"Hahahaha! Look who's come to visit me in the depths of this hell!" the Boss cried, his voice filled with sinister satisfaction.
You tried to force a smile. The corner of your lips twitched slightly, holding back the fear that chilled your blood. Reflexively, you took a step back, positioning your body as a shield between the creature and Ganyu.
Behind you, Ganyu—still extremely weak—tightened her embrace around your waist. Her breath felt warm against your cold back.
After taking a few steps, his laughter suddenly stopped. His pale, veined face tensed.
"We meet again," the Boss hissed, calling your nickname in a mocking tone. "Didn't expect this, did you? The person you stabbed in the back is now a god."
"Honestly," you said, your forced smile fading, replaced by a serious and disgusted expression. "I never wanted to see your face again, in any world."
"What a coincidence!" The Boss spread his arms wide. As he moved, the purple Abyss aura in his chest twitched and expanded, radiating a suffocating wave of energy. "I feel the same! Your face is the one thing I want to crush most in this world!"
Seeing the glowing purple veins pulsing throughout his body, and the core crystal throbbing like a heart in his chest hole, made you feel extremely uncomfortable. It smelled like a corpse soaked in poison.
Then, without any further warning, he lunged at you.
His movement… was too fast! So fast your naked eyes couldn't catch the process. He didn't run; he shot forward like dark lightning.
One second he was there; the next, the air in front of you exploded.
But knowing he was invisible to your eyes, you immediately dropped and rolled sideways with every ounce of speed you could muster.
Though your eyes couldn't see his physical form, your instincts had taken over!
WUUUSSSHH!
The empty air where you had stood a second ago was torn apart. His fist struck nothing, creating a shockwave that whipped through your hair.
He attacked you with pure killing intent.
The Boss looked slightly surprised. His steps halted. He turned, seeing you had dodged his fatal strike. His purple eyes narrowed in confusion.
"What's this?" he tilted his head, staring at you half-kneeling. "Why are you dodging?! You usually just stand there and let yourself get beaten like a sandbag!"
Without waiting for an answer, he moved again. This time he raised his leg, enveloped in dark energy, and kicked at you with the same insane speed.
"Sorry… this might be a bit rough," you whispered quickly to Ganyu behind you.
Before the Boss could land his kick, you used your remaining strength to release Ganyu's hands from your waist. With one strong push, you shoved her small body away from you, sliding her across the slick water floor to the edge of the room, out of the danger zone.
You knew you couldn't dodge his attack again!
At that moment, BUAGH! The hard kick landed squarely on your side stomach.
The force felt like being hit by a speeding iron train. You were hurled into the air like a rag doll.
BRAAAKK! You crashed into Osial's dense water wall with tremendous force. The wall trembled violently from the impact.
Ugh! You spat fresh blood from your mouth, staining the purple water wall with bright red. Your body slid down and collapsed face-first onto the floor.
This hurts like hell! It really hurts so damn much! your mind screamed, tears of pain gathering at the corners of your eyes.
You clutched the part of your stomach hit by the kick with trembling hands. Every breath felt like thousands of needles stabbing your lungs. Clearly, several of your ribs were broken.
"Just this?" The Boss walked slowly toward you, his footsteps echoing clearly. "Are you really this weak?"
"Bastard…" you cursed between bloody coughs. You endured the excruciating pain, pressing both hands to the floor, trying to force yourself up. "I… I've always been weak…"
Your knees trembled. You managed to half-rise, but then your strength vanished, and you collapsed again with a pitiful thud.
"Is it… is it really that fun to bully the weak, you bastard?!" you shouted desperately, staring at the floor beneath you.
The Boss stopped right in front of you.
You looked down. From your blurred vision, you could only see his massive shadow and his dirty boots.
You slowly lifted your head, enduring the pain in your neck. You saw him staring down at you. And he was smiling. A wide, savage smile, savoring every second of your helplessness.
He raised his right foot, purple energy gathering there. He was about to stomp on your head, ending it like crushing an insect.
