DEG - Chapter 29
Chapter 29: You're Just... A Little, Too in Love with Me
Jiang Xun was extremely resistant to the idea of seeing Luo Nanqiu and Luo Twenty-Five at the same time. Her intuition told her that something terrible would happen if those two were together.
Just how terrible...
Jiang Xun didn't dare to imagine.
While estimating the time and waiting, Jiang Xun grew restless.
In the end, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease and immediately turned back to find the Eldest Miss.
By this time, Luo Twenty-Five had already seen Luo Nanqiu.
In truth, Luo Twenty-Five could guess what her future self would be like.
She had long since realized that this planet was under Luo Nanqiu's strict surveillance.
So she made no attempt to hide, walking through the main gate and heading straight for Luo Nanqiu.
"Hello." This was the Eldest Miss's belated politeness, though her expression was gloomy and her eyes were like chips of ice.
But right now, Luo Nanqiu could see Jiang Xun rushing back toward her.
Ah Xun couldn't bear to leave her.
Upon realizing this, Luo Nanqiu's entire demeanor softened.
There was no trace of the seriousness of facing an enemy; even the smile at the corner of her lips held a hint of warmth.
She looked at Luo Twenty-Five and gave a slight nod.
"Do you really need to be so polite to come and take my head?"
The words she spoke were somewhat at odds with the expression on her face.
"Heh." Luo Twenty-Five sneered.
As expected, Luo Nanqiu knew full well why she was here.
"You truly disgust me."
As the version of Luo Nanqiu from her most murderous period, her current personality was exceptionally fierce.
She could never have imagined that she would one day raise a substitute who looked so much like Jiang Xun.
Disgusting.
Utterly disgusting.
How deserving of death her future self was.
Luo Twenty-Five's killing intent boiled over.
Luo Nanqiu naturally understood why.
But she had no intention of explaining.
She knew Jiang Xun far too well.
If Jiang Xun knew what this past version of her was going through, she would definitely feel sorry for her.
She also knew herself.
She knew Luo Twenty-Five would use the advantage of her current grief to firmly tie Jiang Xun's heart to her side.
This was something the Luo Nanqiu who had just found Jiang Xun again could not allow.
Her possessiveness was simply too strong.
She wanted Jiang Xun to be hers, completely and utterly.
She didn't want to share even a fraction of her with anyone else, not even her past self.
So she wanted to trick her past self into returning.
She would let Luo Twenty-Five believe she was raising a substitute. At worst, she'd take a beating to let her vent her anger.
As long as she handled it carefully and explained things well, could her past self really kill her? Luo Twenty-Five would have no choice but to return to her card, resentful and helpless. Believing Jiang Xun was a substitute, her affection for Ah Xun would plummet, making it impossible for Jiang Xun to ever summon her again.
She would never be able to appear by Jiang Xun's side again.
This was the outcome Luo Nanqiu desired.
It was a pity that the eighteen-year-old version of her had been drawn by Ah Xun so early.
Luo Nanqiu couldn't hide her regret.
But looking at her indignant, murderous past self, her expression was a little helpless. "There's nothing I can do."
"It's already been a full six years since I lost her."
Sunlight struck her profile, her gaze flickering.
"The people who killed her were captured by me long ago. I tortured them until they were less than human, and they died one by one."
"What else do I have to live for now?"
Though her words were calm, paired with her final, ragged breath, they were unconsciously tinged with a hint of madness.
"I can't hold on much longer." Luo Nanqiu lifted her eyes to look at her past self.
Her violet eyes were filled with obscurity and hatred.
Her chest heaved violently.
"But my work isn't finished. Ah Xun and I made a promise. We were going to make this world a better and better place."
"I still want to make my word law throughout this world. I want everyone to know that Ah Xun did not commit treason. I want everyone in the world to know that she is my partner."
At this point, Luo Nanqiu had already stood up. She leaned on the table with both hands, the corners of her eyes tinged with red.
All of this, every single word, was incredibly real, because this was the reality Luo Nanqiu faced every day before Jiang Xun was reborn.
