Translated by: TaffyGirl13
Chapter 8: The cocoon of transformation makes evil spirits stir restlessly
They bid farewell to Vienna, parting ways with Isaac’s group.
Their next stop was north: St. Petersburg, Russia. They retrieved the stamp located at Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral near Neva River.
As the country was at high altitude, it was cool and refreshing even in midsummer.
Fu Xing, Leon, and the others headed to the next sign-in location. They strolled down the bustling street that had both baroque and neoclassical style architecture.
“Where to next?”
“I want to buy Russian soft candy!”
“And meat! Meat! Meat!”
“So noisy—”
The group of friends playfully bickered as they walked. The slightly cool air was fresh and relaxing.
As Fu Xing continued down the street, he searched around for a place to eat dinner.
Come.
A voice he hadn’t heard in a long time rang through his mind, then echoed in his ears.
A-Again?
Come here. Come see me.
“Fu Xing?” Zhu Yue stared at Fu Xing, who had suddenly stopped in his tracks. She asked in concern, “Are you alright?”
“Ahem, I need to go to the bathroom…”
“There’ll be one in the restaurant.”
There was a distracted look in Fu Xing’s eyes. “Erm, no, there’s something I want to buy in the shop we just passed.”
“Want us to go with you?”
“It’s fine, I can just go by myself…”
Fu Xing mumbled this as he turned and automatically left.
His companions were puzzled by Fu Xing’s action, but respected his decision. They did not press further and let Fu Xing go.
Emerald was curious. “Did we pass any shops just now?”
Dan Juan thought back. “The only shops that stick out would be…from the red-light district?”
They were all dumbstruck.
“Fu Xing’s grown up too.” Momiji was as delighted as a parent whose daughter had become an adult.
“Definitely worthy of celebration.”
“By the way, how does Dan Juan remember something like that?” Momiji smirked, “Were you secretly keeping an eye out?”
“Don’t tell me you were also planning on finding some time to spend money there?” Emerald shook his head disapprovingly.
“How lewd…” Taeharu softly grumbled while hiding behind Momiji.
“What the hell? That’s not it at all! Also, why is it worthy of celebration if Fu Xing goes, but it’s lewd if I go?!” That’s clearly discrimination!
“Lewd, lewd.” Taeharu and Rocort called out laughingly while clapping their hands.
“Shut up!”
“I think we should just start calling you spurter spirit instead of spider spirit,” Emerald snidely chided from the sidelines.
“Vulgar.”
“Vulgar, vulgar, vulgar.”
“Shut up—”
World Sanctification Court, Moscow Branch. Due to the emergency report from the Headquarters’ Sacred Hall, the entire branch was on high alert.
“Attention! An urgent command has come from Headquarters! Master Elijah has personally issued a sacred order!” The messenger loudly announced, “A white light has appeared in St. Petersburg on the sanctification apparatus! The white light is on Level 1 pursuit!”
“What is the nearest support unit?”
“2-East Europe, Commander Arthur Crowner. The Class S armed guards are nearby too.”
“Deploy them immediately.”
“Yessir.”
In a state of floating consciousness, Fu Xing followed the soundless summon in a blank daze. He passed through large streets and small paths to arrive at an Eastern Orthodox Church by an alley. The plaza in front of the Eastern-European styled Orthodox Church had a distinctly cold and desolate air at night.
“Fu Xing!” A familiar voice called out, causing Fu Xing to wake from his dreamlike state.
Where is this? Why am I here? Where are my friends? Don’t tell me I got lost again?!
“Fu Xing, over here.”
He turned to look towards the noise and spotted a recognisable figure sitting on the steps in front of the church entrance.
“Youny!” Fu Xing recognised the other person and ran over to him. “Long time no see. What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.”
“Are you also doing the school trip? Aren’t you an upperclassman?” Fu Xing had the impression that Youny had been at the school for a long time.
What year is he in?
“I was just passing by.”
“Is that so…” Despite feeling quite touched by the special visit, Fu Xing inexplicably felt that there was something strange about it.
This was the first time he had ever seen Youny outside of campus. The person before him was smiling as usual with a laid-back attitude. However, he carried a distinct air of oppressiveness as well…
His presence seemed more intense than before, and it emitted an incorporeal sense of threat.
“Youny, did you change?” Though, I can’t figure out what the change is.
“You’ve changed quite a bit too.” Youny carefully scrutinised Fu Xing like a work of art.
The chaotic and unstable energy within Fu Xing was calmer now and quietly developing still.
This is very good, my king piece.
Youny’s gaze made Fu Xing slightly uncomfortable. His eyes shifted away, only to be drawn to a dirty corner of Youny’s clothes.
“Youny, the back of your sleeve…” Fu Xing stared at the crimson stain.
Youny lifted his arm to glance at it. With a click of his tongue, he bent his second finger slightly. Like a morning mist, the stain on the cloth instantly dissipated, vanishing from sight.
