by N. Heller
"Hold her down!"
The woman knew very well she couldn't stop the duoluozhong alone as she was utterly outgunned. She pushed some idols around her to the ground or threw some small ones at the duoluozhong . However, the duoluozhong were unfazed by such countermeasure. They dodged the rain of idols effortlessly, and when they saw their chance, they darted in, grabbed at the chain in between the ankles of the woman and dragged her out.
The woman let out a loud, mindless scream of pain. A duoluozhong then hit her under the belt, cutting off and dissolving her remaining shout back into her stomach.
"I'm gonna baptize you immediately after this child is born," the warden hissed angrily. It swung its dead-branches like arms in the air and continued, "We can't keep these women anymore. Bring the two newcomers to me. I'll baptize them right away!"
After that, it turned its head around to see that the spot where Lin Sanjiu and Ji Shanqing had been lying was empty.
Lin Sanjiu did not dare even to breathe. Lying under the [Elementary Grade Ambient Color] that was imitated using the [Battle Item] together with the grand prize, she hoped that the duoluozhong wouldn't lift the idols from the ground immediately.
This was because, under the effect of [Elementary Grade Ambient Color], both of them now looked like two Deva's statues.
Chapter 512 - Rebound
"Anybody? Go and check whether the two women over there are still breathing or not."
After they blocked the entrance, the group of duoluozhong began to search the underground shrine. They tore the entire space down yet nobody saw any sign of their two soon-to-be comrades. Warden remained standing still. It gave its order, and a duoluozhong dawdled to his side and kicked the woman that laid lifelessly on the ground.
"She is dead," unlike its confrère, the sound of this duoluozhong was soft and melodious. Its voice was coming out directly from its arctic-white head that deprived of any facial features, "No, wait, it seems that this one…"
Although one of the pregnant women had survived the stabs, she looked like a person with her one foot in the grave. The duoluozhong lifted her by grabbing her already weakened neck, without minding on the strength it used.
Crack .
As a result, it crushed her throat.
"Oh, now she's dead," the faceless duoluozhong shrugged, hurling the pregnant woman's corpse to the ground.
"Hah!" The woman let out a sarcastic laugh, causing the warden to turn its head around.
"Tell me, where are they?" The warden asked the woman softly, "... You should know very well that even though you bear the child of God, we still have many other ways to deal with you."
Spit .
The woman spat phlegm and blood on the warden's face.
Raising her head, the woman revealed her face that was hidden under her unkempt hair. She had high cheekbones and an etiolated complexion. Perhaps the only thing that remained unchanged on her face was her straight and sharp nose, "Just kill me!"
Her answer amused the warden a lot. It tilted its head and scrutinized her from her head to her toes. After a few seconds, the warden turned to the duoluozhong standing next to it and asked, "Where is the last child she gave birth to?"
"In the nursery area? I don't know. We can take her there and ask around."
The woman froze and her face twisted in disgust and fear.
The warden clicked its tongue twice as a satisfied smile blossomed at the corner of its mouth. It then spoke, with its sticky voice, "As a mother, do you not miss your own offsprings after being separated from them for so long? Especially your daughters, oh those cute little bundle of joys. When they are being offered to God, I believe that you must want to see with your own eyes such a regal and great event, don't you?"
The woman's throat gurgled, and a trickle of gastric juice lined her lips. If it wasn't for the grip, she might have thrown up already.
"Yuck, this is so gross," the warden took a step back and waved its dead twig like arm, "If you don't wish to be taken to see your children, then be more cooperative. As far as I know, the effect of the stigma still hasn't worn off yet so, how did they escape?"
Heaving several times like a blacksmith's bellows, the woman began to speak again.
"That is her ability," her eyes gleamed, and there was a tinge of madness in her expression, "One of them can negate or render anomalies ineffective. The stigma has long gone…"
The warden's face sank. Its layers of dried skins folded together, and a solemn look graced its face. It turned around and yelled at the crowd of duoluozhong in the center of the underground shrine, "Cease whatever you are doing right now. Those two bitches have already escaped! Close the entrance to the shrine and search outside!"
