Chapter 24: Precarious Days (5)
Back to the starting point for the ninth time.
Both sides already had experience.
From now on, it was a game of cunning and deceit.
This time, I was at a disadvantage from the start. Zihua coalesced water bullets faster than last time, predicting my escape route.
The shot, originally aimed at my side abdomen, narrowly missed due to my sudden upward movement and instead pierced my left elbow.
But this time, I didn’t continue to flee with my back turned. Instead, I spun on one foot and charged directly at Zihua!
A hint of surprise flickered across Zihua’s face, but her reaction was timely. She jumped back while coalescing another water bullet, preparing to shoot at my thigh.
I, however, had already seen through her intention. I gripped the shoulder strap of my backpack with my uninjured right hand, removed the pack, and used it to block the incoming water bullet.
Pierced? Impossible!!!
The Ariadne’s Thread would never break, no matter what!
Therefore, this skein of thread was my best shield, the only item I had for defense!
With her attack blocked, Zihua could no longer hide her surprise. This was my prime opportunity to attack.
I lunged directly at Zihua, embracing her head-on… I couldn’t stop!
I continued to advance with her in my arms!
Where was the safest place around here? Did it truly not exist?
No, I had been mistaken from the very beginning.
Every time I fled from her, that action inadvertently cost me my only safe point. If I had just run there, a ‘ghost’ would have appeared to block Zihua for me, but I hadn’t considered that.
Carrying Zihua while running was dangerous, akin to running with a bomb. Moreover, with one arm already injured, I couldn’t carry Zihua for long.
But I didn’t need to run far; reaching it was enough!
The marvelous supermarket, not of the Black Street, but of the underworld, selling various abnormal items, and managed by a seemingly unfathomable ghost shopkeeper…
What would a shopkeeper do if they saw someone vandalizing their store? Naturally, they would intervene!
There was no need for excuses; my escape into the supermarket was the best choice!
“Little shopkeeper, you’re amazing! F Light Novel!”
Finally, just as I felt a chill down my spine, sensing Zihua was about to make her move, I successfully reached the supermarket entrance. I let go of Zihua, tossing her aside, and lunged towards the bewildered little boy in front of me.
As a result, I didn’t crash into the little shopkeeper but floated into the air. Zihua’s water bullet also froze mid-air.
The little shopkeeper, with a puzzled look, extended a hand forward, stopping me and neutralizing the attack. It was likely a poltergeist phenomenon inherent to ghosts.
Meanwhile, Zihua had erupted. The nearby fire hydrant burst, and the manipulated water flow was more powerful than ever. Without hesitation, she coalesced a barrage of water bullets, intending to crush both me and the little shopkeeper under their overwhelming assault.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa?! What’s happening!”
The little shopkeeper was dumbfounded. Without further explanation, I grabbed his hand and ran into the store. Zihua didn’t follow us inside but began gathering water, preparing to finish us with one massive shot.
“Isn’t it obvious! She’s trying to kill us!”
“I mean, what’s that got to do with me! Don’t your bring trouble to my shop! Get out!”
“My apologies! Since things have escalated this far, I absolutely cannot leave!”
“What?! You guy, I provide you with food, I find you a charger, and you don’t buy anything! Now you’re smashing my shop! What kind of wretched bringer of bad luck are you!”
“I sincerely apologize, but I have no choice!”
I am truly sorry, little shopkeeper! But I’m utterly exhausted. And I’ve finally found a breakthrough that can break the cycle of Samsara, so I must grasp it firmly!
“Speaking of which, just a few minutes ago you were laughing and chatting like close sisters, and now you’ve turned on each other! Even though girls’ moods change drastically, this is too fast!”
“It’s hard to explain in a few words. The person in front of you right now is not her anymore! Someone else is inside!”
“Huh?! Someone else? What are you talking about… Huh? I just realized, she’s soulless like you! What’s going on with you two? Why are you both soulless? That’s too abnormal!”
Because I’m just a spiritual afterimage, and Zihua… she’s nothing more than a ‘resentment.’
But this resentment is so strong it can persist even without a body or soul. Even though we are in a hostile state, I deeply admire her persistence.
Or rather, F Little Player.
And also this incredibly powerful ability!
The water continued to gather, Zihua was preparing a massive attack.
“It’s coming! Little shopkeeper! It’s all up to you!”
“You really know how to cause trouble! Wait, wait! What is that!”
At the little shopkeeper’s astonished cry, I too was stunned on the spot, my eyes widening and my mouth agape involuntarily. It was all because of the absurd scene unfolding before us.
A colossal amount of water had formed a wall, taller than buildings, a… not a tsunami!
It shouldn’t have been possible to gather this much water from a single fire hydrant in such a short time. The surrounding air had become incredibly dry. Zihua was furiously extracting moisture!
Is this her full power? How terrifying.
Zihua, where did you get this level of ability from?
“Waaaaah! Wait! What is this ability?! It’s not a superpower, not immortal magic, not sorcery. There’s no ‘energy source.’ She’s undoubtedly an ordinary person, but why can she manifest such ‘phenomenal’ abilities!”