“Youny…” This was the first time Fu Xing had ever witnessed such a supernatural ability, and it made him more uneasy about the person in front of him that now seemed like a stranger. “Are you hurt?”
“No. That’s…” Youny chuckled. “The blood of atonement from sinners.”
Fu Xing couldn’t help but take a step back. “Youny—” You killed people?
Before he could finish his sentence, an ear-splitting gunshot rang past his ear.
Like ghosts, troops in white military uniforms wordlessly flooded in from a nearby alley and surrounded the plaza. Four cursed souls stood guard in each direction as the outer defence, blocking off all paths of escape.
Fu Xing stared at the new arrivals in terror. These were the mortal enemies of all special animate beings—
“W-White Triangle?!”
Why would White Triangle appear here? Were our whereabouts discovered? Why are there so many of them? Where’s Leon and the others? Could it be that they were ambushed too?!
“Do not act rashly.”
A deeply voiced threat rang out from the centre of the crowd. Armed with a weapon filled with bullets and covered in purification charms, Arthur warily walked towards the centre of the plaza where Fu Xing stood. He declared in a lowered tone, “This place is already under our control.”
Upon seeing the young man next to Fu Xing, shock and astonishment flickered across Arthur’s face.
“…Sir Elijah?”
Arthur stared at Youny, then glanced in disbelief at the hunting apparatus hanging from his waist.
He recognised Fu Xing as well. This was the human that Fidel had requested particular attention to – the one that had somehow survived after being forcibly seized by Yin beasts.
Sir Elijah? Fu Xing looked at Youny. He’s acquainted with White Triangle?
“What did you just call me?” Youny remained unruffled despite the situation, his arms crossed in front of him as he peered at the hunting apparatus now in Arthur’s hands. “What’s that interesting toy you’re holding?”
Arthur was perplexed, but he acutely discovered that this figure was not the person he believed it was, and immediately lifted his gun to point it wordlessly at the other party. “Who are you?”
“Me?” Youny grinned. “I am the law, the arbitrator of determining right and wrong, ruling good and evil. I am the judge—and you…are guilty!”
Despite not being equipped with any armor or weapons, Youny radiated a fiercely threatening aura. Like an evening chill, the fear caused shivers to shoot up everyone’s spines.
“You arrogant Yin beast!” Arthur waved his hand to initiate the attack.
The charm-enforced guns were cocked and aimed in unison. The four cursed souls charged forth with their terrifying black claws brandished. Their hands filled with curses of death swung at the two people in the centre of the plaza.
“Youny! Watch out!” Fu Xing shouted. Even though he was struggling to avoid calamity himself, he still lunged forward in an attempt to push Youny aside to dodge the fatal attack.
Youny casually shifted. Fu Xing sailed through empty space and tumbled down.
“Just spectate today and enjoy the show,” Youny quietly stated to the confused Fu Xing sprawled on the ground. “Next time, it will be the opening of your personal stage.”
“Look out!”
Fu Xing watched as the cursed soul’s hand was about to touch Youny’s neck. But the next second, the fingers exploded, and cracks swiftly spread upwards to cover the entire body. Like a destroyed umbrella, the cursed soul shattered into many pieces.
Youny shook his head with a smile as he turned around. “You are all guilty. Your sentence is—death.”
His snow-white figure swiftly dashed forward while evading the bullets. When it flashed past the White Triangle members, thick sprays of blood immediately spurted through the air.
The humans, whose throats were slit before they could even scream, collapsed with their eyes wide open in stunned fear as they fell into eternal slumber.
The remaining three cursed souls surrounded Youny and attacked in unison. But in the blink of an eye, their skin hardened and began to break off in pieces like scales. Eventually, they turned into a pile of black particles.
“Y-Youny…” Fu Xing stared at the blood-covered plaza in shock, his eyes filled with fear identical to that of the victims. “Why did you…”
“It’s necessary.” Youny slowly walked over and reached out to pull Fu Xing up.
However, Fu Xing refused the help and endured the pain to upright his scraped body. He surveyed the entire plaza, his mind completely blank.
The Virgin Mary statue standing at the edge of the plaza had its face stained with White Triangle’s blood like crimson tears flowing down its cheeks.
“…This is too cruel.” No living being should have to suffer such a tragic end. “Even if they’re White Triangle, this is too cruel…”
“You do not understand the situation at all.” Youny shook his head. “We are the weaker side. It’s that hypocrite Sanbi’s policy that led to special animate beings standing passively in a lower position.”
“But—”
“From the beginning, we were on a different position from White Triangle. From the standpoint of special animate beings, the enemy is not ‘all of humanity’, but rather White Triangle; yet to White Triangle, the enemy is all special animate beings.” With a clenched jaw, Youny coldly stated, “What’s the basis for such judgment? What right do they have to establish such axioms?!”