"How about her?" A duoluozhong asked as it showed the warden the woman in its hand.
"Bring her with us," the warden's sunken yellowish eyes rolled around in the sockets. Then, an evil smile appeared on its face, "... Bring her to her children."
As the woman roared in rage and struggled with all her might, the crowd of duoluozhong began swarming towards the entrance. The warden had a sour expression on its face. Suddenly, its face wrinkled like the bark of the pine tree as a sinister thought crossed its mind. It stepped on the chain in between the woman's ankles, causing the woman to fall with her belly hit the ground first.
She faced straight towards an idol at the direction she fell. The woman glanced at the idol for a moment before lowering her gaze again. She then clambered up from the ground.
The warden's eyes rolled again. It spun to the duoluozhong standing next to it and ordered, "... Send somebody in to clean up this mess. Deva will not be happy to see this."
Perhaps they realized the gravity of the situation, all of the duoluozhong left the underground shrine in a blink of an eye. They snuffed out the fire on their way out. As the steel door closed with a loud bang, the entire underground shrine was plunged into absolute darkness.
Lin Sanjiu let out a sigh of relief, but the anxiety in her heart did not abate at all.
The woman, which they had just met a few hours ago had sacrificed herself to give them a chance to escape. Lin Sanjiu did not have the full picture; however, from their conversation alone she knew that those monsters wouldn't let the woman get off that easily. She tried desperately to move her fingers, but her body wouldn't budge.
"How long I have to wait before the stigma goes away?"
"This is your chance to regain your Higher Consciousness. You shouldn't make any moves until you've recovered at least half of your Higher Consciousness," Mrs.Manas seized the chance to nag her again, sounding like a noisy parakeet.
She knew her grand prize was not far away from her, hiding under the mimicked [Elementary Grade Ambient Color] although she couldn't see right now. Somehow, she felt relieved a bit as no matter how anxious she was, she couldn't do anything if she couldn't command her body at will.
As the minute dragged along, Lin Sanjiu was getting more and more anxious. Her anxiousness squeezed her heart, and her mind was tortured by the fact that she couldn't move her body still, even after a long time had passed. The footfalls overhead were loud, but she didn't know what was happening up there. The tremor caused the dust on the ceiling to fall on the ground. After what seemed like an eternity, the light bulb in Lin Sanjiu's heart blinked.
Fearing that it was just a false alarm, she slowly lifted her finger.
Her finger that refused listen to her command a while ago flicked in the air. As if a chain-reaction, the moment her finger left the ground, her entire body shook and her mobility returned. Her heart thumped wildly with joy. She immediately put away the [Battle Item] and jumped up from the ground.
"Grand prize, can you move now?" She called out into the dark before summoning the [Ability Polishing Agent] to her hand. Beams of silvery light instantly filled half of the space and lit up the faces of Deva's idols. It seemed like they were all smiling at her.
"Let's get out of—"
Before she could
finish her sentence, she turned around and swallowed her next words back into her stomach.
Ji Shanqing had stood up as well. Although he, like her, had also regained his mobility, he wasn't moving on his free will. A tendril had wrapped around his face, so he couldn't speak. His body was tied up, leaving only his two eyes glistening with fear were exposed.
"I should show my gratitude to you for showing yourself," the silver light had cast a symphony of light and dark on the warden's face. It smiled, "... You have saved us ample of time and energy."
Chapter 513 - You Are Out Of The Game
Letting out a breath, Lin Sanjiu stood from the ground and cracked her neck.
She had been sitting so still for so long that her bones felt stiff. The sound of bone popping reverberated clearly in the underground space, causing the few duoluozhong to step back, dragging Ji Shanqing along with them. The tension in the air mounted.
