Gwen

"In that case," Gwen summoned her courage and said, "why don't you just—" "This cataclysm is bound to be linked to Silver Lantern. Yaxiu is down below; he's definitely trying to find a way to fix it. Black Crow, Harvey, and the others must be rushing over, too—maybe they'll have a solution." Igola said, "I told you, I know what you're thinking. Don't think that just because you're my assistant, you have the right to smugly make decisions for me." "But I'm only your prisoner," Gwen said. "There's no need for you to—" "Because you still have value to me, just like Black Crow and Chikala." Igola said coldly, "Haven't you noticed? All three of you are bound tight by heavy shackles. Chikala's is a contract; Black Crow's is the friendship Yaxiu gave him; and you—did you think I didn't know you like me? "You heard Yaxiu mention in passing that we were all inmates in the same prison. Funnily enough, we were all imprisoned for manipulating others. Harvey controls the dead, Yaxiu controls believers through religion, and I am a deceiver who toys with feelings. "Someone like you would have ranked past thirtieth on my contact list back in the day. It was only because I was a stranger in an unfamiliar land in Senluo, plus the fact that you were somewhat useful, that I bothered spending a little effort on you." The deceiver continued, "That casual concern, that sudden coldness, those words of praise, those bouts of impatience—they were all just tricks to make your heart flutter. "I just didn't expect it to be so effortless. When it comes to romantic feelings, you Senluo natives are as naive as your fantasies about the starry sky. There's no better shackle than emotion; all I had to do was touch the soft spot in your heart, and you'd be hopelessly devoted to me. "So I will save you." Igola coughed, letting out a cold laugh. "Because even after hearing all this, you still won't want to leave my side. How could I let go of such a useful slave? You'll serve me for at least ten years." Throbbing pain shot through his head. Igola had quietly activated several mind sorcery spirits just now to drive his words even deeper into her heart. But the severe physical injuries seemed to be affecting his soul as well; his sorcery power recovered at a crawl, and this ordinary piece of mind charm alone pushed his reserves back near the brink of unconsciousness. Yet Gwen wasn't angry; she didn't even cry. Her eyes merely reddened, and she pressed her lips tight, gazing at the dripping, bleeding deceiver. "You really didn't need to say such hurtful words," she said softly. "I never expected love from you." Igola froze slightly. "Besides, you said that after spending a month and a half together, I have no secrets left in your eyes. But Mr. Igola, you're actually very easy to understand, too." She sniffled and smiled. "I am a little sad, but I can hear your good intentions. The courage this kindness brings me is far greater than any anger or hatred you hoped to stir up in me. "However, risking your life isn't enough to solve everything." Gwen turned to look at the rain of people falling from the chasm above. "This must be the real apocalypse, right? Just now I saw the silhouettes of Sanctuary sorcerers and Legendary sorcerers. They're definitely fighting much harder than I am, but when something is impossible, it's just impossible. "I've always been like this. Even when I grit my teeth and set my mind to something, I can never pull it off." She looked at Igola, who was covered in wounds. "If I'd known it would end like this, you should have let me act as bait back then. That was my only chance to put my life on the line, but once again, you protected me." "Next time, the time after that, and the time after that—you'll have plenty of chances to pay me back," Igola said. "No one gets to stay indebted to a deceiver." Gwen's breath suddenly turned rapid and ragged. Her whole body trembled, yet she forced out a smile. "I'm honored." "Don't be an idiot!" Igola snapped. "Maybe in the next second, that guy Yaxiu will—" "But before that, you'll bleed dry first." She raised her dagger and scraped it up along her arm. Igola's blood flowed onto the blade, filling the grooves of Gwen's name. "I don't know why, but Mr. Igola, you don't seem to be affected by the apocalypse. That's really wonderful." Gwen aimed the dagger at her wrist. "Actually..." Tears brimmed in her eyes, her lips pursed, and her face filled with terror and unease. "I really wanted to go to other realms and see the real starry sky... to see if it's truly beautiful..." She sniffled, her tear-blurred eyes gazing at Igola, weeping and smiling all at once. "Whenever you see the stars in the future, remember that someone owes you a debt that can never be repaid." The moment Gwen pressed the dagger down, Igola coughed up a violent spray of bloody foam, along with bits of his internal organs. He could hold on no longer. His fingers slipped open. As if a crushing weight had been lifted from her, Gwen plunged into the abyss of the chasm. "Little trumpet!" Igola cursed instinctively, spitting out Yaxiu's catchphrase, and dragging his mangled body, leaped down after her! He hadn't jumped blindly; he could still spread his void wings to accelerate. Within three seconds, he caught up and wrapped his arms around Gwen, desperately flapping his void wings to pull her upward! But the downward momentum was irresistible to begin with, not to mention that Igola was practically broken from head to toe. His desperate gamble could do no more than barely slow Gwen's descent. The two were like fallen angels, locked in an embrace as they tumbled toward Hell together. Yet Gwen looked at him in sheer panic, her words tumbling out incoherently: "This is too dangerous! Hurry and—why would you go this far?" Right, Igola asked himself that very question—why go this far? What he had said earlier wasn't a lie. Back in Dead City, he had already noticed Gwen's affection for him, so he had simply gone with the flow and deliberately led her on, putting the genuine skills of a deceiver on display to acquire a high-quality tool. This was his day-to-day routine back in Blood Moon. What he said earlier had even been an understatement; his contact list held at least a hundred frequent contacts, ninety percent of whom were women. It wasn't solely for money, either; many were cultivated