When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 217: What Have I Become?

Chapter 217: What Have I Become?

"Awooooo—!"

The earth-shattering, majestic and unfamiliar howl reverberated through the air, a sound so extraordinary that it parted the dark clouds and stirred the restless sea. It felt like the universe itself was celebrating a long-awaited awakening.

Rays of moonlight cascaded down, illuminating the towering creature standing firmly above the churning ocean. It looked like a being straight out of myth and storybooks. Its thick silver coat exuded a divine sheen, but the madness and ferocity in its onyx eyes and golden pupils indicated that it might have emerged from the depths of Hell. A paradox of terror and fascination, it was a sight both hauntingly beautiful and fearfully captivating.

The powerful howl not only shocked the merfolk out of their frenzied anger, but also jolted Shen Nianzu back to his senses.

His blurred vision focused and he found his own hands... wrapped around Ariel’s delicate neck, his sharp nails digging into her skin, while she wheezed and choked for her last breath. Her huge and terrified azure eyes reflected his current appearance— twisted features, slit pupils, fin-shaped ears, and a mouth full of jagged teeth...

At that moment, Shen Nianzu felt like he had fallen into a freezing lake. Coldness crawled up his limbs, seizing his throat and suffocating him with icy tendrils. A heavy lump formed on his throat, and he could feel tears stinging his eyes. What is this? What have I done?

What have I become?

"Xiao Shen!" Gu Luoxin sprang up to his feet again, his breathing heavy and rapid from the countless attempts to stop Shen Nianzu. His forehead was bleeding, and an ugly bruise marred his tears-stained cheek. Even then, he refused to give up and rushed forward once more, desperate to stop his teammate from going down the path of no return. Amidst the frenzy, he did not even realize that Shen Nianzu had come back to his senses, or how his grip around Ariel’s throat loosened. "Xiao Shen, snap out of it! Let go of her—" He summoned all of his strength to pry Shen Nianzu’s hands off Ariel’s throat.

At the same time, Shen Nianzu could feel the wind rushing behind him, followed by a familiar howl. His heart trembled. He knew— knew that Jin Jiuchi was coming for him, knew what he would see if he turned around, but...

Don’t look. Don’t look at me...

Shen Nianzu subconsciously shrank in on himself, and coupled with Gu Luoxin’s forceful shove, he stumbled backward, lost his balance and his entire person teetered dangerously on the edge of the deck, on the verge of falling to the sea!

Horror gripped Gu Luoxin’s heart. "No—!" He tried to catch Shen Nianzu’s outstretched hand, but in the turmoil of the moment, Ariel, overwhelmed by the fear of almost being killed, took a powerful leap and pushed Shen Nianzu down to the sea, straight toward the crowd of furious merfolk with their spears and sharp weapons!

In that split second, time seemed to screech to a halt.

Shen Nianzu’s world turned upside down, enabling him to see the full moon that hung above the sky, as well as a dazzling white beast who was charging straight toward him.

Ah... Shen Nianzu found himself thinking, entranced. He’s so beautiful and imposing like this. Then, Had I known I would meet my end here, I would have handed him the ticket first.

With a resounding splash, Shen Nianzu fell into the sea. That one movement was akin to a spark that ignited the fury and bloodlust of the merfolk clan. They picked up their weapons and chanted in unison, "Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!"

"X–Xiao Shen..." Gu Luoxin stared at the scene before him in disbelief. No, this... this must be a nightmare. Yes, how could it be possible for Shen Nianzu, of all players, to meet his demise here? Ariel’s frantic coughs snapped him back to the present, and he slowly turned to her, the rims of his eyes reddening. His body trembled with the weight of his fury and sorrow. It was this mermaid, she was the one who had pushed Shen Nianzu to his doom...

His fists tightened and he could taste blood spreading in his mouth from where he had clenched his teeth so hard. With a wounded, furious roar, he was about to lunge at her when a massive shadow suddenly loomed over the ship.

Jin Jiuchi’s current form was big enough to dominate the entire deck. With his four paws perched precariously on the railing, he growled at the azure-tailed mermaid, his black eyes and golden pupils glimmering with intense bloodlust.

Ariel froze in terror, her pupils shrinking as they reflected the beast before her, but before she could even scream, Jin Jiuchi descended upon her with relentless force!

"AAHHH!! SAVE... SAVE ME!!!"

Ariel’s heartrending and agonizing cries echoed throughout the air, sending chills down everyone’s spine. The merfolk, who had intended to hunt Shen Nianzu down, froze in place at this display of brutality. They could not see what was going on, for their sight was blocked by the ship’s body, yet it was the absence of visuals that made it all the more terrifying. All they could hear were bone-chilling sounds— the crunching of bones, the tearing flesh, the furious growl emanating from the beast’s throat, and their Princess’ excruciating cries that grew fainter and fainter...

Until all they could hear was silence.

Silence.

Time seemed to falter, the Earth’s rotation came to a stand still, and even the seas were holding their breath. It was as if everything ceased to exist in that singular moment.

The beast raised his head, revealing a mouth full of blood, and only then did the spell shatter and everything resumed once more.

"AHH!"

"RUN AWAY FROM HERE!"

"PLEASE... PLEASE DON’T EAT ME!!"

Like a stone disrupting a serene lake, ripples of panic spread as the merfolk scrambled away for their lives, abandoning their weapons in a frantic bid of escape. But Jin Jiuchi did not even pay them any heed. Ignoring the Nightmare’s prompt inside his mind, he swiftly dived into the sea, heading straight towards the spot where Shen Nianzu had fallen in!

Holding his breath, Jin Jiuchi opened his eyes wide amid the churning water in search of the jade doll, until he spotted a familiar figure sinking deeper and deeper into the depths. His heart skipped a beat, and he paddled his huge paws as quickly as possible towards Shen Nianzu!

However, all of a sudden, a movement entered his peripheral vision.

It was the cocoon! And hot on its trail was Noir!

Noir had been caught off guard when the cocoon he had been fighting with abruptly turned around and ran away with a single-minded attention. He immediately gave chase, and it was not until he saw it barrelling straight towards Shen Nianzu that he had an inkling on what it was about to do.

In that moment, both Jin Jiuchi and Noir’s thoughts synchronized into one—

Don’t let the queen reach Shen Nianzu!

Alas, to their dismay, the cocoon displayed unprecedented speed and agility this time. Dodging Noir and Jin Jiuchi’s attack, it deftly ensnared Shen Nianzu with its sticky tentacle, pulling the unconscious young man into its round body!

.

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Mini interview

Q: How do you feel after getting the front row seat to Jin Jiuchi’s action?

Gu Luoxin: traumatized.jpg

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A/N: With JJ’s XXXL size now, he could have devoured Ariel in one bite, but he did not and opted to tear her apart slowly so let us lit a candle and pray that her soul will reincarnate into a better life, preferably not a fish anymore *cough* I’m very sorry if you’re expecting more gore to this scene, or if it has comedic tone to it, I’ve think about it for days, eliminated a few others scenario before deciding on this one QAQ