Heroines, I'm Really not the Devourer
Chapter 40: Descendant of the Qilin race

Chapter 40: Descendant of the Qilin race

"Ashkharsh: All Red."

The world around us distorted, folded, transformed. The labyrinth vanished, replaced by a nightmarish landscape. The sky turned blood red, illuminated by an ominous glow. The ground cracked, revealing rivers of boiling blood. Skeletal trees, laden with vivid red apples, stood in this desolate landscape, offering a macabre contrast. It was my domain, my reality.

Hu Fei was visibly unsettled by this abrupt change. He took a few steps back, his gaze oscillating between horror and fascination.

"You—you—"

He had never seen anything like it. He was trapped in my world, a world where my rules applied.

"The Devourer!"

Hu Fei flinched.

"What is—"

He didn’t have time to finish.

I disappeared from his field of vision.

He had only a fraction of a second to raise his arms in defense before I was upon him.

My first attack slashed his chest. My claws tore three deep gashes into his flesh, blood splattering the air.

He stumbled back, materializing a lance of light that he brandished before him.

I leaped at him without hesitation.

He tried to pierce me, but I deflected his weapon with a backhand, shattering his balance.

With a knee strike, I sent him flying backward. His back slammed violently into the glowing red ground, kicking up a cloud of bloody dust.

He rolled to the side and sprang to his feet, his eyes wild.

With a swift gesture, he formed two short blades of light.

"You really think you can—"

I was already on him.

My hand struck his hip, my claws sinking deep into his flesh. He screamed, trying to push me away, but I gave him no time.

I hurled him violently against a tree trunk. The impact shook the branches, several apples falling around us.

I attacked relentlessly, using my brute force to overwhelm him. I struck, clawed, bit, giving him no respite. He dodged, parried, but he was on the defensive. He kept retreating, trapped in an infernal circle.

I saw an opening and lunged. My claws slashed his face, tearing his cheek and gouging out an eye. A scream of pain echoed through the red landscape. He staggered, losing his balance.

He spat blood.

"FUCK...!"

He tried to raise his right hand, attempting to summon another weapon, but I shattered it with a sharp blow.

A sinister crack echoed.

His scream mingled with the whistling of the glowing red wind.

"AAAAHHH!! STOP, FUCKING SHIT...!"

I grabbed his face with my free hand and lifted him slightly off the ground.

His gaze trembled, his expression oscillating between rage and fear.

"You wanted to crush me?"

I brought my face close to his.

"Try again."

Before hurling him away, his head slammed brutally against the bark of the apple tree.

His limbs trembled, his body instinctively trying to free itself, but he had no strength left.

He tried to speak, but only a gurgle escaped his bloodied lips.

"Pathetic."

I raised my foot and stomped on his chest, driving him deeper into the glowing red ground.

...

My fingers slowly sank into the flesh of his forearm. I felt the tendons stretch under the pressure, the pathetic resistance of his muscles clinging to their physical integrity. A cruel smirk stretched my lips as I forced harder, feeling the sinister crack of the joint giving way under my nails.

With a sharp movement, I brutally tore off Hu Fei’s forearm.

"Aaaaarrrrgh!"

A piercing scream tore through the air.

His blood gushed in a scarlet spray, splattering my face. The warmth of the viscous liquid slid over my skin, and I absentmindedly licked my lips, savoring the metallic bitterness of his essence.

"This situation delights me. You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this."

I grabbed him by the hair, lifting his bruised face toward mine. His eyes, once arrogant, flickered between pain and terror. The smell of his own blood, mixed with his ragged breathing, filled the air.

"Come on, don’t fall asleep. We’re just getting started."

His face was now a swollen mass, a grotesque mix of bruises, open wounds, and blood seeping from every possible orifice.

I lightly tapped his cheek with my fingertips, as if to keep him awake.

"Now, will you answer my questions nicely?"

He weakly turned his head, spitting a mixture of saliva and blood onto the ground.

"I won’t say anything to the Devourer."

I sighed, then, without hesitation, grabbed his other arm.

With a disgusting crack, I tore off his second forearm.

Another piercing scream escaped his throat, so loud that his voice cracked under the pain.

"I highly doubt that, buddy."

His body trembled violently as he tried to contain the pain, but he could do nothing to stop the convulsions shaking his battered muscles.

I tilted my head slightly, observing him, curious.

"So, tell me, where did you find these clues about the Golden Jade Elixir?"

He opened his mouth, a pathetic grimace forming on his bloodied lips.

"I won’t—"

I raised an eyebrow and brought my face closer to his.

"Want me to help you think?"

Hu Fei fell silent, his gaze avoiding mine.

"I... It has to do with my origins."

I smiled, intrigued by this unexpected revelation.

"Oh, tell me more. You intrigue me."

His breathing was ragged, torn between the instinct to survive and the certainty of his imminent end.

"You... you’ll kill me if I tell you?"

I chuckled softly, amused by the naivety of his question.

"That’s a given. But it can be very, very painful if you don’t talk."

His gaze wandered for a moment, as if assessing the extent of the suffering he could still endure.

"Swear to me you’ll still help them."

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

"I don’t even know what you’re talking about. Spit it out quickly, you have no choice anyway."

He sighed, his head falling slightly back, his consciousness wavering between exhaustion and acceptance of the inevitable.

"I am... a descendant of the Qilin race."

End Of POV