to gather intelligence and ferret out information—just as Amy had originally been a needle he intended to plant within the Sin Hunting Hall. His main objective in winning over Gwen had been to exploit her intelligence network within the Four Pillar Cult. It was only because she later proved so thoughtful and attentive that Igola had reluctantly allowed her to remain as his assistant; otherwise, he would have cast her aside long ago. It was like picking up a flyer with silly, colorful scribbles saying 'I like you' drawn on the front, so the deceiver used the blank back for scraps and notes—making use of waste. Now that the flyer was crumpled and useless, wouldn't it make sense to just throw it away? Why insist on fishing it back out of the trash? Like her? Impossible. People with Gwen's personality—Igola used to be able to bring a dozen of them home just by strolling down a commercial street. How could he possibly like Gwen? Reluctant to part with her? Out of those hundred contacts, he swapped out sixty every month; others couldn't even meet beauties as fast as he cycled through them. Igola didn't know why he had lunged forward, but before his thoughts could form, his body had already moved. He was certain the old him would never have done this. Perhaps the moment he saw Gwen falling, he would have simply let go. The old him wouldn't have cared about a woman's life or death. The old him wouldn't have had his body act before his brain. The old him wouldn't have felt grief in his heart. He had the nerve to mock the people of Senluo for their chaotic love and chaotic hatred, yet here he was, just as chaotic a mess. When had he become like this? "Perhaps..." Igola said softly, "because when I was a child, I often looked up at the stars, too." Gwen stared blankly at him, biting her lip, hot tears brimming over. After a tearful hiccup, she gave a radiant smile and asked, "I heard that the most beautiful sight is the starry sky reflected in the sea, where the two things that divide heaven and earth merge into one?" "Yes," Igola nodded. "Starlight is the sea's dream." "'Starlight is the sea's dream...'" Gwen murmured. Her eyes widened slightly, gazing nervously at Igola, and she leaned in. Igola didn't pull away, but Gwen only brushed her lips against the corner of his mouth like a dragonfly skimming the water before stepping back. "Starlight is the sea's dream," she said with a smile, "and you are my distant journey." Suddenly, Igola felt the weight in his arms plummet. He strained desperately to hold on to something, but could only feel water slipping through his fingers. He stared blankly into the bottomless abyss of the chasm, frozen in place like a fool, not knowing what he was waiting for. Before long, however, the aftermath of his catastrophic injuries erupted all at once—searing pain, dizziness, ringing in his ears, limp limbs—leaving him unable to tell up from down or left from right. It felt as though hundreds of excavators were churning inside his head, his body weighed down like lead, his eyelids fighting furiously to shut. Relying on his final shred of willpower, knowing he couldn't fall down, he flew about aimlessly like a headless fly. After crashing into the walls several times, someone suddenly grabbed the scruff of his neck and hoisted him onto a shoulder. Using the last ounce of his strength, he cracked his eyes open. A flicker of confusion and wonder flashed through his gaze, but in the end, he closed his eyes in peace. ... .. . On the eighteenth floor of the Silent Spiral. "Haven't too many people died?" White Dove's voice struck like thunder, jolting Yaxiu and Weise, who were tending to their wounds. Ever since the rift of the apocalypse opened, the three gods had paid no mind to anything else, silently watching the rain of people plummeting from the fissure, yet doing nothing the entire time. "Yes," Fire Cat replied. "Too many have died." "If this continues, everyone will die, won't they? Probably." "If all the mortals die, the Master of the Deep won't die," White Dove said. "That is bad." Fire Cat and Blue Bird nodded. "Bad. So no more people can die. Right, no more dying." The three gods glanced at the rift in the ground. White Dove asked, "Can we do it?" Fire Cat asked, "Can we do it?" Blue Bird answered, "We can do it." With the deliberation concluded, the three gods stood together, each assuming a distinct posture: White Dove squatted on the ground, the feathered robe draped over its body unfurling like wings; Fire Cat crouched on all fours, its posture unmistakably feline; and Blue Bird remained standing, hands raised high like outstretched plumes. In an instant, the divine aura exploded completely. Forget sorcery spirits—even Yaxiu and Weise, two Legendary sorcerers, were forced to lower their heads, daring not look directly upon the majesty of the gods! Rumble—! As the three gods exerted their full might, the entire forest suddenly turned into a sea of fire, and the distant ocean surged with successive tsunamis! But what brought the greatest astonishment and joy was that the narrow rift in the ground leading to the Void Realm seemed to be squeezed by immense power, slowly closing up! Slow though it was, it was indeed sealing shut! The three gods... could actually seal the rift and halt the apocalypse!? Yaxiu and Weise experienced a dizzying roller coaster of emotion, but before relief could show on their faces, they saw a dark figure launch a lethal strike against the three gods! "Spectre Prophet!" Yaxiu instantly unleashed Heart Sword to press Weixi back, roaring, "What do you think you're doing!?" "Seriously? Is it really that hard to grasp? You actually have to ask?" Spectre Prophet Weixi retreated into the burning forest and shrugged. "Though seeing how much you've accomplished, I'll explain. Right now, you've triggered the apocalypse—" "It was you!" Weise almost ground her teeth to dust. "You controlled us!" "Fine, it was me. In any case, once the apocalypse descended, the three gods would take the initiative to seal the rift in order to kill the Master of the Deep. While doing so, they can't spare any attention for the outside world. And this is the opportunity I've been waiting for all along—a once-in-ten-thousand-years chance." Delight beamed across Weixi's face. He spread his arms like a maestro at a concert: "The opportunity to hunt gods!"