36 Chapter 12: Lonely Soul_1

By the time Ji Xiaodao regained her senses, everything had ended.

More than a dozen knights and their warhorses lay fallen amidst the large pool of blood that bore an uncanny resemblance to a painting of Hell itself. In the center of this abstract masterpiece he'd woven himself, stood Mo, his hood lowered to reveal a smile as he spread his arms towards the sky, as if to embrace something. The upper half of his face was hidden beneath a black mask that barely covered his eyes, and within those eyes was an unabated madness, and a tranquility as deep as the abyss.

Contradictory yet harmonious...

For some odd reason, Ji Xiaodao found the sight of the man relishing his bloody surroundings oddly unsettling. For all her life, Ji Xiaodao, who was not close to anyone except her parents and sister since birth, suddenly felt an unidentifiable and painful sensation. In the soul of the man standing not far from her she saw nothing but loneliness and despair...

She wanted to turn around and leave, afraid that the silently screaming soul might swallow her whole at any moment.

But she didn't move, because deep inside, Ji Xiaodao found herself unable to let go of that incredibly lonely figure...

God only knows why...

Either way, she didn't want to just abandon him there!

[What am I thinking... This is just a game after all, that man is just another player like me. Am I overthinking this... Is this some sort of delayed teenage angst...?]

She rubbed her forehead in frustration, annoyed by her sudden and abnormal thoughts.

Meanwhile, Mo had returned with a survivor from among the defeated knights - a short-haired, chestnut-haired youth. Despite not having sustained any injuries in the previous massacre, he looked as if he had lost his soul. His face was devoid of color, his sword-holding right hand trembled violently. It was clear that he was finding it hard to come to terms with the slaughter of his comrades.

"I have my own tasks to take care of now. I hope you will leave immediately," Mo addressed the bewildered dark-elf girl in front of him, his voice calm. "My patience is very short, extremely short."

Ji Xiaodao clenched her teeth, shaking her head in defiance. Despite having played numerous mentally stimulating games with her sister, she'd never encountered such a horrifically vivid scene. It was something that could mentally break an average person, but Ji Xiaodao quickly overcame her psychological barriers and stared defiantly into Mo's eyes. "What I do is none of your business!"

However, after her declaration, Mo, who claimed to have very little patience, simply shrugged and oddly enough, didn't instantly kill her. He only said, "Alright," and ignored her further.

"Watch me," Mo turned and commanded his reserved survivor. "If you don't want to experience a ten-minute-long death process, you'd best do as told."

The soldier whose mental defenses had been shattered raised his head and blankly stared into Mo's eyes.

Those were indescribable eyes, within which seemed to swirl an intrinsic terror. Like a tangible... sin.

"Watch her over here," Mo pointed at Ji Xiaodao standing nearby. He spoke to the young soldier in a low voice, "Don't let her disturb me. Of course, you don't need to stop her from leaving either. After I return, kill yourself."

[Original Sin]

Innate Ability

[Note: The original sin you represent can corrupt others, allowing you to make a target obey an order regardless of any conditions. Cooldown time is 24 hours and it can never be used on the same target again.]

Despite its description stating 'an order', Mo discovered during his last login that this ability had many hidden effects. For example, when the target's mental state is extremely weak, it can make the target follow all his commands within a short time. It was incredibly useful.

Ji Xiaodao saw the soldier stiffen momentarily, then he calmly nodded and obediently said, "Alright."

He then came over with his sword, stood in her way and attentively watched her.

Meanwhile, Mo dragged the knight captain, who had his right forearm blown off in the initial assault, into a small alleyway and disappeared from Ji Xiaodao's sight.

Ji Xiaodao unconsciously wanted to follow them, but was stopped by the youth's longsword.

"You can't go there, Elf." The chestnut-haired young man told her seriously, "Either stay here or leave, but you cannot follow."

Ji Xiaodao glanced at the knight who was on the verge of collapse just moments ago. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Not really," he chuckled lightly, "My whole squad was wiped out, Banther City was reportedly destroyed, and it seems our captain isn't going to make it either. He always looked after me like an elder brother, but..."

He gave Ji Xiaodao a calm look, "You still can't go."

"You're crazy," Ji Xiaodao said, staring at his emotionless eyes, failing to comprehend his mental state.

"Crazy?" The soldier shook his head, "No, I'm not crazy. In fact, I've never been this clear-headed before."