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| Descend from the Stars (STARS) |
At noon, all light had vanished here. The Darkness enveloped the space like a tangible gauze, sealing it so tightly it seemed to squeeze out the very air.
Xu Rongchuan's excellent night vision barely allowed him to make out a humanoid figure standing at the doorway, its crimson eyes fixed unblinkingly on them. He fired several shots in succession, the bullets piercing through the thing's forehead, heart, and neck—yet they left no trace, as if striking an illusion.
Shen Shancang's voice, laced with fear, pressed close to Xu Rongchuan's ear: "That's Zhao Wen, not His true form. He is everywhere. Holding me hostage is useless, we can't possibly—"
Before he could finish, the entire room came alive.
The blankets, the carpet, the chairs, the paintings… every object radiated murderous intent, disregarding Shen Shancang’s throat pressed against a dagger, intent on killing them both.
A chair hurtled toward Xu Rongchuan’s head, the carpet twisted like a monstrous thing, the blanket slithered behind Xu Dan, and the knives and forks on the plates floated into the air, aiming for their vital points…
Xu Rongchuan shoved Shen Shancang aside, caught the chair mid-air, and hurled it at the now-upright carpet. Xu Dan used the broken chains to ensnare the blanket attempting a sneak attack, and yanking it in front of him to block the flying cutlery.
A painting flung itself to the ground in the dark, shattering into sharp fragments that homed in on Xu Rongchuan like bullets.
Xu Rongchuan’s legs were tangled in the tablecloth, while two pillows assaulted him from front and back, trying to suffocate him. His vision obscured, and with his Intuition sensed something approaching—but he couldn’t dodge.
Xu Dan: "Brother!"
His Serpent tail coiled around Xu Rongchuan’s waist, yanking him into his arms. The sharp fragments missed, embedding themselves into the wall with such force they punched straight through.
Held in Xu Dan’s princess-carry, Xu Rongchuan kicked away an incoming leather chair, using the recoil to regain his footing. He grabbed Wen Shu, still unconscious on the bed, and slapped him hard across the face: "Wen Shu, wake up! This is the mission you took—get up and work!"
Wen Shu was likely trapped in some illusion. Normally, anyone who dared harm his face would face two months of relentless pursuit—yet now, he remained utterly unresponsive.
Nearby, Shen Shancang said, "Weightlessness! Making him weightless is the fastest way to wake him!"
Hearing this, Xu Dan’s Serpent tail coiled around Wen Shu and flung him toward the ceiling. In those few seconds, the massive chandelier overhead sparked violently, wrenching itself free from the ceiling and hurtling straight at Xu Dan.
Xu Rongchuan didn’t even have time to think. He lunged in front of Xu Dan, seized the thrashing tablecloth, and flung it with all his might at the chandelier.
Boom—
The heavy chandelier collided with the soft tablecloth, producing a deafening explosion. The chandelier shattered mid-air and sparks flying as countless shards rained down on Xu Rongchuan, drawing blood. Xu Dan’s expression darkened instantly as he shielded him, taking the brunt of the second wave of exploding fragments.
Zzzzt…
The smell of charred flesh mingled with the sound of new flesh regenerating. The tablecloth had caught fire from the crystal chandelier's flames, quickly spreading to the attacking quilt beside it, and erupting into a roaring blaze in the blink of an eye. The anomalous movements in the room subsided as the frenzied furniture retreated, backing toward the doorway.
The Darkness was driven back by the flames, illuminating a small, temporarily safe space. Wen Shu, who had been thrown to the ground, groaned in pain and finally opened his eyes belatedly.
Xu Dan was so furious he gritted his teeth while wiping the blood from Xu Rongchuan’s body, making him hiss in pain. Xu Rongchuan swatted his hand away. "Let go of me."
"You knew full well—!"
Xu Rongchuan pulled a shard from his flesh and glanced at the mess at Xu Dan’s back, frowning. "Does it hurt?"
Xu Dan’s eyes were red with anger, too upset to speak.
Wen Shu rubbed his head and dazedly surveying his surroundings before freezing, his Serpent tail shooting upright.
'What the hell was going on?'
"Team Wen, you’re finally awake," Xu Rongchuan seized the moment to wrap his coat around the chains, lighting it with the fire to fashion a makeshift fireball. "Mr. Shen, any ideas on how to get out of this room?"
Shen Shancang kept his eyes fixed on the motionless figure of Zhao Wen by the door and shook his head.
"What if we burn everything down?"
Shen Shancang shook his head again. "It’s daytime now. He can’t fully awaken yet and remains in a weakened state—but that’s still enough to trap us here. Physical fire can only scare these objects away; it won’t affect Him at all. Once night falls, we’ll all die."
Xu Rongchuan: "..."
Just what was "Chaos"? Time distortion, amplified Desire, psychological manipulation, control over Darkness... Every ability was terrifyingly powerful, far surpassing any Anomalous Object he had encountered before. It even made him vaguely suspect: perhaps it truly was a "Him," something beyond the limits of superpowers and anomalies, closer to a godlike entity.
And yet the case file had labeled this a C-rank mission!
