No Way to Survive Without Harming Others

"Look at you, all sweaty. Come, wipe your face." "Tired? How about I carry you on my back for a bit? Here, have some candy to boost your energy!" "Want a massage? The muscle relaxation technique I learned from Harvey should work on living people too!" After a brief inner struggle, Yaxiu had accepted the Watcher's goodwill. Deep down, Yaxiu knew that the phantom Banjie was merely a temporarily created clone, and he had mentally prepared himself to cut him down, determined not to let past memories soften his hand. Perhaps because he had been cast into the desperate straits of Shattered Lake Prison the moment he transmigrated, or perhaps because his companions had always been societal outcasts like Igola and Harvey, Yaxiu had, without realizing it, adapted to the rules of this world—or rather, flexibly adjusted his moral baseline. He had already come to terms with necessary killing, for fate was far more fickle than drama; even sorcerers who commanded miracles would sometimes face the dilemma: *If I don't harm others, there is no way for me to survive.* What stood before them now were merely clones; Yaxiu wasn't so weak that he couldn't even lift a sword. And yet, it was like having raised a Lalafell for a long time. You knew full well the purpose of this Lalafell's life was to be turned into a delicious meal, and right now you desperately needed this feast to stave off hunger, but if given the choice, you still wouldn't want to butcher it yourself. *So this was what it meant for a gentleman to keep away from the slaughterhouse and kitchen.* Yaxiu had developed a fresh appreciation for the ancient phrase. The trial clones were even worse. They possessed intellect, desires, and the power of speech, indistinguishable from ordinary people. To make matters worse, they were acquaintances Yaxiu personally knew, making it impossible for him to view them as strangers—he couldn't even deceive himself. If he really had to slaughter his way through, he could, but once he got back, Yaxiu would probably have to book an extensive psychotherapy package with Igola. A mind sorcerer truly was an essential companion for both arson and murder, home and travel... Now that the Watcher had offered to solve this predicament on his own, how could Yaxiu refuse? When battles broke out, however, he proactively hid far away, crouching facing a wall with his ears covered, catching up only after seeing the trial tally on his bracer tick upward. Yet with the Watcher doing all the heavy lifting while he slacked off the whole way, even Yaxiu felt a twinge of embarrassment. As a result, he lavished the Watcher with attentive fussing and thoughtful service, stopping just shy of waving cheer sticks in an attempt to boost his team contribution. Even someone as inscrutable and poker-faced as the Watcher grew annoyed, raising a hand to chop him square on the forehead before the corridor finally regained its peace. When only one minute remained on the trial's countdown, Yaxiu said, "Remember, even though the people appearing next are clones of our acquaintances, at the end of the day they're only disposable tools temporarily conjured by the trial. They probably wouldn't have survived more than a day or even an hour anyway, just like summer cicadas, mayflies in the water, or clouds in the sky... Besides, you've never met their real counterparts, so just treat them as phantoms." Before every trial today, Yaxiu had recited this same speech. It was hard to tell whether he was trying to comfort the Watcher or himself. Packed with hypothetical rationalizations, it offered every excuse to absolve them of guilt for killing the clones. They weren't in a courtroom, yet he seemed intent on persuading the judge of fate, desperate to slip free from the shackles of remorse. The Watcher naturally had no need for such weak and foolish self-comfort, yet he hadn't stopped Yaxiu from repeating the speech over and over. A long time ago, he had often heard similar words. There had always been someone by his side grasping for reasons to prove he was right, to prove that everyone he killed had deserved to die, to prove that the evil he committed was actually good, and to prove that his enemies were despicable, shameless scoundrels—as though he were an utterly righteous, clean, and innocent man... Though he still found such rationalizations meaningless, perhaps because he had grown accustomed to hearing them, he didn't dislike it. Just then, the Watcher suddenly froze. *Right.* *Someone who feels no guilt has no need for such excuses. Dead Frenzy, Mirror Master, Black Demon—none of them would ever utter such weak words.* *So... was she comforting me, or was she comforting herself?* Seeing the trial count increase by one, Yaxiu hurried after the Watcher, catching a glimpse of the corpse on the floor from the corner of his eye. Like the previous trial clones, the body was intact with no visible wounds, lying face down so that its identity was impossible to discern. "When we reach the Cicada Metamorphosis Hall later, make sure to leave the final strike to me—I'm stealing the kill," Yaxiu said self-righteously. "My blade is practically thirsting for blood!" "Mhm." "Still, it'll probably be a brutal fight when the time comes." Yaxiu looked at his hands. "The trial rewards along this final stretch have grown increasingly terrifying. Not only have all our physical attributes surged across the board, but my senses have sharpened to where I can perceive traces beyond reality. Sometimes I can even see overlapping afterimages of you. It's almost like..." "Foresight." "Exactly," Yaxiu nodded vigorously. "You must have felt it during combat too, right? Time feels like a coordinate axis that can be observed. I can even faintly catch the scent of the Flowing Gold River's waters... It smells just like Blazing Lalafell." *That's just because you're hungry...