chsdbacks Page 73
Page 73
"The Fox God will surely protect us."
The level of ugliness was even greater than that of the countless people who bullied Mei when she first came into this world. Every single one of them was a murderer who forced Sakura to kill her sister. Some of the seemingly normal people along the way were just like those children who begged for mercy after being beaten and wanted to tell the teacher.
What a pointless inquiry and shouting.
So—衣玲翼丝呜u镹俬IX捌峮
go to hell!
A crimson crescent moon appeared in the daylight.
It's like a scarlet moon that only exists in comics.
This is listening to Yae Sakura's inaction in the past, yet being unable to blame her, just as one cannot blame an elephant enslaved from childhood and chained up—one cannot direct the anger at the victim who was controlled from the beginning and forced to be cowardly, thus accumulating and enduring until this moment.
Now! At this moment! Now!
There's no need to endure it any longer.
Just like that, keep swinging the long sword in your hand.
With a single strike, he effortlessly severed the human body before him—the boy tore apart everything in sight without a trace of expression, ruthlessly trampling precious lives under his feet.
This was truly stepping over the shards of human flesh in the literal sense; no samurai's attempt to test his sword could ever compare to the horrific scene before him.
Ultimately, those warriors, who are still human beings, could only kill ten people at a time by using the sharpness of their weapons to cut into people's vulnerable parts. That would be the best memory and the best weapon combined.
At this very moment, what Jiang Cheng holds in his hand is undoubtedly a divine weapon of true significance, the Key of God, which is capable of being divinely created.
It requires no authority; its toughness and sharpness alone are enough to reach a level that even the most fantastical weapons in mythology have never achieved.
The being wielding this weapon, Ling Meng Er Ming Chan Ling Qi Yu Si Ba, was a being from Jiangcheng who, in ancient times, could be considered a demigod or a hero.
Even if one has no talent, no swordsmanship, and no skills—pure stats are enough to crush everything.
Even without developing the Stigmata or conducting any in-depth exploration, the power that a Stigmata holder can bring is unimaginable. Even a B-rank Valkyrie has the ability to land in the stratosphere without a parachute. In this world, not only Herrschers and strong individuals exist, but even ordinary beings and ordinary warriors have unbelievably high stats. Not to mention that Jiang Cheng inherited Yae Sakura's Stigmata.
Until he met Yae Sakura... no, he still had to leave enough enemies for the victims. It was the most shameless thing to enjoy the pleasure of revenge all by himself. If he didn't let others take revenge, all his anger would just go to waste, burning the air meaninglessly, and eventually he would be swallowed up.
Even those villagers within sight, who finally began to realize they should be afraid, abandoned their so-called gods and, having discarded their humanity, lost all dignity as believers and began to flee in disarray, became important resources.
Take a deep breath, take a deep breath, and then stop holding the knife.
Let the last blood flower bloom in the air.
Jiang Cheng stepped through the silent village entrance, his thumb gently pressing against the edge of the blade, and slowly sheathed the blood-red longsword.
"Click——"
"Boom boom boom --!!!"
Blood and flesh on the ground, limbs broken... Countless colors of red, yellow and green covered the world, making people want to vomit just by looking at it. Even after being pixelated, it still made people want to vomit. Everything filled the eye.
Of all these, only Jiangcheng walked along calmly.
Do not……
It cannot be called bland either.
I still feel nauseous. Just looking at it makes me want to vomit. An ordinary person is still an ordinary person—but you absolutely cannot show your ugly side in a place like this.
Even if it's just a facade of sophistication, now that I've taken on the role of a helper, I must maintain my composure and never let my true colors show.
While longing is the furthest distance from understanding, it is also the relationship in which one person can unleash the most powerful force upon first meeting another.
It is precisely because of the mystery and the elegance that one can truly feel the other's power from the bottom of their heart. Therefore, one will trust that the other, as the savior, is omnipotent and can pull one out of the sea of suffering. If the superior who is given the aura of salvation is essentially the same person as oneself—disappointment and retreat will come even earlier than failure.
I don't know about other things, but Yae Sakura definitely needs it right now.