You closed your eyes. Your facial muscles tensed. Waiting for the final pain. Waiting for absolute darkness.
But nothing happened. Instead, your ears suddenly caught the sound of cracking ice. KRAK… KRAAAAK! The sound was sharp and clear amid the monster's belly silence. Not ice breaking, but ice freezing at incredible speed.
"Why?!"
The Boss's shout shattered your concentration. Shocked and frustrated. You opened your eyes. They instantly widened. You were stunned by what you saw in front of you.
The Boss's raised right foot was now encased in a thick block of ice. Not only that—the ice spread rapidly, freezing his left foot, crawling up to his waist, and in seconds, almost his entire body from the neck down was frozen in a glacial ice pillar radiating biting cold.
His movement stopped completely. He was frozen in place!
You struggled to turn your head sideways, toward the corner of the room where you had thrown Ganyu earlier.
You looked at Ganyu. The half-qilin girl was no longer lying down. She was half-kneeling, directing one of her trembling hands toward the Boss.
From her palm, bright blue Cryo light radiated. Her face looked deathly pale, cold sweat soaking her forehead. Her eyes narrowed from pain. She looked in immense agony, forcing the last remnants of energy from her cells to use her element without her bow—just to protect you!
The Boss, trapped in the ice, looked furious. His unfrozen neck muscles tensed. He glared at Ganyu with glowing eyes full of rage.
"Why are you protecting him?!" the Boss shouted. His voice boomed, echoing off the imprisoning ice. "Why do you care about this filthy insect?!"
"This guy…" The Boss pointed at you with his eyes. "…is obviously approaching you with bad intentions! He's not from Liyue! He's a con artist! He has a demonic weapon!"
The Boss groaned loudly. The Abyss aura in his chest pulsed wildly, pumping corrupt heat throughout his body. He forced his muscles to move against the ice.
Crack… crack…PYAAR! And slowly, the ice holding him began to fracture from within. Cryo's cold couldn't contain Abyss's corrupt heat for long if Ganyu wasn't at full strength.
Ganyu groaned, her hand shaking more. Her energy flow stuttered. Her face grimaced as she endured the torturous pain in her bones.
You bit your lip, feeling useless until it bled, watching Ganyu's suffering.
"And you still protect him?!"
BLAAAR! The Boss roared in anger. With one massive surge of strength, he shattered all the ice binding him. Ice shards scattered everywhere.
He was free from the elemental restraint, standing once more.
Ganyu coughed, her hand dropping limply to her side. Her power was completely gone!
The Boss exhaled a breath that released purple smoke. Then he slowly turned, looking back at you still sprawled on the floor.
In one lightning motion, he was in front of you again. He bent down, his massive hand seizing your collar, and easily lifted your body into the air like a lifeless doll.
Your legs kicked at empty air, staring at his terrifying face.
And then, without another word, he drew back his left hand and punched you right in the stomach—in the exact same spot as his earlier kick—with tremendous force.
BUAGH! The sound of shattering bones rang out clearly.
You vomited a large amount of fresh blood. Your vision went white for a moment from the shock of pain exceeding human tolerance.
He then threw you roughly. Your body slammed back to the floor, rolling several times before stopping face-down.
You couldn't get up anymore. You could only take short breaths.
Then you heard his footsteps. He turned away. Leaving you.
He walked closer to Ganyu, who was still half-kneeling and helpless.
You forced yourself to turn your head with one slightly blurred eye from blood and tears. You saw his large silhouette approaching Ganyu more and more.
"Stop…" your voice was only a hoarse whisper.
You tried to crawl. You tried to move your hands, but your fingers didn't respond.
"Don't hurt her!" you shouted with your remaining broken voice. But your voice cut off from coughing up blood clogging your throat. "Cough! Cough!"
The Boss stopped walking. He glanced back, staring at you coughing up blood on the floor.
"How pathetic," he mocked coldly. His purple eyes radiated pure disdain. "Even a crushed insect can wriggle better than you."
He turned his face away from you, considering you no longer a threat, and looked back at Ganyu. He continued his slow, intimidating steps.
