**Chapter 54.45: Xiao An and the Shadow**
I fell into a strange space made of overlapping black and white squares.
I lay on the ground in a star shape, rubbing my head and not wanting to get up.
Because I was super tired!
Ah~ My energy is completely depleted; not to mention I’ve lost all my fire, there’s not even a glimmer of light emitting from me.
My body has turned back to… well, I guess it’s closer to that of a young girl now, and my clothing has been altered minimally.
Indeed, even though I am known as a manifestation of the sun, creating an artificial sun is way too difficult… Reflecting on our past attempts to replace the sun, it was simply too naive.
However, it was enough to singe Xuan’er’s hair off, haha. I wonder if Xuan’er is now bald?
If so, that would be interesting.
Driven by curiosity to see what Xuan’er has become, I struggled to get up and looked around. Not far off, I found Xuan’er lying on the ground, her entire body smoking.
Her gothic loli dress had been completely burned away, but her black lace underwear and black thigh-high stockings remained intact, making her appearance even more alluring.
Unfortunately, her hair wasn’t entirely burned off. It had shrunk from its original length, now only reaching her shoulders, and it was slightly curled.
It must be that the largest snake had wrapped around her body to protect her.
Otherwise, she wouldn’t have come out unscathed.
But now, after being scorched by me, it seemed Xuan’er had returned to normal.
I sat up and smiled, teasing Xuan’er.
“Hehe, my perm skills are pretty good, right?”
Xuan’er propped herself up, sitting like a duck, exhaling smoke, and resignedly said, “You’re really too crude… Ugh, my long hair! It’s gone!”
“Short hair is cute, you know? Just think of it as a different style,” I responded.
“So that’s what you’re worried about?”
“Hmph! That kind of thing shouldn’t be a concern, okay? I don’t have to put up with you anymore, you brat!”
Hmm? Is that irritating snake speaking?
A small black snake, no longer than a ruler, slithered out from behind Xuan’er.
Xuan’er was startled, exclaiming, “Oh, so you weren’t completely burned away? By the way, how did you separate from Xuan’er? I thought your souls were intertwined. Did I blast you back to your original form?”
In response to my question, the little black snake erupted with anger.
“You crazy turkey! How could you create something like that? Is this really not the end of the world?! Why can you use techniques stronger than those of the Celestial Emperor back in the day?!”
“Why are you yelling so loudly?!”
I flipped the snake off and stuck out my tongue to make a silly face.
“Ugh…”
“Alright, Fafa, thanks to Xiao An, you were able to leave me, right? Now you don’t have to be trapped with me anymore.”
Xuan’er likely felt responsible for binding the snake to herself.
It was clear she was genuinely happy to grant it freedom.
“It seems the blood of the ancient gods gave me the ability to act independently, allowing my soul to separate. Now our relationship is similar to that of you and this turkey, master and servant. So I still can’t stray too far from you.”
“I see… What a shame.”
“Stop showing that expression! I don’t think being with you is uncomfortable!”
“That’s right, thank you for saying that, Fafa.”
*Cough, cough.*
Tch, you tsundere snake.
I can’t help but tease you.
“Hey, can you transform into something else? Since you’re made from Xuan’er’s hair, you must be able to turn into something cuter, right?”
“What nonsense! Why must I…?”
“Can you turn into a cat?”
Xuan’er’s eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at the snake.
Hehe, since Xuan’er loves kittens the most, let’s see how you handle this.
Thus, to meet Xuan’er’s expectations, Mr. Snake lowered himself and transformed into Mr. Cat.
He even shyly turned his head away and scratched his face with a paw.
“Wow! Fafa, you’re amazing! You really can turn into a cat!”
Xuan’er happily picked up the black kitten and snuggled it. Though the cat’s face showed annoyance, Fafa still endured without complaining.
“Puff puff, you’re such a good little kitty. From now on, you shouldn’t be called Fafa; how about you change your name to Meow Meow?”
“Ugh, you little brat!”
After a bit more playful banter, I laid back down, sighing contently.
“Ah~ It felt really good to unleash everything~ I’m completely relaxed~”
Such opportunities are rare; being able to exert all my strength is truly fantastic.
“Xuan’er, you feel the same, right?”
“… But during the time I couldn’t control myself, I caused a lot of trouble for others and ended up consuming so many people.”
“That wasn’t you who ate them; why are you feeling guilty about it? It was all me! It has nothing to do with you!”