"One, two, three…" Lin Sanjiu turned her eyes around and began counting, "And I thought you left a few backups with you. So it's only... six?"
A slit opened on warden's face as if it was offering Lin Sanjiu a grin, "Warden's first rules of survival: Don't ever put all your eggs in one basket. As a leader, I have to prepare for all the consequences. I believe six men are more than enough to subdue you both. Lock them up."
The warden gave his command without turning its head. Hardly had those spoken words faded away did countless chains fly out from under the feet of a duoluozhong . The chains looked familiar and slithering like snakes. The tendrils then uncoiled from the grand prize's body, giving way for the chains to coil themselves around Ji Shanqing, squeezing him in their deathly clutch. As soon as the chains made contact with the grand prize, he m.o.a.n.e.d in pain.
"She seems a lot weaker," the duoluozhong said, smiling, "... Where did you get her from? Anyway, if you do not remove these chains in ten minutes, they will eat into her flesh, slowly, and she will become just like that big belly woman. I believe you have seen with your own eyes how the chains affect those pregnant women, right?"
Lin Sanjiu's heart sank.
The grand prize was not a human, and thus, there was no flesh underneath his layers of shirts. The moment the chain bit into his clothes, the exposure of his real identity would put them at a huge disadvantage.
Lin Sanjiu killed her thoughts as she realized she had to act fast. She stomped her foot on the ground and thrust herself ahead.
Like a bunch of piranhas that smelled blood, the chains shot up into the air above and struck down towards Lin Sanjiu. With her [Mosaic Censorship] activated in both her hands, Lin Sanjiu twisted her body in midair, kicked off the ceiling and propelled herself into the heart of the group of duoluozhong .
The duoluozhong knew what Lin Sanjiu could do. As they did not want to engage her in a direct melee, all of them quickly dispersed and backed away while one of them retaliated by hurling Ji Shanqing at her.
Lin Sanjiu cursed inwardly as she deactivated her ability. Just when she was going to grab her grand prize, a gut feeling made her abandon that thought.
The chains were like snakes; it was impossible to shake them off once they made contact since they could bury themselves into the skin of their target. If she were to touch her grand prize now, who was being chained, the chain would hop onto her, and both of them would be doomed.
The duoluozhong was disappointed to see that Lin Sanjiu did not fall for the trap. It pulled Ji Shanqing back to its side once again. At the same time, the other duoluozhong had already finished preparing their Evolving Abilities.
On her right, from the corner of her eye, she saw a flickering green fire while Mrs. Manas yelled, warning her of the attack that came from the other side, "Watch out! The one on the left has no form!"
Lin Sanjiu's heart tightened. As she deployed her [Defense Forcefield] to defend against the attack from her left, she unleashed a tornado towards the green fire using her [Tornado Whip] and ducked to evade the slime that flew at her from above.
In the battle of Evolving Abilities, the formless and mysterious abilities were what people feared the most. Usually, these kinds of abilities could be activated with only a flick of thought, were exceedingly strange, and hard to guard against. Now, unfortunately, the duoluozhong on her left had one of those abilities, and even though Lin Sanjiu had enacted the [Defense Forcefield] in time, her brain still went numb for a second.
[M.a.t.u.r.e Content, Forbidden To Access Under Age 100]
There were too many indescribable things in the world. Hence, in order to keep society's physical and mental health, this ability responded by subjecting everything to censorship. Any human under the age of 100 would see nothing but a large swath of fuzzy pixels if he or she was within the range of the ability.
You're welcome. It's for the sake of harmonization.
P.S.: Everything that gets over the wall without needing the eyes to see will be pixelated as well.
The underground shrine was already ill-lit from the beginning. And now that her surroundings were pixelated, it was even harder for Lin Sanjiu to see. She couldn't activate her hypersensory, everything that reached her eyes was merely distorted squares, and even the movement and action of the duoluozhong had become blurred in her vision. Gritting her teeth, she swung the whip vigorously, attempting to break through the besiegement by releasing many small-scaled tornadoes against her surroundings.
