Time to Die

As Leviathan's body dissipated, Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue no longer had anything blocking their line of sight.

The two looked at each other, their long hair floating in the direction of the scattered dust.

"Finally..."

Shen Yiyue let out a long sigh of relief and collapsed onto the ruins. It seemed that the effort to trap Leviathan had drained all her strength.

Ning Yu also deactivated her [Boundless Moonlight] mode and walked over to her, crouching down to offer support.

"Are you okay..."

Just as Ning Yu reached out, she was unexpectedly pulled into Shen Yiyue's arms and held tightly.

"Liar."

Shen Yiyue whispered softly into Ning Yu's ear, then lightly nipped it to express her dissatisfaction.

"How did I lie to you..."

Ning Yu tried to defend herself, inhaling the familiar scent of Shen Yiyue's hair.

"You would have never come back if you left."

Shen Yiyue muttered under her breath.

"How could that be..."

Ning Yu was about to say, "I'm perfectly fine," but then she remembered that if it weren't for Shen Yiyue, she might have already lost her life.

Shen Yiyue released Ning Yu and looked at her closely, then cupped Ning Yu's face with both hands as if threatening, "If you say more, I'll squish your cheeks!"

"Did you miss me?"

Her nose wrinkled slightly as she asked in a playful yet demanding tone, like a girlfriend checking up on her partner.

"I did."

Ning Yu didn’t rush to break free from Shen Yiyue's grasp and answered honestly.

"How much?"

"I’ve been thinking about you all the time."

"Really? Even during the fight?"

"Mm-hmm." (Ning Yu nodded seriously.)

"Xiao Yu, you sound like such a player... but I’ll reluctantly believe you!"

Both of them had eyes only for each other.

"We should get out of here soon."

After a moment, Ning Yu suggested.

The horde of corpses was still slowly approaching, and this wasn’t a good place to talk.

Ning Yu had many questions for Shen Yiyue—about her abilities, her words, and her reaction speed during the fight.

Shen Yiyue definitely had a lot of things she hadn’t told Ning Yu yet.

Just as the two stood up, ready to move toward the outskirts of City A, Ning Yu’s gaze swept over the scattered dolls on the ground. After Leviathan’s main body died, all his clones had turned into these lifeless forms.

But it was this glance that made Ning Yu realize something was wrong.

The mission wasn’t completed!

"Oh no, let’s go!"

Her points were almost completely depleted, and she couldn’t use the [Boundless Moonlight] mode freely anymore. She wondered if Yue Ji would allow her to go into debt, but that probably wasn’t an option.

Next time, she’d have to ask Yue Ji to set up a points credit system for her.

"Xiao... Yu..."

Shen Yiyue’s eyes widened as she stared at the sky in disbelief.

Ning Yu narrowed her eyes and looked up, feeling her heart tighten.

It was Chen Xing.

She sat on her familiar throne, gently extending her hand, palm facing upward.

A black light coalesced in her palm, and a tattered doll was being repaired within it.

The sky was filled with an oppressive weight, making it hard for the two to breathe.

The dark clouds that blotted out the sun covered the sky once again, thicker than the first time they had encountered Chen Xing.

It felt as if day had suddenly turned into night.

"How could this be..."

Shen Yiyue murmured, her eyes growing deep and heavy.

"Don’t be afraid."

Ning Yu grasped Shen Yiyue’s hand, transferring her warmth to her.

"I’m not afraid."

Shen Yiyue turned to look at Ning Yu with an inexplicable expression.

Both of them immediately pulled out RPGs, sniper rifles, and various other weapons from their system spaces and weapon cases, aiming them at Chen Xing.

"Boom!"

"Boom!!"

Chen Xing coldly stared at the nearly repaired doll in her hand, ignoring the explosions and flashes of light around her.

The conventional weapons couldn’t harm her, only creating noise and light pollution in her vicinity.

Nothing could affect her—not even a single strand of her hair was disturbed.

"Ugh... ugh..."

The doll in her hand suddenly twitched and writhed, black flames rising from it and enveloping it completely.

It let out a sound like someone being strangled.

"Thud."

It was Leviathan, who had transformed from a doll back into his youthful form. He collapsed to his knees, gasping for air.

It was as if he hadn’t yet recovered from his earlier death.

Chen Xing, sitting on her throne, curled her lips in annoyance and coldly reprimanded him:

"How pathetic."

"If I hadn’t kept your soul seed, those two brats would have already torn you to pieces."

Leviathan, kneeling beside her, finally reacted and hurriedly looked up, his face filled with fear and desperation:

"Miss Pride... I was careless earlier. Please give me another... another chance."

"This time, I’ll definitely..."

He turned his head, glaring at the two on the ruins who were still trying to attack them, his eyes gleaming with malice.

"Silence."

Chen Xing raised a finger, a gray-black light gathering at its tip, distorting the space around it.

"Ah... please forgive me... Miss Pride! This time, I’ll..."

Leviathan, turning back to look at her, saw the light and was overcome with terror, his body trembling uncontrollably.

But his plea for mercy was in vain. The light floated forward and slowly merged into his head.

Leviathan immediately clutched his head and writhed in agony on the ground, as if a meat grinder had been inserted into his skull.

"Please... please have mercy..."

Before Leviathan could finish, Chen Xing gave him a cold glance, her eyes seemingly piercing through his soul.

He could only lower his body, trembling beside the throne as he endured the torment, though his expression oddly seemed to carry a hint of pleasure.

"This is your punishment for embarrassing me."

Chen Xing rose from her throne, her pure black gown swaying gently with her movements.

The throne behind her slowly disappeared as she began to descend, step by step.

With each step, a new stair appeared beneath her feet, alternating between black and white.

By the time she reached the ruins, she was at roughly the same height as Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue.

Bullets and explosions continued to fly toward her, but they were all blocked by some invisible force.

Chen Xing smirked disdainfully at the two, tilting her chin up slightly as she declared:

"Prepare to die, insects."