Sparks shot up from the tar-covered road.

Iron hooves trampled, and their sharp, piercing sounds burst forth, shattering the deadly silence. Above the Sky Dome, disturbed like a tide, Ravens let out sharp cries.

Lin Yu stared vacantly as she turned, gazing at the Sky Dome where a tide of Ravens closely followed the White Horse, their pitch-black hue rolling and surging across the heavens, gradually pressing down.

Those crimson pupils looked down, scrutinizing her and the shadows approaching from afar.

A White Horse galloped upon the street, neighing loudly. Iron hooves trampled the earth, sparks erupted between iron and stone, bringing rolls of thunder.

"You damned—" Lin Yu's expression contorted, becoming increasingly ferocious, yet she could utter no more sound.

It was as though her shell of pride and rage had been shattered. In the gradually nearing hoofbeats, she felt a suffocation that came out of nowhere.

What followed was an overwhelming sense of unease.

Even gnawing on her own fingers and lips brought no relief. Her pain seemed trivial compared to the approaching sharp noises.

She could stay where she was, cursing with resentment or spewing Curses, but under the gaze and mockery of countless Ravens, those shallow resolutions vanished without a trace before they could even emerge.

She turned, supported herself against the wall, and stumbled forward in a run, biting her lip in humiliation, suppressing screams of rage.

There was no time left to waste; she had to leave this place, at all costs.

Escape from this nightmare...

First came staggering steps, then a clumsy run. She gasped for air, desperately sprinting, trying to shake off the looming thunder. But the sound of the iron hooves continued to follow at a leisurely pace, slowly advancing. Closer and closer, closer and closer, closer and closer...

Like a shadow clinging to her, mimicking her every step. In the darkness, it revealed a cold smile, breathing venomous breaths from behind her.

Her expression changed—whether from anger or fear, she clenched her fists. She should have kept quiet, but she couldn't help but scream, her roar resonant.

Turning back, she waved her hands frantically. The Stigma of the Snake danced, and a Cursed rain of darkness descended from the sky. In an instant, Weak Water froze everything.

But at the end of the frozen street, the sound of hooves arose once more.

Forward.

Shattering the ice and snow, it calmly crossed the Curse, moving forward.

"I'll kill you, you bastard..." Lin Yu staggered back, her expression twisted. "I will kill you."

She turned and ran toward the building marked with the seven-star symbol at the distant entrance. She staggered through the doors and climbed the stairs, almost on all fours.

At last, she used all her strength to close the door behind her, sealing herself within the library.

In the dead silence, she breathed heavily, stumbling forward. She raised the silver bracelet on her wrist toward the massive painting hanging at the end of the hall.

"I am Lin Yu," she said. "Let me in."

The dignified lady in the painting raised her eyes and glanced over. Quickly, the red carpet beneath her rolled down from the painting, extending to Lin Yu's feet.

Lin Yu stepped onto the carpet and, using her last ounce of energy, moved forward, step by step, disappearing into the painting.

When the hall behind her vanished from sight, Lin Yu no longer had the strength to support herself. She knelt to the ground, struggling to breathe. Sweat fell from her face onto the red carpet, like tears of someone who had survived a disaster.

Lin Yu's face twitched as though in rage, yet she couldn't help but reveal a smile, silently laughing, a laugh laced with malice and madness.

She was safe.

She was still alive...

"I am from the Lin family."

After a long rest, she finally got up from the ground. She looked up at the man behind the front desk who was reading a book, displeased with his indifference and disregard. But as a guest in his house, it wasn't the time to get angry, nor was it necessary to stoop to the level of these lower-class people.

She tidied her hair, merely saying calmly, "Take me to Executive Li."

The man reading did not respond. He just kept looking at the blank pages in his hands, motionless, as if frozen in place, a mysterious smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Hey! Did you hear me?" Lin Yu frowned, finally sensing something was off, and stepped forward. "Take me to Li..."

Her voice stopped abruptly.

She finally caught a glimpse of that thin, delicate red line that ran across the entire bowed face... as if drawn with a very fine ballpoint pen, almost imperceptible.

On the rigid face, a terrified eye trembled slightly, lifting.

But as she stepped forward—whether it was the low stomp of her foot or the breeze stirred by her words—the reader shivered suddenly and, right before Lin Yu, disintegrated.

Numerous fresh red marks, like flowers, slashed open, revealing smoothly cut surfaces as if crafted from art, along with cleanly sliced cross-sections of muscle that inspired awe.

Whether it was the innards or the bones, even the brain and consciousness, all were cleanly split in two by that slice. Then, they were quickly frozen by a thin layer of frost and delicately stuck together.