The tornadoes did successfully intercept a few attacks. Just when Lin Sanjiu bolted a few steps towards an opening, her grand prize yelled, "Watch out, sis'!" but he was too late.
He watched in horror as Lin Sanjiu was tripped by something and fell forward. His mouth was then covered, diminishing his voice to a whimper.
A few duoluozhong kept their eyes fixed on Lin Sanjiu. Seizing the chance while Lin Sanjiu unable to defend herself properly during her fall, one duoluozhong shot a stream of slime from behind her. Even though she managed to pull off a tumble and evaded the ambush, some of the slimes still found its way onto her arm.
Her vision turned black as a wisp of white smoke sizzled from her skin. Wriggling on the ground in pure agony, she felt as if somebody had crushed every single piece of her bone as her stomach churned.
[Slime of Memoir]
Initially, using blood as the primary medium to channel its power, the medium changed from blood to slime when the ability user was turned into a duoluozhong . With a drop of slime on a corpse, the ability user could record all the feelings of the deceased before he died. When the ability user sprays the slime, its target would then experience the pain of the dead while at the same time sustain 10% of the fatal injury that was dealt to the deceased.
"Get up! It's no time to w.h.i.n.e. They are coming!"
"How long has it been?"
"Not even four minutes!"
With a groggy mind and blurred vision, Lin Sanjiu struggled to pull herself up. As she jerked from the ground, she continued to brandish her whip, conjuring a deluge of tornadoes to thwart the barrage of attacks that surrounded her. Nevertheless, despite her utmost effort, the indiscriminate firing sent forth by her earned nothing but a little bit of breathing room.
Burned by her anxiety, she slashed through the air using her feet in desperation, sending forth a slash of wind in front of her. Then, the next thing she heard was a quick succession the sound fo breaking wood breaking followed by warden's angry roar, "Two of you! Move all the idols aside! She's going to break them all!"
Lin Sanjiu felt a little suspicious.
"They still worried about the idols at a time like this… these duoluozhong, they seem to be more pious than I thought.
"But they show no remorse at all in torturing the woman that bear the "children of God"…"
She barely had the time to think about it before a powerful burst of wind split the air beside her ear, aiming straight at her temple. Right now, as she saw everything as a shapeless blur, she could only utilize her hearing to help her dodge the attack. She rolled along the ground and un
leashed a vortex of air at the direction where the attack came from.
A duoluozhong was caught off guard and cried out in pain. Without wasting a second, Lin Sanjiu summoned [Howtorender] with a wave of her hand.
Seizing her chance, Lin Sanjiu then pushed her way out. After she flung a moving figure out of her way with her whip, her eyes suddenly brightened, the world in her vision returned normal, and she heaved a sigh of relief. She had finally come out from the pixelate's power range.
Cursing something under her breath, Lin Sanjiu caught her breath while looked around.
"What should we do now?" Mrs. Manas asked, her voice was laced with panic. [Howtorender] had a time limit, and they were running short of time.
"... In the attacks that they throw at me just now, there are green fire, chain, slime, and a duoluozhong who could release something like an air vortex."
After a short moment of contemplation, she kicked a few idols forward. Under the effect of [Howtorender], the idols formed countless of shadows, making it look as if there were hundreds of them. Then, as she expected, the exclamation of the warden wafted into her ears from afar, "Watch out for the idols!"
"Up until now, only the warden has not shown its true strength yet. And the trickiest amongst them is the one with pixelate ability. Without it, the rest would be a piece of cake."
Even though her arm still hurt like hell, she had already calmed herself down.
It seemed that the duoluozhong with the pixelate ability knew itself very well, it remained to hide in the shadow at the back of its comrades although their surrounding was now distorted by light and shadow. Its bloodshot eyes rolled around in their places as it tried to locate Lin Sanjiu.