Chapter 684: Yaya Nearing Death! Hong Hong's Plea! Shadow Fox Lady!
"Pfft!!!"
A spray of crimson mist painted the scorched earth. Tushan Yaya spat out a mouthful of blood, her small body flying backward like a broken doll. She slammed into the ruins of what used to be a bustling street, dust billowing around her weak, dispirited form.
"How... could..."
The critically wounded Yaya lay on the ground, filled with confusion.
At this moment, Tushan... was already a devastated graveyard.
From the moment she discovered the protective barrier had shattered until its current state of absolute ruin, less than a quarter of an hour had passed. The silence was deafening, broken only by the crackle of magical flames consuming the ancient architecture.
"Hahaha, the Tree of Love, oh the Tree of Love, I never thought it would end up in my hands this way!!!"
A sharp, maniacal laugh echoed throughout the desolate mountains of Tushan, piercing the smoky air.
The fox woman standing amidst the wreckage, dressed in flowing black robes that seemed woven from shadows, was extremely excited. Her laughter was not just of joy, but of a hunger finally being fed.
She was the Shadow Fox Lady—the Black Fox Queen.
For centuries, everything she had done was to alter the rules of the Tree of Love's edge (fate-tying). She had plotted, possessed, and manipulated from the darkness.
But now, her goal had fundamentally changed. It had evolved into something far more terrifying.
She no longer cared about mere fate manipulation. She wanted to absorb the entire world. She wanted to become the strongest existence, transcending the boundaries of this reality!
And her unparalleled confidence came from a strange, alien egg.
It was an accident of fate, or perhaps a curse. One day, deep within a dimensional fissure, she discovered an egg pulsating with terrifying vitality.
It wasn't a normal demon beast egg. Upon careful perception, she found that the egg contained incredibly powerful vitality and an attraction as deep as an abyss. It whispered to her. It promised power in exchange for self.
After some deliberation, she made the ultimate gamble.
She abandoned her original physical body. She stripped away her old form and integrated her spirit and soul into that egg, merging with the embryonic entity within. She completely became the life within that egg.
When she broke out of the shell again, she was reborn.
Not only did she gain a new, indestructible physical body, but a powerful magical treasure called the 'Myriad Devourer' was also born naturally with her physical body and soul.
It was a black void that hung behind her, a mouth that could never be filled. It could easily devour everything in the world—spiritual energy, souls, matter—turning it all into the source of her own power.
Even the conceptual rules of the world were within the scope of what she could devour.
With this power, she became a calamity.
She devoured countless holy spirits, drinking their essence like wine. She consumed the lives of countless cities, leaving only dust in her wake. The One-Qi Dao Alliance? The famous Wangquan Sword? They were easily annihilated and devoured by her void, their legends ending in her stomach.
The speed of her own strength improvement could only be described as incomprehensible. It was exponential, terrifying, and unnatural.
At this moment, Shadow Fox Lady felt that she had already touched the edge of transcending the world. She felt like a god looking down on an anthill.
The Tree of Love!
Her eyes locked onto the massive, ancient tree that stood at the center of Tushan. As long as she devoured the Tree of Love, the spiritual core of this dimension, she would be able to transcend the world!
So she came to Tushan.
She suppressed all the fox demons with a flip of her hand. The guards, the elites, the civilians—she absorbed all the life in Tushan in the blink of an eye. The vibrant city of matchmakers was reduced to a silent tomb in seconds.
The only one she left behind was Tushan Yaya.
It wasn't out of special care or pity for the current Leader of the Fox Demons.
It was simply because she found it interesting. She wanted to savor the despair of the "strongest" before eating the main course.
She came before the Tree of Love.
Her excited expression gradually calmed down, replaced by a cold, divine indifference.
With the power of transcendence right in front of her, she instead became calm. The hunger was still there, but it was controlled, focused. Perhaps this was the transcendence of her own will and realm.
"Whoosh!!!"
At this moment, two streaks of light sped over the horizon, tearing through the smoke-filled sky.
They rushed all the way to Tushan Yaya's side, landing with a force that cracked the ground.
Tushan Honghong and Tushan Rongrong were shocked and anxious about the changes in Tushan. The stench of death was overwhelming.
Everyone... was gone. The familiar faces, the laughter, the noise of the tavern—all silenced.
Even Yaya, their fierce, invincible sister, was on her last breath, her vital essence rapidly depleting like water from a broken jar.
"Rongrong, quick, save her!!!"
Honghong screamed, her voice cracking with a panic she hadn't felt in centuries. She anxiously poured her own massive reserves of red spiritual power into Yaya's body, trying to jumpstart her freezing heart.
Rongrong, the master of healing and illusion, also frantically treated Yaya. Her hands glowed with intense green light, usually capable of knitting flesh and bone in seconds.
"Cough cough!!!"
Yaya coughed up more blood, the dark liquid staining her blue robes.
Her small body heaved violently, fighting for every intake of air. The coldness that usually obeyed her command was now turning against her, freezing her blood from the inside.
She slowly opened her eyes, her vision swimming. Through the haze, she saw her elder sister and younger sister.
Her breath was intermittent, a rattle in her throat, as she said: "I... I'm... sorry, Elder Sister... Rong... Rong... I didn't... protect... Tushan... well..."
As she spoke, Yaya's eyes grew dimmer and dimmer. The light of the Ice Queen was fading.
