Chapter Six: Heartbreak

"I can sense it—the aura of demons, the presence of humans." Mu Chen smiled. "Wrapped in a cocoon by demons, what kind of hideous form will you reveal?"
How exhilarating… truly exhilarating. Come, fight! Go clash with the demons—I’ll help you.
Xia Yan, only when you die will Xue’er return to normal. You are the source of all this evil, more repulsive than any demon. Just like Xue’er’s previous partners, one after another, go and die!
Die, Xia Yan.

…

Hundreds of meters away, Xia Yan gripped his D-grade Enchanting Dagger, gaze fixed on the level-one demon hovering twenty meters ahead.
He drew his sidearm and fired a shot into the air.
The gunshot enraged the demon floating above; its form twisted into a ghastly face and lunged at Xia Yan, maw wide to devour.
"Every demon has a core at its very center. Strike there, and they’ll weaken—or even die," Tao Lu called out from a short distance.
"Understood." Xia Yan’s expression remained unchanged as he swept his dagger, a ribbon of light slicing through the air like flowing water.
In a heartbeat, he and the demon crossed paths.
A hiss—
The demon’s body warped and suddenly surged four or five meters higher, looming like a giant as it pounced at Xia Yan.
"You missed the vital point. Remember—the core inside its body," Tao Lu reminded. "You can’t see it with your eyes; sense it with your spirit, trust your intuition."
"Alright…" Xia Yan swung again, a blade of dazzling light sweeping forth, brilliant and seductive.

Hundreds of meters away,
Mu Chen waited—waited for the most fatal moment.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Now is the time."
Xia Yan was about to change tactics when a rending pain tore through his mind, suffocating him in an instant.
It lasted only a split second, but in that moment, the level-one demon lunged at Xia Yan, shrouding him in a mass of black smoke.

A muffled groan escaped Xia Yan, his face contorting in pain.
"What’s happening?" Tao Lu’s expression changed dramatically; she quickly guessed someone was launching a sneak attack.
"A psychic ability… and one that stabs at the nerves. Who would target us with such powers?" Tao Lu watched Xia Yan, anxious but powerless. The demon and Xia Yan were intertwined; any reckless attack would doom them both—or turn Xia Yan into a helpless target.
"Rumor has it that being entangled by a demon floods the mind with countless negative emotions. Even if not killed, one might end up mad…"
Tao Lu gritted her teeth. "Only very, very few with indomitable will can endure that 'hell' and emerge unscathed, overcoming the heart’s demons. Xia Yan, can you…?"

She waited for a long time before making her decision. She raised her ‘Frenzy’ pistol and aimed at the demon.
To survive such torment was only rumor—she had never witnessed it. She believed Xia Yan was beyond saving.
Regrettable, but don’t blame me.

Her finger tightened halfway around the trigger—
Suddenly, a beam of sword light burst from the black mist like a rainbow across the sky, cleaving the demon’s core into a cloud of black powder that scattered to the earth below.
Xia Yan’s face was deathly pale; he leaned on his dagger for support, gasping for breath.
Tao Lu watched, astonished. He seemed unharmed—or was he forcing himself, about to fall into madness any minute?
She rushed over, eyes fixed anxiously on Xia Yan.
"Xia Yan, are you alright? Anything unusual?"
"I’m fine…" Xia Yan shook his head. "When the negative emotions invaded, I regained my senses, but suppressing them took a long time. I almost lost to my own mind."
"You’re incredible!" Tao Lu’s expression was strange. Could anyone’s will truly be so strong as to withstand such overwhelming negativity?
"Let’s drop it. Can you sense where the attacker is?" Xia Yan took a few deep breaths, his color returning.
"My ability isn’t for detection—I can’t sense them," Tao Lu replied, still eyeing him curiously. "But you—are you really alright? Some people, after demonic invasion, become catatonic or insane."
"I know." Xia Yan steadied himself with his sword and continued cautiously, "When the assailant struck, I made brief contact with his mental force. I have a vague sense of his direction—I’m going after him."

"Are you out of your mind?" Tao Lu watched Xia Yan dash off, utterly helpless. Did this guy have any self-preservation instinct at all?
She stamped her foot and quickly set off after him.

