That instant, Huai Shi's dagger fell.
The deformed instructor roared in pain as a huge arm smashed down, as if breaking Huai Shi's already numb left arm. He didn't falter at all, still advancing step by step, almost obliviously examining the twisted face before him.
Pure darkness filled his pitch-black pupils.
Then, the military saber fell once more!
BANG!
The military saber, normally light, now made a heavy sound of cleaving air under the grasp of the Hand of Confinement, as if it were a ponderous axe.
An unbelievable weight emerged from it, and with Huai Shi's swing, tendons were severed and flesh was split again and again.
The sound of breaking bones was like kindling snapped apart beneath a great axe.
The instructor bellowed, clenched his fists, and reached out with his huge hand to grab Huai Shi's face. But the next instant, with a slash of the saber, the iron-colored palm was severed between the index and ring fingers.
It became two pieces.
The blade's edge deeply wedged into his wrist.
In excruciating pain, he saw Huai Shi take a deep breath, and then bellow as he lunged forward!
The sound of thunder exploded!
As the military saber shattered suddenly, the Source of fire burst forth. It formed the outline of a Sharp Blade, inching forward, unstoppable, breaking the entire arm neatly in half down the middle!
Then, the burning dagger rose again and fell!
The deformed arm fell from the instructor's shoulder to the ground. Blood spurted from the wound, staining the square that had witnessed countless bloodsheds.
It mixed with the blood of the suffering elderly, the desperate women, and the bewildered children. Their blood converged on the barren earth, forming the same dim, dark hue.
The instructor struggled to push him away but couldn't steady his body; he staggered backward and fell to the ground.
But Huai Shi kept moving forward, panting, stumbling over one corpse after another, walking past pair after pair of lifeless eyes, leaving behind blood-soaked outlines amidst their faded spirits.
"Thanks to you, I've finally figured out one thing—"
He murmured softly and abruptly stepped on the instructor's chest, pinning him back to the ground, letting him struggle in vain.
At last, he raised the dagger, pointing it at the instructor's neck.
"The reason I chose to become a Sublimator—"
As if saying farewell, Huai Shi solemnly looked at the twisted face and told him word by word:
"—is to chop off the damn head of a bastard like you!"
That moment, as the blade fell, a deep chasm was left on the ground.
Blood spewed forth from the neck of the headless corpse, seeping into the parched earth through the fissure. It brought rare moisture to this dead land, leaving behind a glimmer of hope for flowers to bloom next year.
Then, Huai Shi saw the whole world begin to shake.
All things shattered.
He sank into darkness and soon woke up from the chair, feeling drenched in sweat, completely drained, and terribly uncomfortable.
Yet for some reason, he felt a calm and satisfying peace within.
As if he'd received compensation from that just-passed sham of revenge.
"Congratulations on breaking through."
Raven stood on the table, observing him. "Did you gain anything, Huai Shi?"
"..."
Huai Shi remained silent, not knowing how to answer. Ultimately, he hadn't managed to achieve anything. It wasn't any kind of salvation, nor could it be considered revenge. Perhaps over a decade ago, everything had already ended. All he did was find the original, unsatisfying plot, tear it up, and write a piece of fanfiction of his own. What else could he gain?
After pondering for a moment, he chuckled lightly.
"A pleasant dream, I suppose, with a beginning and an end..."
With that, he leaned on the table, slowly stood up, noticed the dagger he had placed there earlier, couldn't help but fiddle with it in his hand, and then threw it back on the table.
"As for the rest, consider it a consolatory bonus..."
Having said that, he no longer looked at anything else and turned to walk upstairs.
After staying up the whole day, he felt dizzy, his vision darkening in spells, as if he was about to pass out from sheer exhaustion.
In this world, nothing could be more wonderful than a complete, deep sleep. If there was, then he'd sleep twice.
"Go to sleep early."
He waved his hand and closed the bedroom door.
Raven watched the young man's figure disappear up the stairs, then turned back to the table.
Under the dim light of the desk lamp, that cheap, free-shipping dagger faintly reflected an iron color. It was nailed into the cracked and peeling paint of the long table, casting a long shadow.
And exactly where the tip was nailed, a ghastly scar was clearly revealed.
As if cloven by an axe.
"Good night, Huai Shi."
Sleep now.
Raven spread its wings and flew into the dim night sky outside the window,
disappearing from sight.