Luo Nanqiu was on the verge of collapse.
She didn't know which day would be her last.
She didn't know which day she would follow Jiang Xun into death.
She stubbornly adhered to their promise, to live on for Ah Xun's sake as well.
But she was finding it a little...
hard to keep living.
But upon hearing this, Luo Twenty-Five let out a cold laugh.
The Eldest Miss could always get to the point.
"So you raised a substitute?" she retorted.
"What can this substitute do? Falsely tell you that Jiang Xun is still alive?"
"Deceiving yourself?" Luo Twenty-Five's words were extremely mocking, as if she wanted to draw a clear line between herself and her future self.
But she walked forward step by step. The exquisite fan in her hand, with a stretch of her arm, came to rest against Luo Nanqiu's fair, slender neck.
"You should just die." Luo Twenty-Five sighed. The fan in her hand was, in fact, a sharp weapon.
"Ah Xun already broke her promise and left me. Why must you insist on keeping yours?"
"Don't worry, I will be sure to remember your failure and persevere until my world becomes the vision we wanted."
Luo Twenty-Five's eyes shone with anger, like a burning flame, a flame so intense that it made Luo Nanqiu realize something in her heart.
-Was I really that sharp-edged right after losing Jiang Xun?
She was clearly her future self.
But she still didn't believe it...
No, perhaps not believing was the right choice.
Because if this Jiang Xun was still a clone of Ah Xun, the only place she belonged was a nutrient tank.
The gloves were off.
In that instant, both of them had the same thought.
"I'm already in this state, so just cut me some slack." Luo Nanqiu spread her hands, seemingly unafraid of the sharp weapon at her neck.
But the response she received was a cold laugh from Luo Twenty-Five. In the next moment, countless threads filled the air.
The two of them activated their Abilities at the same time.
Luo Nanqiu could roughly guess which period this past self was from.
Although the opponent before her had also reached God Rank, Jiang Xun's Mental Power hadn't recovered much, so there wasn't much for her to consume.
And although she herself had summoned many Descenders and used a lot of Mental Power, she was still more than capable of fighting this version of herself.
Beat her back.
She was just a card. All she had to do was shatter her.
As long as she told Jiang Xun not to use the Gacha anymore, Ah Xun would be hers forever.
Within the small room, threads danced through the air. Both Luo Nanqius wanted to kill the other.
The elder Luo Nanqiu was intimately familiar with her past self's abilities and methods, and every attack she launched managed to injure Luo Twenty-Five.
But the younger Luo Nanqiu's heart was filled with an unbearable frustration and inextinguishable rage. Her unvented hatred, carrying a murderous edge, became the Eldest Miss's reckless, sharp-edged assault that disregarded any and all wounds.
Luo Twenty-Five paid no mind to the bloodstains and her disheveled state.
There was only one thought in her mind.
Kill her.
Kill her in this world of crimson.
Though it was a duel between two people, the scope of its influence was far greater.
The first to be affected was Jiang Xun. The small amount of Mental Power she had just recovered was once again drained, and Luo Twenty-Five showed no concern for whether this drain would cause her harm.
Perhaps it was also because Luo Twenty-Five had wanted to kill this disgusting substitute from the start.
Her mental sea was like parched earth, revealing deep cracks, and her head began to throb violently again.
The threads binding Qing Yue also vanished.
She immediately caught up to Jiang Xun and, seeing her typical state of Mental Power deficiency, realized what had happened. She promptly poured a high-grade Mental Power potion down Jiang Xun's throat.
Her Mental Power recovered a fair amount.
But it was being used by Luo Twenty-Five and was rapidly disappearing.
Luo Eighteen seemed to sense something and emerged from her card on her own. With a grave expression, she took Jiang Xun from Qing Yue's arms and continuously poured Mental Power potions into her, staring at the house where Luo Nanqiu was. Her eyes were almost tearing up with hatred.
The players around the planet were also affected.
They suddenly found that the game's signal seemed a bit weak.
They hadn't done anything, but their health bars began to plummet, and even...