“…”
“Come on, let’s just drop the blame on this snake… Oh, I mean, this cat now.”
It’s pointless to overthink it. In this world, there was no real death; my body just burned away, that’s all. It’s no big deal.
At worst, I can just create another body later. Besides, this is a good opportunity. Those who were unattractive can mold themselves better, and those men who want to become women can finally choose to do so. What a great chance! Tsk tsk.
Just like back when I descended divine punishment on foolish humanity, there wasn’t even an opportunity for a fresh start.
“…Though I feel I should have some sense of guilt, since I feel absolutely nothing.”
Oh, Xuan’er doesn’t really have a sense of guilt; rather, she feels something is off because there’s no inner turmoil.
“If it were only the blood of the ancient gods, I might have been able to resist, but for some reason, I have a strange feeling… I feel very… excited.”
“Probably due to the madness.”
The special spiritual waves permeating the city resonate with our souls.
Madness is very compatible with us, the F witches. Instead of saying madness influences and controls human sentiments, it feels more like a stimulant that liberates our inner selves, digging up our deepest desires.
That’s why we don’t reject madness; instead, we continuously accept it and revel in this reckless feeling.
“Everyone has endured for too long; they all want to vent properly during this chance.”
“But if the world gets turned upside down, Juncheng will definitely be very angry.”
“Hehe, if he gets mad, so be it! At worst, we could fight for another eight hundred rounds!”
…
Xuan’er still looked quite worried.
I sat up and reached out to stroke Xuan’er’s hair.
“Alright, Xuan’er, since we’re both excluded from the game right now, there’s no point in thinking too much. In the end, it’s those remaining women who will take the blame. We don’t have to worry too much about it.”
…Speaking of which, where exactly is this place?
“This is likely the Head Maid’s private space. If I unleashed my big move, I could burn the entire city down, so F isolated us here.”
“I see. So there’s no way out?”
“That depends on the Head Maid’s intentions. If we were at full strength, we wouldn’t stand a chance against her. Now that we’re drained of power, it’s even less likely.”
I think the Head Maid will probably keep us here until the game is over.
That’s fine by me.
After all, I wasn’t really interested in competing for Juncheng’s ownership.
Phew, Juncheng is a lolicon, and right now, in this form, I fall right into his sweet spot.
You see, lolis have privileges.
Whenever I want to cuddle up to Juncheng, I can do it anytime, so why bother fighting for a position?
Well, though I can understand them. They’re likely vying for the rights to spend the night, hoping to get a few more rounds in… Tsk.
“Oh, I’m recovering.”
Reviving from the ashes, I regained a bit of strength and could stand and move around.
I pulled Xuan’er off the ground and said, “It’ll be boring just sitting here. Let’s take a look around and see what the Head Maid has in her private collection.”
This black and white space isn’t completely barren. Looking further, I can see some bookshelves and display cabinets; they must belong to the Head Maid.
Maybe there’s something interesting. Let’s go check it out!
“Um? Isn’t it bad to rummage around…?”
“It’s fine! Look, she threw us in here, which means she’s not afraid of us snooping around.”
“…”
Xuan’er hesitated for a moment but eventually followed behind me.
After walking for a while, we arrived at the Head Maid’s collection. The display cases contained some fascinating objects, like Klein bottles, all things that could never exist in the real world.
It seems this is also a paradoxical space. No wonder the Young Miss could create such a world; she must have the Head Maid’s assistance.
Pretty amazing, but that’s not what I’m interested in.
Reaching the bookshelf, the books displayed there are impressive… Each one taken out could spark massive chaos.
But I’m not interested in these; what I’m looking for is… Found it! Yes!
This is it! The photo album!
Oh ho ho, I’ve stumbled upon something interesting~
What kind of photos does the Head Maid’s personal album hold?
Flipping it open… There’s nothing but darkness.
The blackness suddenly expanded, threatening to swallow me.
I hadn’t reacted in time.
Huh? …….
“Not good!”
Xuan’er pushed me aside, but she was the one consumed by that mass of darkness, disappearing without a trace.
“Xuan’er!”
What the hell!
It actually swallowed Xuan’er!
You better believe I’m going to roast you!
But just as I unleashed my flames, shadows unfurled beneath me.
From my own shadow emerged several black hands, grasping my legs and body, pulling me into the darkness.
What… the hell! ! !
Three calamities. [Capture of the Central Disaster completed.]
Four calamities, the Calamity of Famine, captured.
Remaining F witches: five.