…

"How… how could this be? Impossible, absolutely impossible." Mu Chen could not believe he had failed.
In that instant, he had used his power—a psychic rift that could directly attack the mind, strong enough to reduce ordinary people to idiots.
Against an opponent of similar strength, it could still paralyze them briefly, leaving them helpless before a demon’s assault—a certain death.
But Xia Yan was not only alive—he was chasing Mu Chen down. How could he not be shaken?
"I failed… but how could I possibly fail…" Mu Chen stared at his hands in disbelief. "No, this must be hidden. If Yue’er finds out, she’ll hate me, maybe even despise me. There’s no making up for this."
"To move after being invaded by demonic negativity…" Mu Chen fled desperately. "Impossible, impossible! What is with this guy?!"
He knew well the terror of a demon’s negative emotions. Who could have such an unbreakable will?
Just what is Xia Yan? Not only did he endure, he’s chasing me—what is he, truly human? A mutant? Or a demon himself?
Mu Chen’s ability was offensive psychic power—‘Mental Rift’—but it had limits. He couldn’t use it repeatedly on the same person in a short time, or its effects would diminish, even disappear.
Now, facing Xia Yan, even another attempt would only hinder him for less than a second—a shadow of its former strength.
Run… I can only run. If I escape this area and blend into the crowd, Xia Yan will never find me.
"Yes, he can’t sense my position. Only when our minds were linked did he sense my direction." Mu Chen immediately veered off to another path.
A straight line would be too easy to follow.
Run, run with all you have!
"Alright, he’s lost my trail; he shouldn’t find me now." Mu Chen sighed in relief, for just ahead lay the energy barrier.
Once outside, he would be safe.
He quickened his steps toward the edge of the barrier.
But as he lifted his foot, terror layered upon his face, bordering on despair.
He was afraid; his features twisted, unable to remain calm—on the verge of madness.
Why… why is this happening…
That girl stood motionless before him, her eyes cold with undisguised aversion.
Gu Yue’er, known to all as "Death," a nickname he had spread behind the scenes.
"I sensed you behind them, so I came." Gu Yue’er gazed at Mu Chen, her tone gentle. "Mu Chen, midway, you used ‘Mental Rift’ on Xia Yan. Why did you do it?"
"No… no… it wasn’t me. Really, it wasn’t me." Mu Chen had lost all reason.
"But I saw it. Mental power is clearer than sight—I saw it perfectly. Why would you do such a hateful thing? Xia Yan doesn’t even know you; why would you stoop so low?"
A single tear welled in Gu Yue’er’s eye. She turned away to wipe it gently.
"I hate you, Mu Chen."
That faint gesture, those soft words, drove Mu Chen utterly mad.
"No—it wasn’t me.
"It wasn’t me, Yue’er.
"It really wasn’t me!
"No one in this world loves you more than I do.
"Truly… truly… why… why did it turn out like this?"
Mu Chen was now completely deranged, a wild beast with bulging veins, twisted features, and deranged movements.
"It wasn’t me!"
He turned, face set with grim resolve, and ran the other way—toward a torn rift in space not far off.
That was his refuge, his only escape from it all.
What would become of him? Mu Chen did not know, and he did not care. He only wished to flee.
His heart was already torn apart. His life, devoid of meaning.
As his body collided with the spatial rupture, Mu Chen saw his lower half vanish.
In the blink of an eye, his body became dust, flesh and blood mingling in a splash of crimson.
Gu Yue’er watched it all in silence, her expression unchanged.
When Mu Chen had vanished entirely, a faint, almost imperceptible, bitter smile finally touched her lips.
That detestable man was dead—at last she was free of his entanglement.

Gu Yue’er turned her gaze northeast, about two hundred meters away, where her psychic sense detected two people running—Xia Yan and his partner.
She took a few steps back, disappearing behind the energy barrier.

…

An hour passed.
Xia Yan and Tao Lu returned to the institute, having noticed the crimson remains but not knowing what they were.
It looked human… but who would throw themselves into a spatial rift?
Or perhaps a mutant? The odds of a mutant appearing in the city were slim, but not impossible.
With only blood and flesh left, there was no way to identify the original form of the "object."
As for the hidden assailant, he had vanished without a trace.

Back at the Ability Training Institute, Xia Yan took out his neural communicator to contact Gu Yue’er, who answered promptly.
"Xia Yan, it’s Gu Yue’er. Have you finished the mission?" she asked with a bright, cheerful smile.
"Yes," Xia Yan replied, smiling.
"Wait a minute, I’ll come over right away. I want to meet your partner—let’s all have dinner tonight."
Gu Yue’er’s innocent smile filled the screen before she hung up and hurried toward Xia Yan and Tao Lu.

In Xia Yan’s eyes, Gu Yue’er was always like this—she embodied the best of humanity, always smiling, always so pure.
Just seeing her calmed his heart, no matter how anxious or troubled he was.
From afar, her figure was bright and charming as she ran to them.
"I was so worried—are you alright?" Gu Yue’er looked Xia Yan over, seemingly trying to see through him.
"I’m fine, really," Xia Yan replied, not wanting to mention the demonic invasion.
"And Miss Tao Lu—thank you for looking after Xia Yan," Gu Yue’er said with a grateful smile.
"I didn’t do anything," Tao Lu replied, shaking her head.
"Let’s have dinner together tonight! I’d like to get to know you, Miss Tao Lu."
"I’m not interested," Tao Lu refused at once. "I have things to do. I’ll be going."
"Your weapon," Xia Yan offered her the enchanting dagger.
"Keep it for now, you can return it later." Tao Lu didn’t look back. For reasons she couldn’t explain, she instinctively resented this girl named Gu Yue’er.
Of course, she disliked their superior, Ryan, even more. She found these people unbearable… so fake.
Their faces seemed crafted for pretense, all wearing masks called "deceit."
"Sorry, she’s just like that," Xia Yan apologized.
"It’s alright, Miss Tao Lu has a lot of character—I rather admire her," Gu Yue’er replied with a smile. "Come, Xia Yan, let’s eat."
"Alright," Xia Yan agreed with a smile.