Xu Rongchuan took a deep breath before following Shen Shancang’s gaze to the eerily still Zhao Wen.
Zhao Wen stood motionless by the door as his crimson eyes observing them with a grotesque smile on his lips, illuminated by the firelight like a ghostly apparition.
His abdomen gaped with a pitch-black hole—no organs inside, just Darkness so dense it was impossible to discern. When the firelight flickered, something resembling a pupil seemed to flash within, sending Xu Rongchuan’s Intuition into an ominous jolt.
Still clueless about the situation, Wen Shu asked, "Rongchuan? Xu Dan? Did only two of you come for backup?"
For a C-rank mission, how many people did he expect?!
Xu Rongchuan had no time to explain. "Team Wen, help evacuate the five victims from the other rooms and gather them by the fire. Xu Dan, restrain Zhao Wen."
"I refuse to believe there’s no way out of here!"
Without another word, Wen Shu and Xu Dan moved. Two figures darted in opposite directions like lightning. Wen Shu’s Serpent tail crackled with faint blue arcs, emitting soft pops as it passed the fire. The furniture, which had been inching forward, immediately retreated, clearing a path for him.
Meanwhile, Zhao Wen offered no resistance as Xu Dan bound his hands and dragged him toward the flames.
He was still smiling, like a lifeless smiling doll while staring at Shen Shancang, and his lips moving rapidly in silent muttering. Xu Rongchuan barely managed to decipher his lip movements. He was saying: "They walk upon the earth, Darkness will eventually envelop the universe, everything will be destroyed under Their gaze, everyone will die, you stay by my side, you belong to me, yes, everything of Zhao Zheng belongs to me, everything of Zhao Zheng belongs to me..."
As they drew closer to the flames, he clearly saw this time—a blood-red eye was flickering within the black hole in Zhao Wen's abdomen.
Curiosity killed the cat, but now there was no other choice but to try.
Xu Rongchuan raised his gun and aimed at Zhao Wen's stomach.
Xu Dan's brow twitched slightly, as if he wanted to stop him, but in the end, he said nothing. Instead, he helped his brother steady Zhao Wen, ensuring the bullet would pierce his abdomen with precision.
Bang!
Xu Rongchuan's marksmanship was impeccable—not a single deviation.
And then, the bullet vanished.
It passed through Zhao Wen's stomach, and nothing happened.
Zhao Wen stopped muttering. His smile faded, as if he had finally noticed the two people in the room besides Shen Shancang. Slowly, he turned his head to look at Xu Dan, who was restraining him.
The moment their eyes met, the temperature in the room plummeted to freezing.
Xu Dan's gaze darkened, his eyes narrowing.
A familiar presence...
It was Him...
Who was He...?
Meanwhile, Zhao Wen suddenly grinned grotesquely, like a starving man beholding steaming hot food. His lips stretched nearly to his ears as he emitted strange, rasping breaths, until drool drip from the corners of his mouth as he bare his ghastly white teeth at Xu Dan.
"Hah... haha... ha..." It twisted its limbs in ecstasy as it lower its head to bite at Xu Dan's neck. The black hole in its abdomen began to writhe, something struggling to crawl out.
The danger warning spiked to its peak.
Xu Rongchuan threw the fireball onto the bed, trying to create a larger blaze. Xu Dan released Zhao Wen and stepped back in front of Xu Rongchuan, shielding his brother behind him.
Shen Shancang's voice trembled slightly: "He's trying to force Himself awake!"
In the next instant, every living being in the room was overwhelmed by an unbearable hunger—an insatiable appetite. Xu Rongchuan's stomach convulsed as if he were a starving ghost on the verge of death, frantically craving something to shove into his mouth, his mind consumed by the urge to tear the flesh from his own arm.
Meanwhile, the roaring flames in the center of the room were slowly smothered by Darkness. The Darkness was fluid, alive, tangible—snuffing out their last defense as effortlessly as plucking a fragile flower bud.
Fear and cold spread with the Darkness. They could no longer see anything; the Darkness was so thick it felt as if their vision had been completely stripped away.
They could do nothing. There was no time to act. Then, even the air began to thin. Absolute Darkness birthed absolute vacuum. Without oxygen, their lungs contracted painfully. Xu Rongchuan grabbed Xu Dan's arm... The disparity in power far exceeded his imagination. He hadn't even truly awakened, hadn't truly manifested. The only one who might survive this was Xu Dan.
They had to alert Pangu.
This kind of power... Could Chaos be one of the Offspring of Gods foretold in the prophecy?
The Darkness devoured the flames, then spread over Shen Shancang and Xu Rongchuan. Even their consciousness was effortlessly erased by the Darkness, wiped clean without resistance.
Before sinking into the Darkness, his Intuition "saw" the walls twisting as a tentacle wrapped around Xu Dan.
His Intuition exploded, his mind went blank, and blood once again streamed from his eyes before he completely lost consciousness.
Translator:
Hello everyone! As another translator is now further ahead with this novel, I've decided not to post the remaining chapters I've already completed. However, the complete Epub version remains available for purchase in my Ko-fi shop. I will remove the file once the other translation is finished. Thank you for understanding, and have a great day!
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