyssal aura from leaking out.

At that moment, Yuri’s consciousness completely shattered, her eyes closing as she passed out.

Her hand still maintained the gesture of crushing the crystal.

Thick, almost tangible black abyssal aura crazily poured into her unconscious body below. This time, the curse was utterly suppressed. It tried to lash out one last time, but before the vast ocean of abyssal power, its resistance didn’t even stir a ripple.

The curse was suppressed. But at what cost?

The surging abyssal aura had not dissipated, continuing to pour into Yuri’s body. With the curse—its only rival—gone, the abyss now set its sights on her body.

A far more terrifying abyssal corruption had begun.

Even without consciousness, Yuri’s curled body still struggled instinctively, trying to resist the abyssal invasion, but it was all in vain.

On her pale skin, strange black patterns began to emerge, spreading out like spiderwebs.

The moment those markings completely covered her body, the transformation would be complete: her consciousness devoured, her flesh assimilated into a puppet of the Abyss.

When that happened, she would no longer be herself.

Elise stared blankly at the scene before her, watching the thick abyssal black mist envelop the girl’s body, watching the pain distort that once-beautiful face.

The light in the Little Evil God’s eyes slowly faded.

A surge of indescribable, complex, and intense emotion rose from the bottom of her heart, forcing her to cry out in a near-hysterical voice.

“Why?! You idiot, fool, lunatic!

Why, why, why—why can’t you just trust me? Why couldn’t you choose me!

Idiot Yuri! I… I…”

Her voice faltered. “I just… just wanted to help you survive…”

She stepped in front of Yuri, as if she had made up her mind.

“Just so you know, when you wake up, I’m definitely going to scold you.

And, it’s not like I want to save you or anything. I just hate the Abyss, that’s all. Plus, if you die like this, I’ll never be able to wipe away the shame of that day.”

She suddenly leaned down, their bodies nearly overlapping.

Looking at that unconscious face, twisted in pain, a complex emotion flickered in Elise’s eyes.

She could have walked away and let things be, but at this moment, she made her decision.

“Idiot Yuri… next time, listen to me more, okay?”

With those words, Elise closed her eyes and placed a gentle kiss on Yuri’s forehead.