"I just don't understand," the Boss muttered, his voice now calmer but filled with deep frustration. He spoke to Ganyu, as if you weren't there.
"Why did you let him get close to you, Lady Ganyu?"
He paused, towering in front of the half-Adeptus girl.
"Even though it was so obvious from his behavior… he had hidden motives. He was targeting you. And you, the esteemed Secretary of the Yuehai Pavilion, fell so easily for his pitiful face."
He stopped right in front of Ganyu, his shadow covering her entire body.
"Lately…" The Boss lowered his head, staring at his wrist covered in purple veins. His voice sounded like the reflection of a man who had lost his way. "I've been asking myself. Night after night at the harbor. What was all my effort for?"
He looked at his hand. A hand full of past blood and sins.
Then, from that outstretched hand, Abyss energy light gathered. It drew power from all the surrounding veins, forming a pulsing, destructive purple energy orb.
The Boss looked into Ganyu's eyes again. Eyes that refused to show fear, even as her body was helpless.
"Why won't you answer me, Lady Ganyu?!"
The Boss snapped, his patience gone. His unstable emotions from the corruption took over. He raised his glowing purple hand, ready to strike Ganyu's head with a blow that would end the Adeptus's life.
Your eyes, from across the room, widened as you saw the execution about to happen.
You had no physical body left to protect her. But you still had one ace up your sleeve!
"Sword…" you whispered through gritted teeth holding back blood. Then, with all the remaining soul energy, you shouted, giving an absolute command that tore through space and time.
"Protect Ganyu!"
Instantly, the space between the Boss and Ganyu distorted with a terrifying tearing sound.
ZRAAAASH!
The gigantic pitch-black sword, The Blade of Insatiable Ego, manifested from nothingness right in front of Ganyu's face. It appeared at the exact needed moment, floating with its flat blade facing the Boss's deadly fist.
KRAAAANG! The Abyss-layered fist slammed into the blade. Purple and black explosions sparked everywhere. The wind from the collision blew Ganyu's hair back.
The sword vibrated violently but managed to hold back the lethal attack without budging an inch.
The Boss clicked his tongue in annoyance, eyes narrowing sharply. His hand felt numb from striking the demonic iron.
"This damn sword again?!"
The Boss leaped back, then whipped his head around, staring at you still sprawled on the floor with a sharp, calculating gaze.
"How can you summon it from this far without touching it?! What the hell is this thing?!" he demanded angrily.
Hearing his question, you forced yourself to lift your head. Between the blood flowing from your lips, you forced a smile. A cynical, mocking smile.
"That's…" you coughed lightly, "...a trade secret."
You laughed softly, a laugh that provoked more pain in your stomach. You savored his angry expression.
Seeing your mocking laugh, the Boss's rage exploded. But before he could attack you again, the floating sword took the initiative. Responding to the Boss's hostile aura, the black sword shot forward, slashing horizontally at the Boss's neck at bullet speed.
SYUUT!
The Boss, with his Abyss-enhanced human instincts, ducked and blocked the slash with both hands enveloped in an Abyss shield.
TRANG!
The sword bounced back, then attacked relentlessly. The Boss blocked and countered each strike with brutal speed. A battle between a souled inanimate object and an Abyss-controlled living corpse unfolded at blinding pace.
"I've always watched over you!" the Boss said between clashes, voice panting against your sword. "I've always stopped anyone trying to approach you with bad intentions behind it! Bandits, con artists—I got rid of them in the shadows!"
He punched the sword, knocking it into the air.
"And this is the thanks I get for my devotion?" The Boss attacked the descending sword with increasing speed and ferocity. "Treated like a disgusting street criminal? Ignored like trash?!" His voice grew louder.
Hearing his delusional rambling, soft laughter escaped your lips again. The laugh slowly grew into a clear chuckle, even though each one made you wince in pain.
"Haha… that's…" you pressed both hands to the floor, trying to turn your body. "...really illogical, you know."