* The Watcher silently quickened his pace. "Silver Lantern and the other certainly won't be weak either. When the moment comes, I wouldn't be surprised if everything gets smashed to pieces before a victor emerges," Yaxiu said. "Still, as long as Silver Lantern falls, our journey in Senluo can finally come to an end." "Hey, what are your plans once you get out?" Yaxiu asked. "I'm planning to find a way back to Gospel first. After all, I promised them I'd return without fail. And after that... no matter what, I want to visit the Kingdom of Stars." "If I'm lucky, maybe I can settle down in reality. If not, I'll find a way to become a Legend and keep searching until I find..." He opened his palm, then clenched it tight, "...a miracle that will allow us to reunite in reality." "Though it's easier said than done. Just traveling between kingdoms is trouble enough," Yaxiu scratched his head. "Going from Gospel to Stars might be simpler. After all, Lisi is the Yisu Empress now; praying to the Gospel to let me cross once shouldn't be an issue, right?" "But how do we get from Senluo back to Gospel? A Void Realm passage? A Grey Fox legacy?" Yaxiu brooded over it for a moment before brushing the annoying thoughts away. He looked at the Watcher and asked, "That's my plan. Do you want to come with me, or do you have other ideas?" "I'll come with you," the Watcher answered perfunctorily. "Awesome!" Yaxiu happily slung an arm around the Watcher's shoulder. "I can't wait to see the look on Igola and the others' faces when they meet you... It's going to be priceless!" "Igola will probably grill us with all sorts of questions to tell us apart, then pull me aside to warn me to watch out for you. It'll probably take him a while to accept you. As for Harvey, he'll likely tell us apart at a glance—I always feel like he can see unclean things..." "Then we'll search Senluo for any Grey Fox legacy that allows kingdom crossing, and wipe out the Four Pillar Cult along the way if we can. If you don't want to be a regional distributor like a feeler, the best solution is to drive the local branch out of business..." "Feels like there's never any rest," Yaxiu sighed. "I really just want to go home soon." Hearing a term that did not belong to a transmigrator, the Watcher raised an eyebrow. "Home?" "Yeah, like the Yisu Palace?" Yaxiu blinked. "Even if I can't stay in the palace itself, I can at least live in Nabistin, right?" "Have you ever considered—" "That once Lisi became the Empress, she might disown the poor relation who shared hardships with her, and that I'd be treated like some deadbeat pauper claiming kinship and chased out with clubs? Of course I have," Yaxiu said with a laugh. "But when it comes to home, besides someone longing for you, what matters even more is that you long for them." "At least at this moment, I miss Lisi very much. Wherever she is, that's the home I want to go back to." Yaxiu glanced at him. "The same goes for you. Your personality is completely different from mine, and you'll definitely have your own path and goals in the future; you won't be like me, spending all day scheming how to make my Substitute work harder... But whenever you miss me, you can always come home." At this point, a smile tugged at the corner of Yaxiu's lips. "Just like having an older brother staying in our hometown taking care of our parents—if I ever get fired one day, there'll still be a place I can return to." The Watcher gave no answer. He simply brushed away Yaxiu's hand from his shoulder and walked ahead in silence. Yaxiu was already used to his aloofness, pondering his post-trial life plans as they walked. After several more trials, they reached the gate of light earlier than on previous days. Yaxiu drew the Sword of Honeyed Words and Belly Dagger in advance, while the Watcher merely rested a loose hand on his hilt. Without another word, the two stepped through the gate of light together. Inside the Cicada Metamorphosis Hall, Weise and Youlan had already been waiting for a long time. This was only natural. After all, the two of them fought side by side, whereas on Yaxiu's side, only the Watcher fought alone, which naturally made their pace slower. The instant all trial takers were assembled, the lights throughout the hall flickered. Steam suddenly vented from circular patterns on both flanks of the hall, and peculiar single-occupant lift pods ascended into view. Simultaneously, detailed trial parameters appeared on their bracers: *Dormancy: Trial takers can only enter the Divine Fire Abyss and undergo the Divine Fire Inheritance by boarding a single-occupant Cicada Metamorphosis Pod. Once any Cicada Metamorphosis Pod is activated, both pods will fully seal and descend within 30 seconds.* *Cicada Metamorphosis: Trial takers will complete their final cicada metamorphosis evolution inside the Cicada Metamorphosis Pods, but trial bodies of an equivalent evolutionary level must remain in the hall to serve as the ultimate consumables for the metamorphosis evolution.* As the two pieces of information registered in his mind and the truth behind the cicada metamorphosis became clear, Yaxiu's complexion changed drastically. Yet when he looked up, he saw that Silver Lantern had already beaten everyone to the pod nearest to them. She slammed the close button, the pod door sealed shut, and a red light flared to life. Through the glass window, he could see the cold gaze beneath her fox mask. Sometimes, without harming others, there is no way to survive. She had already made her choice. Yaxiu could almost hear Silver Lantern's whisper: *Now, it's your turn to choose.* A countdown popped up on his bracer—twenty-nine seconds remaining.