“It’s Destiny Power! She said she was using Destiny Power!”
“Destiny Power?! What kind of joke is this! How much Destiny would it take to create such a ‘phenomenal’ ability… Wait, is she a ‘Fated Witch’!”
This little shopkeeper seems to know quite a lot. Although I don’t know what a Fated Witch is, I’ve heard similar terms. The Witch of Calamity refers to the four people led by Ji Lianbing.
And Fated, likely means the ‘Fated’ ones who reside.
In other words, Ji Lianbing and the others are all Fated Witches, only they harbor ‘Calamity’… is that it?
It makes sense.
“Hmph! So what if she’s a Fated Witch! To create such a phenomenon, aren’t you afraid of exhausting your Destiny Power and dying on the spot! And I haven’t grown this big for nothing!”
“You haven’t grown at all.”
“You’re still in the mood to make sarcastic remarks at a time like this!”
You’re no different. You have time to joke around right now, looking completely at ease.
But honestly, the situation is grim. The tsunami that could swallow everything hasn’t fallen yet, entirely because the little shopkeeper is doing his utmost to stop it.
Moreover, he has extended both his hands, and judging by his gritted teeth, the little shopkeeper is giving it his all.
At this point, I can’t offer any help. Running outside the store would undoubtedly be a death wish, so it’s time to call for reinforcements.
I called Lily again, explained the current situation, and deliberately led her to believe Zihua was the culprit. This way, the organization would target her.
Everything that needed to be done is done. What’s next… Enjoying the show with some chips on the side?
Ah, right, this little shopkeeper knows so much; I might as well ask him more.
Otherwise, I might not have the chance to learn more later.
“Excuse me, little shopkeeper, since you know about Destiny Power, can you tell me what Destiny Power is?”
“Haah?! Are you sick! Asking questions like this at such a critical moment! If I get distracted, my entire shop will be ruined! If you don’t want to be caught in a ‘washing machine’ and become a tattered rag, just shut up! And stop calling me ‘little’!”
“If you don’t answer me, I’ll ruin your shop right now.”
“You, you… are all women demons…”
Heh, perhaps.
“That’s enough! Who did I ever offend! Fine, I’ll tell you! Destiny Power is, in essence, wishes or desires! As long as it’s a sentient being, everyone has Destiny Power. However, most people’s Destiny Power is too weak, weaker than the world’s causality, so it can’t cause much of a stir. Even if several people’s Destiny Power were combined, at most it could only create ‘coincidences’ like ‘speak of the devil and he shall appear’… Ugh! It’s still increasing… Is this crazy woman really going to die here?”
In other words, Destiny Power is the power to “make wishes come true”?
“But there’s an exception! There’s a group of people carrying ‘Destiny,’ possessing powerful Destiny Power, capable of arbitrarily changing the world.”
“Are they the Fated Witches you mentioned?”
“Right! But the Fated Witches exist only for one person, and that is the ‘Master of Fate’!”
“The Master of Fate can absorb and use the Destiny Power of the Fated Witches. When the gathered Destiny Power surpasses the world’s causality, the direction of the world’s development can be completely altered! In other words, as long as the Master of Fate wishes it, the world can be ‘changed’ into whatever they desire, truly ‘people of destiny’!”
I see. With this understanding, everything that has happened so far makes sense.
In other words, Juncheng is the Master of Fate, and Ji Lianbing and the others are the Fated Witches.
The organization… how much do they know?
Finding one of them, Li Nai, from the beginning meant the organization definitely knows about the Fated Witches and that Juncheng is the Master of Fate.
Then, the organization’s true objective is to have Juncheng absorb the Destiny Power of the Fated Witches and change the world according to the organization’s wishes?
Maintaining world balance is just an excuse; this is the real goal!
Wait, there’s another question here. The Zihua in front of me is also using Destiny Power, meaning she’s also a Fated Witch. But the four great Witches of Calamity are already full. Is the organization lying, or is Zihua another Fated Witch?
“Excuse me, is there only one Master of Fate?”
“Of course not! There’s more than one Fated Witch, so how could there only be one Master of Fate! It’s just that most Masters of Fate don’t have that kind of luck! Masters of Fate themselves possess powerful Destiny Power, but without finding the Fated Witches connected to them, they cannot use Destiny Power. In other words, they are just ordinary people!”
“Therefore, the Masters of Fate who can change the world are few and far between! And even if a Master of Fate finds all their related Fated Witches, it’s not necessarily a good thing for them!”
“Hmm? Why do you say that?”
“Enough! Do you think Destiny Power is such an omnipotent force! It’s not! Don’t get your hopes too high! If a person’s life is like a ‘burning candle,’ Destiny Power is the ‘flame,’ and the ‘candle’ itself—”
“Lifespan!”
“Exactly! How can the world be changed so easily! To change the world, one must use immense Destiny Power! And once Destiny Power is depleted, one can only die!”
So, using Destiny Power consumes lifespan!
“So this crazy woman attacking us right now, in my opinion, is no different from suicide!”
Zihua” =
What are you thinking… Are you actually seeking death!