But now, such a precise connection had been disrupted as if the first domino had been toppled, triggering a complete sequential collapse.

The cascade of death began, spreading inch by inch.

Viscous crimson gushed from the shattered husk, completely drenching the table and the wall behind it.

In the last moment before death, the Sublimator let out a hoarse sigh, as if finally liberated, full of gratitude.

The Golden Coin hit the ground.

Lin Yu stared blankly at everything, frozen in place for a long time. Then she stepped back, covered her face, and felt the blood on it. Her expression twitched, her mouth opening as if to scream, but she forcibly covered it.

Subconsciously, she took a step back, rushing toward the inner hall, trying to flee this terrible nightmare.

But when she pushed the door open, she was shocked by what lay before her eyes.

The once elegant lounge was now like a painting, covered with layers of colors: red, red, white, red, red, red, and more red... And then, that unmistakable shade of gray.

Brutal blood and bones were strewn everywhere, the dreadful traces of extinguished life soaking every inch of space.

But what was even more terrifying was that death had not come.

On the ground, amidst the utter mess, faint whimpers and sounds kept coming from those shattered remnants that bore no resemblance to their former selves.

Tiny Ashes fell upon those mangled husks, like soft snowflakes, so glaringly bright against the crimson backdrop.

That was the Ash of Souls burned to exhaustion. The residue extracted from despair and death, the essence and sincerest prayers left behind as life faded away.

To die.

An unprecedented desire to die.

Seeing Lin Yu enter, the mutilated forms in the pools of blood struggled to move. Broken eyes lifted, mustering all their remaining strength to plead, as if expecting her mercy.

But Lin Yu dared not move. She even forgot her fear and screams, forgot everything, not knowing where she was. Her consciousness was empty. Her Soul was overwhelmed, hovering on the brink of collapse.

She simply lifted her head numbly, staring at the end of the blood and Ashes, at the slender figure lying sideways on the sofa.

Her posture was relaxed and stretched out, peaceful and calm. Her eyes were closed, her red-tinged lips curling into what seemed like a sweet smile, as if she were asleep.

But in the silence, a terrifying Source Fluctuation kept converging towards her, from the midst of the brutal bloodiness...

In a daze, Lin Yu shuddered slightly, finally awakening from the endless nightmare. Unable to hold back her tears, she knelt on the ground, shivering.

What... what kind of monster was that?

Subconsciously wanting to retreat, trembling, she collapsed to the ground. Crawling backwards on hands and knees, she suppressed the urge to scream and go mad, using all her strength to aim for the world outside the door.

To escape from this sudden nightmare.

When she finally came to her senses, she realized she had fled beyond the painting. She knelt on the ground, shaking violently. She screamed with all her might, roaring and frantically scratching at the people standing before her, not knowing where she was, or even who she was, wishing from her heart to be brought to ruin.

"Calm down! Calm down!" A familiar middle-aged man grabbed her hand, speaking in the Shinra language. "Why are you here? What about Executive Jiang and the others? Why isn't there any response to the signals?"

"Dead, they're all dead... they all..." Lin Yu lifted her head blankly, looking at his face and then at the seven or eight Sublimators behind him. As if finally snapping back to reality, she clutched his hand. "Save me! I'm from the Lin family! Executive Jiang was my grandmother's student... I can give you money! You must save me! You must!"

"Miss Lin, please calm down." Executive Li frowned. He certainly knew who Lin Yu was, but he had no idea what had transpired. He didn't know why she was here, nor what exactly had happened to Executive Jiang and the others. "Please tell me, what exactly happened?"

But then, the sound of thunder came from afar, and amidst the high song of countless dark Flying Birds, Lin Yu let out a cry of despair.

"He's coming! He's coming!" She gripped Executive Li's hand tightly. "Save me! Please, I beg you..."

In that instant, a shattering roar erupted from behind everyone.

The tightly closed doors suddenly shook and then burst apart under immense Power, sending countless fragments flying. Following that, an uncountable number of black Flying Birds flooded into the hall like a tide. Their wings churned, sprinkling down black feathers like blood.

From amidst the bright light, iron hooves shattered the steps. As if soaring, the White Horse barreled into the hall with a sweeping gale, trampling a Sublimator underfoot, grinding him to dust.

It shrieked loudly. Thunder shook violently.

Just as the Holy Book says—the sky opened, and there was a white horse. He that sat on him held blades and swords, and a Crown was given unto him.

His eyes were as flames of fire, and on his head were many Crowns. He had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood.

And he went forth conquering, and to conquer...

So, the burning Mountain Ghost lifted its face, smiling at her.

"We meet again," he said. "Are you well?"

Despair descended.

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