Hero? Are You Worthy?
Chapter 439 - 291 Asina, Being Too Smart Isn’t Always a Good Thing (3)

Chapter 439: Chapter 291 Asina, Being Too Smart Isn’t Always a Good Thing (3)

Muse felt a bit embarrassed, her thoughts transparent.

After all, it was Jie Luo’s Soul Fragment, and for Muse, who greatly valued Jie Luo, there was comfort in keeping it close, not even entrusting it to Asina, another member of the Hero Team.

But Asina made some sense; although Muse felt that the Soul Fragment was truly Jie Luo’s—having sensed Jie Luo’s aura from it, it seemed unlikely to be false.

But what if?

Moreover, the Soul Fragment, crafted into a ring, was worn on that person’s finger; who knew if the ring had sustained any damage during the process?

Considering this, letting Asina check it first seemed reasonable.

Although she disliked Asina, Muse knew well Asina’s deep affection for Jie Luo and wouldn’t betray him. After some thought, Muse handed the ring to Asina.

As Asina took the ring, she also heaved a deep sigh.

Her heart still wasn’t ruthless enough.

Jie Luo’s Residual Soul had already revived within Qin Chu’s body, and within the Hero Team, there was once a traitor who had betrayed Jie Luo. Muse was also a suspect.

Asina had to hand over this Soul Fragment to Qin Chu to hasten the recovery of Jie Luo’s Residual Soul.

Though killing Muse was undoubtedly the best way to cover up the truth, Asina decided to think of another plan... Muttering to herself, she pondered how to deceive Muse.

At the same time, Asina allowed her consciousness to seep into the Soul Fragment...

Partly to check for any damage to the Soul Fragment; partly, Asina wished to meet the real Jie Luo.

She hadn’t thought about this before, but once she had the Soul Fragment of Jie Luo, the idea grew irresistibly strong.

Though the soul was reviving, it still bore the appearance of Qin Chu. Initially, it was bearable, but now, Asina’s internal resistance was growing stronger, always feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

Her lips curled into a smile; if she could draw out the Remnant Soul from the Soul Fragment, that would be ideal—after all, that was Jie Luo, devoid of any impurity.

Asina believed that once she saw the real, pure Jie Luo again, her feelings would stabilize and not be as confused as before.

But gradually, Asina’s expression changed.

Her fingers started to tremble, her cheeks turning deathly pale, almost the same color as the surrounding snow.

Her body trembled uncontrollably, and her breathing became heavy and labored.

Especially those beautiful eyes, filled with intense shock and un-dissipating terror.

Seeing Asina’s state made Muse uneasy; what was happening, and why was this woman reacting like this?

Could there be something wrong with this Soul Fragment?

Muse panicked and quickly stepped forward, wanting to grasp Asina’s hand to understand what was going on.

But even in a state of extreme shock, Asina instinctively reacted and floated back several meters, evading Muse’s grasp.

"Asina, what exactly happened?" Muse asked, suppressing his voice, his mood growing increasingly agitated.

He wasn’t a Magician and couldn’t sense anything unusual about the Soul Fragment; this ignorance was deeply frustrating.

Asina’s lips trembled, and she opened her eyes in a daze, her chestnut pupils empty: "This Soul Fragment... it’s empty, there’s nothing inside."

Muse was still somewhat confused: "Empty?"

"A Soul Fragment normally contains a residual soul," Asina, fighting the urge to shudder, explained in a voice filled with astonishment and fear: "But this Soul Fragment is just a shell, there’s nothing inside..."

"Why would that be? Clearly, Qin Chu..."

Buzz...

Just as she uttered the words "Qin Chu", Asina’s body violently shook, nearly collapsing.

Qin Chu... Qin Chu... Qin Chu...

Why?

Why does the Soul Fragment in Qin Chu’s possession contain a Residual Soul, one that could even awaken and enter Qin Chu’s body?

While her own Soul Fragment is completely empty? Nothing at all?

This Soul Fragment was no different from an ordinary stone.

In an instant, a multitude of thoughts flooded Asina’s mind, a tangle of complex threads knotting together, nearly driving her to despair.

No... this couldn’t be.

All Soul Fragments should be the same, it’s not possible some contain a Residual Soul and others don’t.

It’s even less likely that the only Soul Fragment containing a Residual Soul just happened to end up with Qin Chu.

If even the Soul Fragment in Qin Chu’s possession lacked a Residual Soul then...

Asina’s eyes widened shockingly, a most despairing thought beginning to take root in her heart... Could it be that, from the beginning to the end, it was all Qin Chu deceiving her?

Was everything a lie?

Was there really no Jie Luo?

Had there only ever been Qin Chu?

Then what was all her submission to Qin Chu for, her painstaking effort to please him, like a shameless woman in a brothel, all for what?

