Arbiter subconsciously looked in Yan Zheng's direction. He was still standing where he was, waving his baton as the stirring symphony played on, resonant and powerful—a melody she knew well.
Clearly, this boost in strength did not come from Yan Zheng's skill.
That meant there was only one possibility.
Among those who had gone to the wooden cabin on the mountain, someone had died.
And luck was on her side, granting her the buff from the dead.
This boost in strength was the blessing of the deceased's will.
With her strength enhanced, Arbiter's offensive grew increasingly fierce. As she swung her scythe, silver and purple flames danced across the sky. Every strike severed massive swathes of black vines, incinerating the filthy, turbid energy.
The incarnation's movements gradually slowed, no longer as effortless as before. The turbid energy surrounding its body was continuously burned away by the flames, dissipating into nothingness.
It grew anxious, and the attacks from its vines became increasingly frantic, yet it still could not breach Arbiter's line of defense.
The battlefield fell into a complete stalemate. The two sides fought tooth and nail, with neither able to gain the upper hand. It looked as though it would drag on into a grueling war of attrition.
Just then, a snow-white figure dashed forward and joined the fray.
Seizing the moment when Arbiter swung her blade to draw the incarnation's attention, the snow-white giant wolf leaped high into the air, its sharp fangs sinking deep into the incarnation's main body.
The excruciating pain drew a shrill shriek from the incarnation. The vines surrounding its body writhed frantically, trying to fling the white wolf off.
But the wolf bit down with unrelenting force. Even as its snow-white fur was torn by the barbs of the vines, it did not loosen its grip in the slightest.
Arbiter was momentarily taken aback, but she quickly recovered. Although she had no idea where this white wolf had come from or why it was helping her, she could feel that they shared the same goal.
Hesitating no longer, she tightened her grip on her scythe, flickered to the side of the Mountain God's incarnation, and swung with all her might.
Silver-purple flames engulfed more than half of the incarnation's body, pinning it in a pincer attack alongside the white wolf.
The human and the wolf coordinated with surprising synergy.
Arbiter was responsible for keeping the incarnation's vines at bay, using her silver-purple flames to scorch its body and weaken its power.
Meanwhile, the white wolf focused entirely on the Mountain God's main body, tearing into it again and again to inflict fatal damage.
The incarnation's strength dwindled. The turbid energy around it gradually faded, and its vines began to wither and drop off.
Finally, at the exact moment Arbiter brought down her final strike and the silver-purple flames completely enveloped the incarnation's body, the white wolf exerted a burst of strength and crushed the incarnation's core with a single bite.
Accompanied by an agonizing, blood-curdling shriek, the incarnation's body began to disintegrate bit by bit, turning into countless specks of light that dissolved into the air.
It left behind a resentful curse that echoed through the mountains: “I know of your betrayal. I will curse her, curse her with death—”
With the incarnation completely destroyed, the black vines, wolf-like beasts, and vine figures that followed it also lost their power, crumbling into ashes and scattering in the wind.
Only Arbiter, Yan Zheng, and the snow-white giant wolf remained on the battlefield.
In the very next instant after the incarnation's total disappearance, the giant white wolf also grew increasingly translucent, slowly fading away into the air.
Everything had completely quieted down. All that was left of the instance was a quiet, ordinary wrap-up.
After a brief discussion, the group set off toward the next station.
They had no luggage or supplies to carry; only Violita brought a sprig of wisteria flowers with him.
With Vigi and Yan Zheng taking turns carrying Violita on their backs, they lived off wild berries and stream water along the way. After hiking for most of the day, they finally reached the next station.
The station was small but bustling, with a constant flow of passengers coming and going.
They purchased tickets to the terminal station and sat in the waiting room, waiting for the train in silence.
The train traveled slowly, passing through forests and towns. After an indefinite amount of time, it finally arrived at the terminal station.
The station was filled with the clamor of voices, and crowds of people bustled past. Sunlight poured onto the platform, warm and bright.
Vigi and Zhou Caiwei got off the train one after another.
Since Violita had difficulty walking, he sat in a wheelchair provided by the train. Yan Zheng pushed him along as they slowly made their way toward the platform exit, with Arbiter walking alongside them.
Although the instance was already wrapping up, seeing off an NPC with mobility issues was a simple, helpful gesture.
Upon reaching the platform exit, Violita gently patted Yan Zheng's hand and said, “Thank you both. This is far enough. My attendant has arrived.”
Just as he finished speaking, a tall, middle-aged man in a black suit walked over quickly.
With a respectful expression, he approached Violita, bowed slightly, and said in a low voice, “Young Master.”
Yan Zheng let go of the wheelchair, nodded, and said, “Since your attendant is here, we can put our minds at ease. Take care on your journey.”
Arbiter nodded as well. After all, they had gone through this ordeal together, and with the shared connection of Bai Ci's death, they could already be considered friends of a sort.
This Mr. Violita was the definition of unfortunate. He was in poor health, and just when he had met someone he liked, she had immediately sacrificed herself.
This wasn't hard to see.
Out of everyone, only Violita had taken the wisteria flowers that had covered Bai Ci's body. To say he had no feelings for her would be impossible.
Thus, Arbiter did not hesitate to offer her blessings: “May fate grant you years ahead free from the intrusion of disaster and darkness, and may both your body and soul find peace and tranquility.”
She could feel that Violita harbored secrets, as well as pain.
But none of that had anything to do with them anymore. Their instance had ended, while Violita's life was still ongoing.
Violita nodded slightly. “Goodbye.”
Yan Zheng and Arbiter turned and walked out of the station, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Only after Yan Zheng and Arbiter's figures had completely vanished did the middle-aged attendant straighten up and ask respectfully, “Young Master, shall we return to the manor now?”
Violita slowly withdrew his gaze. A cold darkness swirled in his eyes, and a faint smile played at the corner of his lips. “Yes.”
After a pause, he turned his head slightly toward the attendant and asked in a flat tone, “What are the others up to?”
“As for Madame, she has recently been secretly preparing for someone's return.”
“The eldest young master has also discovered this. He hired a private detective and found out that the person Madame is preparing to welcome is, in all likelihood, the young lady who was hidden away all those years ago.”
“So, it's my sister...” Violita murmured, savoring the words. The smile on his lips grew more pronounced, while his eyes flashed with violence and malice.
“Are we finally going to meet? My dear sister.”
“My suffering, every single ounce of pain I have endured—it was all because of you.”
“This time, you won't have another chance to escape. You will be utterly destroyed, along with me and the Chaos family.”
A gentle breeze blew, carrying the scent of the wisteria flowers in his arms to his nose.
Suddenly, Violita felt a trace of relief. Perhaps it was for the best that the person who had momentarily stirred his heart was dead. That way, he would have no lingering attachments to being alive.
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