With great difficulty, fighting gravity and shattered bones, you crawled to the nearest wall. Your whole body screamed in pain, but you refused to lie there like a loser. You used the slick wall as support and slowly, slowly, you stood.
Your legs wobbled, hand clutching your stomach, blood still dripping from your chin. But you stood tall.
You looked at the dragon-tattooed man with a contemptuous gaze.
"Why should you decide who can and can't approach her?" you asked coldly, sneering at his fake heroism.
"You think you're a shadow protector?" You stood straight, though your body swayed slightly. You raised your trembling right hand, clenched your fingers, and with deliberate calculation, flipped him off high in the air.
"You're nobody. You're just a delusional stalker and harasser." You spat blood onto the floor. "Get lost with your obsession."
Seeing the gesture and hearing your words, the Boss's anger peaked. His eyes completely lost any remaining human sanity.
"AAAARGGGH!"
With one beastly roar, he gathered all his strength in his hand. As your sword shot to pierce his heart again, he didn't dodge. He charged forward, and with his fist enveloped in dense Abyss energy, he struck the side of the blade with full force.
BLAAAM!
The impact was enormous. Your gigantic sword was hurled away with tremendous force, spinning across the room and embedding deep into Osial's stomach water wall far above reach. JLEB!
A violent tremor shook the entire organic chamber, as if Osial's body itself felt pain from the sword stab. The water walls twitched fiercely.
But the Boss didn't care about his host's pain. He seemed to ignore you completely too. His obsession was now fully directed at the rejection he felt.
He turned quickly, approaching Ganyu who was still weakly half-kneeling. His eyes glinted with pure madness. He prepared to strike the girl again!
"Hey, Lady Ganyu, tell me!" he shouted, demanding an answer from the secretary's silence. "What was all my action and protection for?!"
He raised his hand high.
"Even though I did it all for you!" The Boss focused Abyss energy on his hand again, making the surrounding air hiss.
"While you were busy defending this foreign guy, tending to him, I've endured all kinds of torture! Ignored, frozen by you, swallowed by the ocean, my sanity shattered! Knowing that this con-artist bastard wouldn't give up approaching you, even when I died… I forced my soul to rise from death from the ocean depths!"
His voice broke into a wail of despair.
"But this… is this what I get in return?! Betrayal?!"
His purple eyes widened; there was no love left, only the desire to destroy what he couldn't have.
"THEN JUST DIE!" he screamed, unleashing his glowing purple strike straight at Ganyu's head.
Ganyu closed her eyes tightly, with nowhere to run.
"I won't let you!"
You shouted with the last breath from your leaking lungs. You couldn't call back your sword embedded in the wall. You couldn't use the monocle on yourself without dying stupidly.
You could only use your mortal body.
You summoned your final adrenaline, pushing your broken body forward. You ran, staggering, and leaped.
But suddenly, the Boss's punch nearly hitting Ganyu stopped in mid-air by force.
In the blink of an eye, the Boss's gigantic figure vanished from in front of Ganyu. His speed surpassed sound. You, mid-leap forward, suddenly saw the figure standing right in front of you.
He had teleported—or moved at god-like speed—and now stood in a striking pose directly facing you!
"Why so quiet?" the Boss hissed coldly, without the slightest empathy. "You're just an Adeptus who can't do anything."
"Adeptus…"
You vomited the last blood from your mouth, and instead of crying, you chuckled. A hoarse laugh wet with blood.
You slowly lifted your head. Staring at your horrifying reflection in the Boss's glowing purple eyes. Your face looked deathly pale, white as paper, lips bluish.
"Really…" you spoke with difficulty, each word draining your remaining life. "Why… do you always think I'm an Adeptus in disguise? What exactly… have I done?"
You tilted your head slightly, enduring the pain in your torn stomach.
"Does… a weak person like me… who can be stabbed so easily…" you slowly spread both arms, letting yourself hang fully on his arm in your stomach. Blood kept dripping to the floor.
"…look like some mighty god to you?"
The Boss stared at your smile with furrowed brows. "Why are you smiling?"
"I'm sure… deep in your heart, you've known it all along," you said softly.