Though she was surrounded by a shield made of flames, Asina felt an icy coldness penetrating her heart.

She felt her body about to freeze, her hands holding her shoulders as she slowly crouched down, her quivering lips emitting a cry of despair...

There was nothing more painful and despairing for Asina than this.

She had given everything, hoping to quickly resurrect Jie Luo, but now it appeared that everything might have been just a deception?

Ahhh ahhh ahhh ahhh...

The sound of agony echoed through the icy snowscape.

Phew...

Asina could no longer hold back, and with a cry, she spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, staining the vast expanse of snow in front of her as vivid as plum blossoms.

Her heart felt as though it had been pierced at that moment.

No... not necessarily.

Confused and on the verge of collapse, Asina desperately searched her mind for a reason.

Perhaps she was just overthinking it.

About the soul, she was not particularly knowledgeable; after a soul was shattered, it was normal for the soul fragments to be empty inside, especially after so much time had passed, and the soul had diminished.

After all, this fragment was so small, it was not strange for the residual soul within to dissipate on its own.

The soul fragment in Qin Chu’s hands was much larger and housed more residual souls, which is why it had persisted until now and had not completely vanished.

It must be so, all this might just be a coincidence.

Asina kept searching her mind for reasons and excuses, hoping to soothe the fear in her chest.

But the doubts in her heart became stronger and more terrifying.

Muse’s expression darkened to the utmost; Asina’s reaction was not feigned. From this woman’s demeanor, Muse could feel that although they brought back Jie Luo’s Soul Fragment, something terribly wrong had also occurred.

However, being only half-informed made Muse feel exceptionally uncomfortable; he wanted to know the whole truth, not just be in the dark like now.

"Damn it, Asina, what exactly happened? Tell me everything!" Muse roared restlessly, preparing to rush forward and grab Asina’s shoulders, forcing her to reveal everything.

But at that moment, Asina suddenly raised her head, her gaze swiftly scanning the surroundings.

Weird voices began echoing around Asina.

The voices sounded like countless tiny insects wriggling on the ground, rustling.

"Who? Who is there?" Asina demanded sharply.

There was no response.

Muse stopped in his tracks and looked oddly at Asina.

Could this woman have been so mentally affected by the shock that she began to break down?

After all, besides the two of them, there clearly was no one else around.

Rustling...

The strange voices continued.

The voices kept echoing beside Asina’s ear, even making her ears itch somewhat.

Finally, from the weird voices, Asina distinguished some words:

"Poor soul..."

"Do you desire the power to eternally corrupt and consume all?"

This voice made Asina even more irritated; she tightly gripped her Magic Wand, waving it erratically as surging Magic Power inside her threatened to unleash a Super Order Magic at any moment, completely annihilating the area.

"Who, who is there, come out!" Asina screamed.

She was struggling against the impact of those weird voices.

The madness in her demeanor even frightened Muse, who instinctively took a step back.

Just then, light footsteps came from behind a cedar tree.

Four figures walked out from behind.

A man and three women.

The man was tall and handsome.

A faint smile played on his lips.

The first woman was dressed in a long black gown, her black stockings under the gown matching her long black hair that fell to her hips, her complexion pale as snow. Her beautifully shaped Jade foot was enveloped in the stocking, her body as light as a feather, floating above the snow.

This woman looked remarkably good in stockings, her black eyes full of pity yet tinged with aloofness.

Another woman wore a long ice-blue dress that seemed to blend completely with the surrounding snow, her cheeks as delicately sculpted as ice.

The last woman, similar in demeanor to the woman next to her—cold and elegant—had ice-blue hair fluttering in the cold wind, her slender legs holding up her graceful body, white boots leaving a trail of footsteps in the snow.

These three women were none other than the Daughter of Death, Ireta, the Snow Woman Helois, and Antasia, Princess of the Ice Duchy.

Muse instinctively tightened his grip on his Battle Axe, his crimson eyes filled with decay fixating on the four figures before him, ultimately focusing on Qin Chu.

On this smiling man, Muse felt a strong threat.

This man had come to kill him... and possibly Asina too.

He was smiling, yet not concealing his murderous intent.

Meanwhile, Asina’s body stiffened the moment those four—no, more precisely, that man—appeared, frozen in place.

It was as if she had become a beautiful doll.

Suppressing the urge to cough violently, Muse’s eyes widened as he stared at the man: "Who are you? What are you scheming with all this sneaking around?"

The man did not answer; he just smiled helplessly for a moment, his gaze shifting with some astonishment to Muse as if he had not expected Muse to look like this now.

Soon after, his gaze moved to Asina, his helpless expression deepening.

After a long while, the man sighed:

"You actually noticed me?"

"Asina, you really are clever, but sometimes, being too clever isn’t necessarily a good thing..."