“But…despite sharing the same appearance as humans, special animate beings are stronger and have longer lifespans. Of course they would be fearful and uneasy of us…”
“Yes, as they should be. To fear and reject the strong is a natural reaction for the weak.”
“But these conflicts should only be because both sides don’t understand each other!” Fu Xing continued, “They don’t get us. That means if we tried to understand each other, then the pain and sacrifices that stem from ignorance could vanish—”
“Don’t say any more, Fu Xing.” Youny looked at Fu Xing in distress. “Do not make me dislike you. I will not allow anything troublesome to exist.”
Fu Xing fell silent.
“I am the criterion for axioms and righteousness. I have determined that this is the moment for special animate beings to lead history.” Youny smiled as he caressed Fu Xing’s cheek. “And you are my helper, Fu Xing!”
“What do you mean?”
Helper? Youny wants me to help him do such ruthless things?
I don’t want to!
Youny’s hand covered Fu Xing’s face. A disorienting, hazy dizziness swept his consciousness down into the deepest parts of his mind.
“I’ll see you again at the academy. I’ll be going to have some fun.”
Fu Xing blinked, his vision drifting and fading. Like a soulless robot, he turned and left.
Once Youny saw Fu Xing disappear into the distance, he began to clean the scene. With a snap of his fingers, the blood on the ground and the stains on the White Triangle members’ bodies began to flow towards him. After the blood gathered together, it drew into itself before disappearing into thin air.
The wounds on the dead closed, returning to the bodies’ original unharmed states. However, their hearts remained still – the humans on the ground were unable to ever stand again.
Youny strode over to Arthur’s corpse to pick up the hunting apparatus on him.
“Heh, it seems there are still some talents among the weak…”
He crushed the apparatus and retrieved the operating core inside: the soul jade.
He knew what this was—a concentrated soul.
The smile of disdain that never left his handsome features stiffened as a harsh aura radiated from his figure.
These damned animals…
Guilty! Guilty! They must all be annihilated!
When Fu Xing awoke from his daze, he was lying in the hotel bed. His companions were minding their own business, and seemed to have come back from exploring the city.
“Eh, when did I come back here?”
“Three hours ago.” With a remote control in hand, Dan Juan flipped through TV channels while replying, “By the time we returned to the hotel, you were already asleep in bed.”
“Is that so…” I seem to vaguely remember walking back here.
But what was I doing before arriving at the hotel?
An indescribable fear suddenly wrapped around him. Fu Xing couldn’t help but shudder.
It feels like something terrifying happened…
“Did you take any drugs?” Dan Juan arched a brow.
“No way!”
“Was the red-light district fun?”
“As if I’d go to a place like that!” Fu Xing shot Dan Juan a glare. “Have you been constantly surfing the TV network to find a free porn channel?”
“Bullshit!” Now it was Dan Juan’s turn to feel indignant humiliation.
“Not bad, Fu XIng. That was a great retort,” Emerald applauded.
“It’s nothing, no big deal.” Fu Xing smiled in feigned abashment.
Despite having zero memories of what had happened that night, every time Fu Xing tried to recall anything, a noise would disrupt his thoughts and prevent him from going further.
Before falling asleep, a muffled, familiar voice rang through his ears. It sounded like someone shouting from an unknown distance.
Guilty! Guilty! They must all be annihilated!
10 PM. World Sanctification Court Headquarters.
Three hours after sending out the report, depressing bad news was transmitted back.
“2-East Europe, E2 Division, have all died in battle.” The messenger squeezed out the newest intel through gritted teeth, “There are no external injuries on the bodies, but their hearts have stopped beating. The local police have deduced it to be a possible case of mass poisoning. The remains of the fallen are in the process of being delivered back to the headquarters.”
Fidel did not speak, his eyes filled with bottomless gloom.
“When the remains arrive, send every one of them to the lab…”
“Yessir.” The messenger continued, “In addition, Arthur Crowner’s final transmission seemed to be related to Special Case #13 being added to the high-level pursuit list. However, the message was extremely short, with just the case number and no other information.”
“Special Case #13?” That Asian youth?
Fidel was silent for a while before finally settling on a decision. He resolutely stood and commanded, “Book a flight to St. Petersburg for me to make a trip. My duties will be handed to the second-in-command, and we will keep close communication.”
“Sir Fidel, considering the current emergency situation, you should not leave Headquarters. It is too dangerous.”
“So in critical circumstances, I must stay at the headquarters and enjoy the cool air while sending my subordinates out to their deaths?” As if he was that useless!
There was no doubt that the Yin beasts had found powerful support if they could annihilate Class S armed troops and destroy four cursed souls.
“I want to personally see what this other party is!”
~Taffy Translations~ 
The others are so sweet and over-protectived of fu xing while youny is trying to brainwash fu xing to do bad things. It might be time for him to learn the harsh side of the world, but force-idealism is not good. 😔
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