You raised your trembling right hand and pointed your bloodied index finger at your own chest. Your fading eyes stared straight into his soul.
"That I'm… truly… just an ordinary mortal human!" you shouted with your last breath.
The Boss fell silent.
"But… isn't that… really funny?" you shook your head gently, another small laugh escaping. "Fate really is ridiculous."
You laughed. Laughed so hard your shoulders shook, making blood gush more from your wound. Your laughter echoed off Osial's stomach walls, sounding mad and liberating.
"Hahaha… so stupid. Fate is so stupid."
The Boss stared at you in deadly silence. His face hardened, hating that laugh. He felt something was very wrong.
At that moment, from the corner of your left eye, you saw movement up above.
The gigantic black sword, The Blade of Insatiable Ego, embedded in the wall, suddenly glowed. With one hard yank, the sword freed itself from the water-flesh wall, leaving a hole oozing purple fluid.
The sword spun in the air, seeking its master. Finding you impaled, it shot downward, slicing through the air toward the Boss's back at sonic speed.
At that moment, the Boss suddenly twisted part of his body. And he didn't pull his hand from your stomach.
The Boss, whose instincts were fused with Abyss, sensed the threat from behind. He smiled.
As the gigantic sword was inches away and about to pierce his back…
The Boss directed his free left hand backward, blocking the black blade. He had been waiting for the sword!
ZRAAAAASH! The sword's momentum was huge. The blade tip managed to pierce the purple energy shield and stab right through the Boss's left palm. His blood sprayed.
But the sword didn't move further. The Boss's muscles and dense Abyss energy gripped the blade inside his palm flesh, holding it completely so it couldn't pierce his chest.
The Boss didn't groan in pain. He only glanced back, staring at the black sword trapped in his hand with contempt.
"Did you really think… I'd fall for the same cheap trick twice?" The Boss looked back at you. The smile on his face widened, baring his teeth. "Attacking a blind spot from behind? Only a fool thinks the same trick works twice."
Behind him, the black sword vibrated violently. The demon inside seemed to hum, trying to pull its blade free from the Boss's palm grip. But it was futile. The man's strength was too great; the sword was locked dead and couldn't escape.
"Well, playtime's over," the Boss said coldly, eyes staring into yours that were losing focus. "Die. I'm sick of seeing your face."
The Boss tensed the muscles of his right arm still inside your stomach, preparing to yank it out with a twisting motion that would tear your guts apart and kill you instantly.
At that moment, GREP. Both your bloodied hands suddenly moved with your final strength. You gripped the Boss's right arm impaled in your stomach tightly. Your nails dug into his skin. You locked his arm inside your own body!
The Boss was shocked. His muscles tensed, but his pull was halted. He couldn't yank his arm out because of the grip!
The Boss stared at your widening eyes. The corner of your pale lips curved upward, forming a smile.
"Seems… we really are alike." you whispered in front of his face, voice as calm as a pond. "Only a fool… thinks a magic show is done without misdirection."
The Boss's eyes widened as he realized the meaning of your words.
Misdirection.
The sword attacking from behind… wasn't the main attack. It was just a distraction to make the Boss use his left hand, turn half his body, and most importantly… divert his focus away from his front chest.
While the Boss held the sword with his left hand and busied himself mocking you…
Your right hand, which had been gripping his arm, now quickly released its hold. You clenched your bloodied right fist.
And with the last strength burned by adrenaline and ambition not to die stupidly, you swung your right hand straight forward.
Aimed directly at the hole in his chest. At the center of that Abyss energy.
There was no shield protecting it there. His attention and energy were focused on the sword behind him and the arm in your stomach.
SLUUP.
Your right hand succeeded in entering, piercing his gaping chest cavity easily, touching something solid and hotly pulsing.
You gripped the Abyss Parasite Core physically!
"H-How… how is this possible!"
The Boss's purple eyes bulged maximally, staring at you in disbelief. Unimaginable pain and shock spread through his nerves.
You didn't answer. You used your shoulder muscles to yank your hand back roughly. CRAAASH!
