Inside the black cocoon, the light was dim. Hearing Liang Shuguang's words, Xu Mo curled his lip and murmured, “Did you hear that? He's talking about you, 'real woman.' Why don't you reply?”
These words were naturally directed at Bai Feifei, serving as a tease about their current gender-blended state.
However, Bai Feifei was in no mood for Xu Mo's humor. She rolled her eye—or rather, only her right eye—and scanned the sealed black space.
Not a single sound or vibration from the outside world could penetrate this place, as if they had been completely transported to another realm.
She had no idea what had become of Dawn City, which had been on the brink of destruction outside.
“What is going on?” Bai Feifei asked, looking at Liang Shuguang. “What did you do? How long do the people outside have before they completely aberrate?”
Liang Shuguang looked up and smiled, his expression retaining its characteristic calm.
“I don't know,” he replied casually, looking at Bai Feifei with a strange expression. “Do you really care about all that?”
“Maybe some will succeed, or maybe it will end in another failure. Haven't you already witnessed this many times?”
“You'll find out when you go back out later. Perhaps you'll see a brand new Dawn, or perhaps a destroyed one.”
“Of course, it's far more likely that you won't make it out of here alive.”
The side of the face belonging to Bai Feifei grew solemn.
Xu Mo, however, couldn't hold back his laughter. The eye on the left side of their face curled with amusement as he looked at Liang Shuguang, taking over the conversation.
“Stop putting on an act, Lord City Lord Liang.”
“Before today, you were desperately itching for me to kill you, and now you've locked us in this little dark room. You must have something to say to me, right?”
“Just spit it out. What, do you want to beg me for something but feel too embarrassed? Don't be shy.”
Liang Shuguang's expression shifted slightly, as if the words had struck a nerve, touching his very soul.
Moreover, he couldn't help but feel that the “Bai Feifei” before him was incredibly strange. Why did her tone and expressions feel so fractured and disconnected?
What method had she used to withstand S-024? Was this the price she had to pay?
Staring at the bizarre girl in front of him, he fell silent for a moment before suddenly flashing a meaningful smile. “Why do I get the feeling... that you are actually the one who wants to find out something from me?”
Xu Mo: “...”
Dammit, Liang Shuguang had hit the nail on the head too.
For a moment, the black cocoon fell so silent that a pin drop could be heard. Xu Mo and Liang Shuguang—or rather, the three of them—harbored their own hidden agendas, staring each other down.
Liang Shuguang suddenly let out a long breath, his gaze turning sharp. He shook his head and laughed, “Regardless, let's fight first. I haven't felt what it's like to battle someone in thirty years. We can chat while we fight.”
He raised his hand and beckoned. Dark red light coalesced in his palm, forming an illusory glaive.
The blade was long and narrow, rippling with blood-red patterns. Just like before, he didn't chant a single Word Soul to accomplish this.
“As for how long we can chat, that depends on how long you can last.”
“You won't blame me for bullying the young, will you?”
Xu Mo raised his longsword as well, his lips curling into a grin.
“Bullying the young? Little brat, do you know who you're talking to? You dare pull rank with me?”
“Then you'd better speak up quickly, lest you die before you can finish!”
Before his voice could fade, the Heart of the Real World in his chest suddenly throbbed. He once again began to channel its power.
But this time was different. Two completely distinct energies—one black, one white—surged from his chest simultaneously!
The black energy was wild and overbearing, rushing down the left side of the body controlled by Xu Mo.
Meanwhile, the white light was gentle and resilient, flooding into the right side controlled by Bai Feifei.
The two contrasting forces remained strictly separated, yet they simultaneously enhanced the same body, packing explosive power beneath Bai Feifei's flesh.
“Huh?” Sensing his power rising instead of falling, Xu Mo couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
From this perspective, the effect of the Blood Medal of Choice didn't seem like a restriction at all!
Instead, it was like opening dual channels, with both black and white augmenting him at the same time. The power of this S-rank Containment Object had actually given him a reverse boost.
This was double the fun!
At this realization, Xu Mo burst into laughter. Holding the sword in one hand, black light instantly coalesced on the blade as he lunged forward, executing a heavy slash toward Liang Shuguang!
On the other side, Liang Shuguang mirrored his action with the glaive.
With their auras surging, both of them swung their weapons forward. The formidable energy transformed into blade qi, hurtling toward each other like martial arts masters clashing head-on!
As Xu Mo swung his sword, he shouted to Bai Feifei, “Let's go!”
With a sweep of his sword, Xu Mo charged forward. And then... an accident happened.
Both Xu Mo and Bai Feifei possessed muscle memory for combat. They exerted force at the exact same moment—Xu Mo controlling the left leg, and Bai Feifei controlling the right leg.
The result was both legs exploding with power simultaneously, performing a textbook standing long jump like a startled bullfrog.
Xu Mo: ?
After instantly launching forward seven or eight meters, their left and right feet immediately tripped over each other. Unsure of which leg to step with next, their body flailed in the air as if trying to swim before faceplanting hard onto the ground.
“What the hell?!” Xu Mo cried out.
In the next second, Bai Feifei's slender body landed in an extremely ungraceful posture, face-first with a loud splat.
But that wasn't even the funniest part, because Liang Shuguang on the opposite side was doing no better.
He had also charged forward at the same instant, his upper body assuming a flawless slashing posture that showed he was once a seasoned combatant. However, his newly formed legs had ideas of their own.
Thirty years in a wheelchair had made him completely forget how to use his legs and where to place his center of gravity.
In fact, at the moment of his dash, his right hand had instinctively made a motion as if pushing a wheelchair wheel!
After taking just two steps, Liang Shuguang's legs tangled together. His left foot drew circles while his right foot kicked outward, looking exactly like a stroke patient undergoing physical therapy.
He instinctively tried to prop himself up with the glaive, but failed. With a loud thud, both he and his weapon collapsed onto the ground.
Boom!
The energy waves they had unleashed earlier collided in mid-air, resulting in a violent explosion. The shockwave caused the entire black cocoon to tremble slightly.
Once the dust settled, the two combatants who held the ultimate fate of Dawn City in their hands were left sprawled out—one flat on his face, the other face down.
It was basically a battle of Mobility-Impaired vs. Half-Paralyzed.
In an instant, the air seemed to fall into a dead silence.
...
Rate on N.U.