Because we've already seen it.
I saw—her weakness.
Standing high above, on the altar, bathed in sunlight, she held a blade in her hand, dressed in a magnificent shrine maiden's outfit. Even the way her cherry-colored hair fluttered in the wind, illuminated by the light, gave her an almost divine glow. Only her eyes remained empty, those dark, lifeless eyes.
No matter how far away, no matter how clearly seen, one can clearly feel it, a feeling from the heart—beneath Yae Sakura's gorgeous and noble exterior lies a weak and helpless child lying in a mud puddle, a kitten shivering in the cold, clinging to leaves to shelter from the endless wind and rain, having lost even the strength/spirit to meow.
What pitiful eyes those must be!
What a pathetic person that must be!
If nothing changes, no matter how trembling or unwilling she is, she will eventually hold the knife in her hands and, under duress, swing it at her most important sister.
Witnessing such a disgusting tragedy, witnessing such a pathetic and passive person, yet unable to complain, because this posture is a person forcibly shaped by others—the hilt of the knife that had just been closed was pushed open a little again, fingertips pressed against the hilt, only the last bit of rationality held on, controlling the body not to break the deadlock with force again.
At least before asking Sakura a question.
Don't upset the girl.
Jiang Cheng raised his head again, gazing at the pink hair that shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, the gold jewelry that reflected the dazzling light, and the dancer's costume that fluttered in the wind. He touched and pondered the world that separated him from the girl, a world that would make anyone who saw it lose all courage.
……
……
……
One is at the very bottom and the very edge.
Firstly, they are indeed revered as gods from a high place.
The high-ranking girl felt blinded even by looking up, her gold jewelry reflecting the sunlight, and countless people knelt in near frenzy to worship her.
Those long, flowing hairs that I remember so fondly, and those strangely short shrine maiden outfits, now appear so orthodox that even the smooth calves are barely visible.
Gorgeous, solemn... These are the only two words that can describe the girl at this moment. Her complex red and white shrine maiden outfit, reflected in her long pink hair, creates a hazy, almost divine vision from top to bottom.
The crowd in the middle was so large that it seemed endless. The collective voice was like thunder, shattering eardrums. The sheer number of people was more terrifying than the school cafeteria at noon. It was so large that even if one had to resort to violence, it would still be a terrifying number for him. It was more despairing than a bottomless abyss, a distance that would make anyone who saw it give up.
It's impossible to push through so many people, impossible to cross such a long abyss, impossible to walk out of the crowd—because just one glance from so many people is enough to terrify an ordinary person.
It doesn't matter.
Not as oppressive as Bronya.
In fact, Jiang Cheng didn't hesitate for a moment before taking a step forward and forcefully pushing aside the chaotic crowd standing in front of him.
Ah (two) Ling (eight) Vling picked three streams of leeks ah...
Isn't it obvious what needs to be done?
It's just a few hundred people blocking our way. Can this kind of display really be considered a problem?
so--
"—Is this how you're going to end it?"
……
……
……
They didn't care at all what the consequences of making a scene at someone else's festival would be, nor did they worry about being seen, caught, or being stared at by countless people, becoming enemies of thousands upon thousands of people in the eyes of countless others.
The stern question was clear enough even in a crowd, and could drown out countless buzzing sounds.
In an instant, countless people turned around to search for the source of the sound, only to witness a fleeting silhouette.
Those people who suddenly burst into the crowd, who you can feel being pushed and kicked away, yet can't see anyone, and who you instinctively want to ignore.
Who?
I can't see it!
Do not……
It's not that he simply can't see it; it's merely that he's instinctively trying to escape as a living being. He exudes a powerful presence at all times—his entire body is boiling with Honkai energy at a terrifying concentration. This is Jiang Cheng, the holder of the Stigmata.
Until the world seemed to flicker suddenly, those instinctively blind people were finally able to find in their own eyes the one who dared to speak wildly at the most important festival, shouting and making a ruckus at who-knows-who.
Difficult to catch, difficult to look directly at, it seemed like the wind or a wild beast. Even those with good eyesight could only see that the shadow seemed to be walking... disappearing in the blink of an eye in an impossible way, tearing open a road in the crowd that could only accommodate one person.
