The gentle voice instantly shattered the newly found relief of everyone present, causing their hearts to plunge into an abyss.
Splat!
In an instant, a shadow transformed into a sharp spike and pierced straight through Sheena's skull. Everything above her mouth vanished.
She didn't even have time to scream. Her body, now with only half a head remaining, collapsed stiffly to the ground.
“Sheena!”
Charles cried out in desperation, frantically casting healing magic on Sheena. But no matter what he did, he couldn't heal her.
She was already dead.
“No, please no!”
The sudden turn of events made Kathleen shriek in terror. Staring at Sheena's gruesome state, the memory of her own near-death experience rushed back.
The courage she had managed to scrape together shattered instantly. Once again, she shrank back like a frightened quail, trembling uncontrollably.
Although Reid and Shanna didn't lose their composure as completely as Kathleen, they still slumped helplessly to the ground, their bodies shaking with fear.
Charles was still desperately casting healing magic on Sheena's corpse, trying to bring her back to life.
Just then, Xia De stepped into their line of sight. With a gentle wave of his hand, several shadows rose from the ground, binding them to the spot.
Charles thrashed his limbs, straining with all his might to break free.
Grit-toothed and brow furrowed, he glared at Xia De with eyes full of pure hatred.
“Why?! Why did you kill her?!”
“She... she had no grudge against you! Why did you have to kill her?!”
Xia De shook his head slightly and sighed.
“From the moment she chose to help you all—or rather, the moment she chose to help you—her fate was sealed.”
“Besides, in a moment, you might actually thank me for giving her a quick death.”
With that, Xia De had a shadow gag Charles's mouth to keep him from ruining his mood.
Next, he turned his gaze to the voluptuous mage, Shanna.
She was currently slumped helplessly on the ground, the shadows binding her lower body and preventing her from moving. Her pretty face was pale with terror.
Feeling Xia De's gaze land on her, she shuddered violently and began to cry out for mercy:
“Please, don't! I'm sorry, I was wrong! Please spare my life...”
As she begged, she frantically tore at her own clothes. The already sparse fabric tore away, exposing large expanses of pale skin, leaving only her private areas covered.
Her hands squeezed her large breasts, pressing them into various shapes.
“Please spare me! I... I'm very good at serving. If you let me live, I'll be your slave! Please, I beg you, I will serve you with all my heart!”
From the looks of it, if the shadows hadn't been binding her, she probably would have put on a full performance right then and there.
Watching Shanna expose herself like this, Reid felt a distinct shade of green settling over his head.
Yet, he still didn't dare to utter a single word, terrified that Xia De might notice him.
Xia De stared expressionlessly at Shanna as she put on her display, looking at her as if she were already a corpse. He spoke slowly:
“I don't actually dislike you. Using any means necessary to survive is quite normal.”
Hearing this, hope flared in Shanna's eyes, thinking she might survive. But then she heard Xia De continue:
“But you shouldn't have crossed me. I never let anyone who tries to harm me off the hook.”
“My assessment is that you are a black-hearted, wicked woman. So, let's see if your heart is actually black.”
With that, the shadow reshaped itself into a sharp beast claw and plunged straight into Shanna's chest.
Xia De cast healing magic to keep her alive, but he did nothing to dull her pain.
Shanna felt a sharp, agonizing pain in her chest, and then watched as the black beast claw burst out from her sternum.
Clutched in the claw was a bright red, slightly twitching, bloody heart.
It was her heart!
“Looks like my judgment was off. It's actually red.”
Xia De waved his hand with a sigh of mock disappointment, and withdrew his magic.
Then Shanna watched as the black beast claw holding her heart squeezed slightly. Her heart exploded.
Blood splattered everywhere, some of it spraying across her own face.
She wanted to scream, but she was already too weak to make a sound. The final thought in her mind was:
Am I dying?
Then, the light of life faded from her pupils, leaving behind only a cold, lifeless void.
Next, Xia De turned his attention to Reid, who had been silent the entire time. The pungent smell of urine wafted from beneath him.
Xia De pinched his nose and waved his hand in disgust.
“Seriously? You're a Tier Four, Rank Three extraordinary, yet you wet yourself so easily? This is the second time, isn't it?”
“Is it because of too much indulgence?”
“Whatever. Just be more careful in your next life.”
“No, please!”
“You're a malicious, deeply envious idiot. Honestly, I don't really care what kind of person you are.”
“But you shouldn't have targeted me.”
“I remember the first time we met, you glared at me with malice. The second time, you tried to use me as bait to hold off a magical beast.”
“No one who shows me malice twice gets to live.”
As he spoke, just like with Shanna, a black claw formed from the shadow and tore through Reid's chest, clutching a warm, beating heart.
But there was a slight difference. Another sharp claw emerged and gouged out both of his eyes.
Then, other shadows forced his mouth open, stuffing his eyeballs and his heart inside. The shadows even kindly manipulated his jaw to help him chew.
As the slimy, nauseating texture burst in his mouth, Reid's life slipped away.
He collapsed to the ground with his mouth slightly agape, a clump of unswallowed, minced flesh still inside.
Finally, Xia De turned his gaze to Kathleen. This time, his eyes were freezing cold, and his voice carried a deep, biting chill:
“And lastly, you. My original plan was to give you a quick death, but you really shouldn't have insulted my parents.”
“I hate fools even more than I hate wicked people—especially loose-lipped fools like you. I'm going to tear your mouth apart, piece by piece.”
What followed was a brutal torture of the despairing Kathleen, until she eventually bled to death.
Xia De's methods were usually not so cruel. If Kathleen's insults had been directed at anyone other than his parents, he wouldn't have been so enraged.
Throughout the entire process of Xia De killing the three, Charles struggled frantically to stop it, but the shadows held him fast.
He could only watch helplessly with wide eyes, muffled whimpers escaping his throat.
When Xia De finally finished off Kathleen and looked back at him, Charles glared at him with bloodshot eyes.
His gaze was filled with bone-deep hatred. If looks could kill, Xia De would have died a thousand times over.
Staring back at the hateful glare, Xia De let out a soft chuckle.
“Don't look at me like that. Didn't you say that people can understand one another? You'll definitely forgive me, right?”
“Actually, that Shield Guardian didn't have to die. So why did she?”
Xia De posed the question, then leaned in close to Charles and whispered:
“It's all because of you. I gave you a chance, but you insisted on stopping me.”
“And that Shield Guardian was dragged down by you. If it weren't for you, if you hadn't chosen to stand in my way, she wouldn't have died.”
“So, it's entirely your fault that she's dead.”
Charles was suddenly overcome with emotion. His body trembled uncontrollably, and his eyes filled with absolute despair and regret.
A patch of darkness spread beneath him. Like a lifeless puppet, his eyes went dull, and he allowed the shadows to slowly drag him down into the dark.
Charles was dead.
“Hmm? The script has been rewritten.”
Rate on N.U.