She... was beyond help. Her core was shattered, her soul leaking into the void created by the Black Fox.
"Don't talk! Yaya! Don't talk!"
Honghong anxiously reprimanded Yaya, tears streaming down her face. She refused to accept it. She refused to let her little sister die in her arms.
"Elder Sister! Sister Yaya she..."
Rongrong's eyes were red, her usually calm demeanor shattered. Even with her strongest healing spell, she couldn't change Yaya's current state. The energy she poured in was vanishing into a bottomless pit.
This meant that Yaya's vital essence was damaged... she was only a step away from death.
"Don't... don't bother... Elder Sister, the enemy... is... at the Tree of Love..."
Yaya's small, trembling hand struggled to reach out, resting on Honghong's large hand. It was a final gesture of comfort, and a final pointing of the way.
Finally, after telling Honghong the enemy's location, her eyes slowly drooped, and her hand gradually became powerless, slipping from Honghong's grip to the dusty ground.
"Sister Yaya!!!"
Rongrong screamed mournfully, a sound of pure heartbreak that echoed against the ruined walls.
Honghong was struck as if by lightning upon hearing this. Her world stopped.
Her younger sister was going to die? The little girl who always followed her, who tried so hard to be strong?
No! Absolutely not!
She knew that with her own abilities, she couldn't bring the dead back to life. But she remembered a hope. A miracle worker from another world who defied all logic.
Someone in the Chat Group could!
[Tushan Honghong: Ren, Brother Ren! Save Yaya!!! Please!!!]
Her plea transcended dimensions, echoing in the digital space.
Along with her cry for help, a prompt from the Doomsday Chat Group appeared before everyone.
[Ding! Detected that group member Tushan Honghong has encountered an Abnormal Doomsday factor. Doomsday Companion is activated!]
[Doomsday Companion]: Two-person trip
[Companion Time]: 1 day
[Companions]: Ren, Misaka Mikoto
[Companion Mission]: Resolve the Abnormal Doomsday factor!
And another notification followed, chilling in its implication.
[Doomsday Companion]: Doomsday Ending
[Companion Time]: Unlimited
[Companions]: Unlimited
[Companion Mission]: Clear the remaining devouring rules of the world!
Ren, currently in his villa in the main world, narrowed his eyes slightly. The playfulness vanished from his face instantly.
[Ren: Hong Hong, is Yaya in danger?]
[Tushan Honghong: Yes, Yaya is dying, Brother Ren, please save her! She's barely holding on!]
[Ren: Don't worry, I'll be there right away.]
He turned his attention to the specific mission details.
[Ren: Misaka Mikoto, the situation is urgent now, I won't explain much to you.]
[Ren: Confirm Doomsday Companion or not go, it's all up to you. But a life is on the line.]
After saying that, he no longer paid attention to the Chat Group's messages. There was no time to waste debating with a middle school student.
He immediately confirmed the [Doomsday Companion] mission. His figure flickered and disappeared from his original spot in the living room, leaving behind a ripple in the air.
As for Tohru and Kobayashi, whom he had just brought home and left in the guest room, he didn't make too many arrangements.
Anyway, after confirming Doomsday Companion, time in his world would enter a state of absolute stillness relative to him, so no arrangements were needed. The tea on the table wouldn't even cool down.
Everything could be discussed after he returned.
Meanwhile, in Academy City.
"This..."
Misaka Mikoto stood in the middle of her dorm room, looking at the holographic message floating in front of her. She felt a bit overwhelmed for a moment.
Traversing worlds?
Dealing with the apocalypse?
Saving the world?
What in the world is all this?!
Just minutes ago, she was worrying about the A.A.A. surveillance and Alester's schemes. Now, a literal doomsday scenario from another dimension was demanding her participation. It sounded like a bad sci-fi novel, but the panic in Honghong's text was visceral. It was real.
She was very indecisive now. She was a woman of science. She believed in calculations, electrons, and voltage. Magic, demons, and world-ending eggs were outside her curriculum.
But the cry for help... "Save Yaya." That struck a chord.
Pursing her lips, she sent a private message to Misaki Shokuhou in the Chat Group. Despite their rivalry, she needed a second opinion from someone who knew the secret.
[Misaka Mikoto: What should I do?]
Although she didn't get along with Misaki Shokuhou.
But now, in this mysterious Chat Group, she was the only one she could rely on. The only other person who understood this insanity.
[Misaki Shokuhou: Tsk, do I have to ask this too? And here I thought you were Academy City's third-ranked Psychic, the brave Railgun.]
[Misaka Mikoto: You! Bastard, do you understand what traversing worlds means? How can you not be cautious? People could die! I could die!]
[Misaki Shokuhou: Heh heh, I don't care, it's your choice anyway.]
[Misaki Shokuhou: If you don't go, fine. You can stay here and play it safe. But if you do, it'll be a good chance to test out the Chat Group for me. Besides... are you really the type to ignore a crying girl?]
[Misaka Mikoto: ...]
Misaka Mikoto gritted her teeth.
That manipulative witch. She knew exactly which buttons to push. Misaki was completely waiting to benefit from her misfortune, using her as a guinea pig.
But she was right. Someone was crying for help.
"Fine! I'll go!"
Mikoto took a deep breath, clenched her fist, and pressed the [Confirm] button.
This Girl was completely waiting to benefit from her misfortune!
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