"What are you doing? Don't push!"
"I've never seen you before. Who are you from?"
"What are you doing? This is a sacred ceremony. If you're this rude, I'll send you up there too."
The sounds around him were glamorously ignored. No matter what attitude those people adopted, no matter how many people realized he was an outcast in Jiangcheng and came to stop him, forming a crowd that was almost like a tidal wave, as far as the eye could see, apart from the high platform in the sky and the girl who suddenly looked over from the platform, there was no one with their back to him.
--forward.
Whether or not it was noticed.
--forward.
Regardless of how surprised others might look at them.
--forward!
Even if it means squeezing in and resisting other people's obstruction.
You can feel someone trying to reach out, someone trying to grab clothes, hair, or anything that might stop him.
But what's the point?
Can you catch it? If you can catch it, can you tear it off?
Even their clothes couldn't be easily torn by those guys, let alone the fact that humans couldn't possibly catch the advanceers' heavy tanks.
As for the oppressive feeling of being stared at by countless people—I became completely desensitized to other people's gazes long ago after I slaughtered my way through Qianyu Academy.
Jiang Cheng stubbornly marched against the flow of people, stepping against the wall that was even more disgusting and insurmountable than the flesh and blood before him, pushing forward step by step, squeezing out the surging crowd, like a fool running towards a flood.
The water was coming—a massive, flood-like crowd was arriving, and the militiamen maintaining order were rushing to the scene, some already drawing their katana from their waists.
useless!
ridiculous! !
In the face of those who possess the Stigmata, unless their numbers are truly enormous, ordinary people are hardly any better than straw by the roadside.
They didn't draw their swords—because those guys didn't need to draw their Jizo-Mitama or use their Divine Keys to deal with them.
Lacking any skill, a well-chosen dodge was enough to cause them, unable to control their momentum, to fall naturally into the crowd.
Under the crushing force of absolute power, even a weakling or a piece of trash with no skills can kill a martial arts master with a single slap using absolute speed and strength.
Lying on the ground in such a chaotic place, it's unnecessary to think about how the crowd would trample them; at least, several screams could already be heard.
"what--!"
"No...no!..."
"My hand! Get out of my way, you bastards!"
It turns out that using strict language and coercive constraints during times of chaos can have the opposite effect—the villagers, eager to leave, end up causing secondary harm.
Jiang Cheng walked forward on his own, climbed the platform on his own, and dodged the attacks that seemed to move as slowly as turtles in his view. With a casual elbow, he knocked those people off the platform, sending them crashing to the ground.
Until that seemingly untouchable girl, separated by the abyss and the flow of people, finally arrived at a point that seemed within reach, within arm's reach, within a step forward, where she could be caressed.
The gold jewelry that used to gleam in the sunlight is no longer blindingly bright when you look up, and her smooth, long hair has returned to its natural cherry blossom color.
Staring at those eyes that seemed to have been watching her from the very beginning, never taking their gaze off her from the moment she took her first step, she could vaguely feel herself being watched every second, even in moments of stillness like a lake, where even under the midday sun, not a single glimmer of light could be reflected—
Is this what you want?
"cherry."
……
……
……
……
Yae Sakura didn't know how she fell asleep, how she woke up naturally, how she changed into her shrine maiden outfit at the call of the god, put on the accessories and those thick decorations, picked up the butcher's knife that was about to be stained with serum, and climbed the altar step by step under the sunlight.
My mind was hazy, and my head felt like it had been punched hard or hit on the back of the head with a baseball bat. Even my ability to control my body and retain memories was severely impaired, and I was acting entirely on my body's remaining instincts.
This incompetence and mediocrity, until gripping the katana tightly and witnessing the blinding reflection on the blade, was forcibly jolted awake from the dream by the extreme stimulation of that moment—that shimmering silver light, only at this moment, seemed extremely mocking.
Looking up, all you can see are those neighbors who, in your memory, have never been kind or friendly.
Their eyes held nothing but fanaticism and madness.