Their bodies began to slowly dissolve into data.
It was like a player dying in slow motion.
What was going on? Could this game actually have bugs?
A few curious players even started a thread on the forums and quickly received a pile of comments from people in the same state.
But the players weren't afraid. After all, they could just resurrect after dying.
But they soon stopped laughing.
Because their bodies did indeed dissolve, but they didn't resurrect immediately.
Instead, they were kicked offline!!
Ahhh!!
No way, did this "game" really have a major bug??
Luo Eighteen managed to bring Jiang Xun to the center of the battlefield.
Luo Twenty-Five was now covered in blood.
Luo Nanqiu's relentless attacks and the intermittent supply of Mental Power from Jiang Xun made this a miserable fight for her.
Luo Eighteen kicked the door in. Though spoiled, the Eldest Miss who had always known her etiquette couldn't be bothered with such things now.
"You're insane!!" After feeding Jiang Xun another Mental Power recovery potion, tiny teardrops clung to the corners of Luo Eighteen's eyes.
She accused loudly, "You lunatic!"
"You lunatic! Is this what your love is now, Luo Nanqiu? You're willing to let her suffer this kind of harm just to have her all to yourself?!!"
"I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!!"
"You don't deserve Ah Xun's love right now!"
Large teardrops fell from the corners of Luo Eighteen's eyes.
Her whole body was trembling.
The moment Luo Eighteen appeared, Luo Twenty-Five had already sensed that this Luo Nanqiu, like herself, was a summoned being of that substitute.
But she didn't care.
All she could think about now was that Luo Nanqiu might be distracted by the newcomer, and then she could seize her opening for a fatal blow.
But as fate would have it, Luo Eighteen's words also reached her ears.
Luo Twenty-Five abruptly halted her attack.
In that single instant, she realized something.
Her heart filled with disbelief.
She saw Jiang Xun, cradled in Luo Eighteen's arms, raise a hand that trembled with pain and slowly cover Luo Eighteen's eyes.
"It's okay," she said.
Jiang Xun knew this was what she deserved for dying that time.
So she soothed Luo Eighteen, "Whatever Nanqiu does is fine."
Luo Nanqiu looked at Luo Twenty-Five, biting her lip. Knowing her plan was exposed, she also stopped her attack.
She took out a Mental Power recovery potion she carried with her and walked forward, wanting to give it to Jiang Xun.
But what greeted her was Luo Twenty-Five's glare.
"You did it on purpose."
Luo Twenty-Five's eyes were bloodshot, her emotions twisted with obsession. The hatred in her gritted teeth seemed to take physical form.
Luo Nanqiu remained noncommittal.
The wounds on Luo Twenty-Five's body were bleeding profusely.
She reached Jiang Xun's side before Luo Nanqiu. Ignoring her own injuries, she gazed at the present-day Jiang Xun almost greedily.
She watched her every expression, watched her vacant eyes, dulled by the intense pain in her head.
Luo Twenty-Five opened the Mental Power potion she carried with a trembling hand. The potion, mixed with sticky, pungent blood, flowed into Jiang Xun's mouth.
"Ah Xun." Luo Twenty-Five knew full well who was responsible for Jiang Xun's current state. Like a child who had done something wrong, she stood by Jiang Xun's side, wanting to stroke her cheek but feeling helpless because of the bloodstains on her palm.
"It's okay. You know I got used to this kind of pain long ago." A smile played on Jiang Xun's lips.
She looked at the red corners of Luo Twenty-Five's eyes. At this moment, the sternness and killing intent on Luo Twenty-Five had completely vanished. Her violet eyes were filled with shimmering tears.
The wound on her cheek was like a proclamation.
This exquisite porcelain doll had finally shattered.
Jiang Xun's heart ached a little.
She reached out, wanting to wipe away the tears from the corner of Luo Twenty-Five's eyes.
At the same time, she coaxed softly, "I know, you're just..."
The next words seemed a bit difficult to say.
But she forced herself to say them, her voice muffled.
"...a little, too in love with me."
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