You pulled your hand out of his chest harshly. In your right fist's grip, you held a chunk of solid black-purple crystal pulsing wildly like a heart torn from its host.
Instantly, the Boss lost his strength. His grip on your sword weakened. His right arm in your stomach went limp.
He slowly staggered back three steps, reeling; his outstretched hand grabbed at empty air, trying to take back his life core in your grip.
"No…!" he cried, a pitiful sob from a monster realizing its end. Tears mixed with blood flowed from his eyes, which began losing their purple glow. "I don't want to die!"
His voice broke, returning to the frightened harbor thug in a dark alley.
"Give it back… I don't want to die… again!" he begged, falling to his knees in the water puddle, hands outstretched toward you.
You looked at the Boss's pitiful form. Begging for his borrowed life.
Strangely, there was no victorious smile on your face. You wore a very sad expression. Sad to see how low a human could fall for a baseless obsession.
You slowly shifted your gaze from his pleading face, lowering your eyes to stare at the pulsing Abyss core in your palm. It felt cold and poisonous.
"Sorry," you whispered softly to the wind.
You tightened your right hand's grip. Gathering your absolute final strength, and crushed the crystal heart with force.
KRAK.
The sharp sound of breaking glass rang out.
You squeezed it, and the Abyss energy core shattered into fragments of black light, dissolving and evaporating into nothingness between your fingers.
In front of you, the Boss's eyes bulged maximally. His mouth opened in a silent scream. The remaining purple energy in his body instantly extinguished like a blown-out candle.
Slowly, gravity claimed its right. His large body toppled forward. It hit the water floor with a hard thud.
The Boss was dead. And with the destruction of the controlling parasite core, the Abyss corruption infesting Osial's body lost its command.
Your task was complete.
At that very moment, as the adrenaline supporting you vanished, you finally felt the consequences of your impaled body.
You held your breath as sanity-tearing pain slammed into your chest. Your eyes rolled upward. Strength evaporated from your knees.
You staggered backward and collapsed onto the cold water floor, lying beside your own pooling blood that continued to flow into a red puddle.
Out there, Osial responded to the destruction of its corruption core.
The chamber inside the god's stomach suddenly shook violently—far more than before. An organic tectonic earthquake. The water walls around you began collapsing and melting. Osial's roar and scream from outside rang so loud and filled with suffering as its consciousness was forced back to sleep in the abyss depths. The sea god lost its form.
Amid the tremendous shaking, your ears caught the sound of dragging footsteps rushing toward you.
Ganyu, regaining a little strength as the Abyss aura vanished, approached hurriedly, dragging her body across the trembling floor.
She reached your side. She dropped beside you, her face filled with panic and uncontrollable tears. Her trembling hands touched your chest and face, trying to cover the wound in your stomach with her remaining Cryo element to stop the bleeding.
You lay there. Your eyes blurring, vision narrowing. Darkness crept from the corners of your eyes.
But in your remaining sight, you stared at her face bending over you. Staring at Ganyu approaching from afar.
Even with tears, dust, and panic ruining her usually perfect appearance, you forced your mind to work amid the pain.
Ah… your mind whispered weakly, a strangely peaceful thought on the brink of death. Her worried face… even… looks… so… beautiful…
You tilted your head slightly, staring at the Boss's corpse lying stiff not far from your feet.
"Hey…" you whispered to the corpse with your final breath escaping with blood foam. Your voice barely audible, but you knew he wouldn't hear it.
"I told you we're alike… didn't I?"
You took a shallow breath, focusing your final gaze on Ganyu, who kept calling your name while crying.
"I… also… don't… want… to… die…"
You smiled at her. A tired smile that slowly froze.
Your mortal eyes slowly closed tightly, welcoming the long darkness.
…
A/N: Quite a lot for just one chapter… I think this story will end in two more chapters. In other words, this week will be the last for this story. It's been a long journey… and mentally exhausting, honestly. By the way, if you can't wait for the next chapter, feel free to check my Patreon—I write much faster there than on this platform!