When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 352: Irreplacable

Chapter 352: Irreplacable

The oppressive darkness was akin to a palpable force. It invaded their system, crept into their eyes, noses and mouths, choking their very breaths. Desperation filled the space as the Chrono beasts and players alike found themselves ensnared in the inky abyss.

Within the void, time held no meaning and thus the beasts’ power was rendered utterly invalid.

"Ahh! Help... help!!"

Faintly, Buzz Cut’s horrified cries reverberated through the encroaching darkness, but the twins couldn’t care less about it because they had just lost sight of their Nian’er! How?! Shen Nianzu had been right in front of them, so how could he vanish all of a sudden?!

The panic they felt was transmitted to each other, spiraling into a relentless cycle that amplified their dread and anxiety. Never before had they felt something like this – this overwhelming fear as though they had just let something irreplaceable slip through their fingers. An icy terror gnawed on their cores.

"Nian’er!" Silver-haired Jin Jiuchi’s voice cracked from how shrill he was crying out. "Nian’er, where are you?!"

"Nian’er!" Even the ever dependable and tough black-haired Jin Jiuchi sounded as though he was on the verge of tears.

Alas, they couldn’t find Shen Nianzu anywhere. It was like he had been whisked away into another realm where they couldn’t reach. "Brother, what should we do?!" Silver-haired Jin Jiuchi inquired with tears in his eyes. "Nian’er is missing!"

"C–Calm down first," the black-haired one attempted to soothe his twin despite the trembles in his own voice. "Nian’er disappeared as soon as this wave of darkness surrounded us... that’s right! We only need to get rid of this and we will be able to find Nian’er again!"

"How...?"

That was a good question. How could they possibly get rid of this suffocating darkness?

"Wahh..." Silver-haired Jin Jiuchi burst out into tears as he wailed out loud, his face turning all red and blotchy. "I want Nian’er! I hate that foul-smelling woman! It must be her who took Nian’er away from us! Brother, can we eat her?"

"You want to eat... eat..." Black-haired Jin Jiuchi was stunned when he heard that question. That’s right, if there was something they were particularly good at, then it was eating. If they wanted to find Nian’er again, could they just consume this darkness until the very last bit? A spark of understanding passed between them as they reached the same conclusion.

The two of them stared at each other before nodding in unison. "Okay, let’s do this!"

They were born as two halves. Compared to other nightmare creatures, they could be considered crippled. Despite many years passing, their appearance remained the same as the day they were born. Little beasts who couldn’t even grow up properly – those were the derogatory words they had often heard the most. However, it never bothered them.

Carefree and easygoing by nature, they lived life on their own terms, doing anything as they pleased and finding joy in their own way. Sure, they would be punished once in a while and sometimes they might even wonder what life would be like outside these walls, but it wasn’t something they could not endure.

That was, until Shen Nianzu stumbled into their lives.

Pretty, warm and sweet Shen Nianzu.

For the first time ever, they had someone they wanted to hold, someone they yearned for from the bottom of their hearts. And they wouldn’t just sit still and watch him be taken away from them!

Clasping their tiny hands together, the twins opened their mouths wide and inhaled as deeply as they could until their chests puffed up, drawing the vile darkness into their tiny bodies.

And much to their delight, it worked!

Even though it tasted awful unlike anything they had ever tasted before, even though the veins beneath their skin throbbed and swelled like they were going to explode at any second, they kept swallowing and swallowing until the dense shroud around them began to dissipate, revealing the open space once more!

"Ahh—!" A piercing scream escaped Medeia’s lips as she stumbled backward as though struck by an invisible force, her eyes widening in disbelief and astonishment. "How...?"

The darkness thinned, showing the scenes of the Chrono beasts who wandered around aimlessly after they lost sight of their prey. Gu Luoxin curled up on the ground, trembling, while Toki hovering over him with a look of utter panic. Buzz Cut struggled to breathe, clawing at his throat with tears streaming down his face. Noir and Ying were not looking good either; their complexion was ashen as they took in huge gulps of air as though oxygen had finally returned to their lungs. Meanwhile, Momoko was nowhere to be found.

In the center of it all, Shen Nianzu had driven his blade into the ground to support himself, his breaths coming out in ragged gasps.

Black swirls, similar to ones on Medeia’s body, tainted his once pure and milky white skin. The witch’s bane worked relentlessly to purify him, sapping the darkness until its petals withered one by one. However, their number was limited, and they would eventually run out.

"N–Nian’er!" Disregarding the pain in their bodies, the two Jin Jiuchis scrambled to their feet and rushed toward Shen Nianzu. "Nian’er, are you okay?!"

Shen Nianzu’s eyes widened in horror upon catching sight of them. Their clean and adorable appearance was no more. It was as if their veins had swollen to the point of becoming visible beneath their skin, as ominous black and crimson marks crept across their bodies like lightning. Their eyes were so red as though blood was going to spill out of them. Their condition looked twice– no, a hundred times worse than Shen Nianzu’s own plight.

If even Shen Nianzu felt like his entire body was falling apart, what about them?

"What happened to you?!" Shen Nianzu nearly screeched, but the twins did not seem to care about their own condition. Instead, their attention was fixed on the horrendous black swirls on Shen Nianzu’s body. The very sight seared into their eyes and made their blood boil.

"How... dare... you!" They positioned themselves in front of Shen Nianzu and bared their teeth toward Medeia.

In response, the witch let out an incredulous laugh, tinged with a touch of hysteria. "What is this? Even creatures from a lower realm dare to defy me?" A fresh wave of darkness began to emanate from her and this time, it was denser, sharper and stronger than before.

Shen Nianzu’s scalp tingled as he witnessed that harrowing scene. He frantically pulled the two Jin Jiuchis back, pure horror and dread rising in his heart. "Don’t!" he hurried to say, his tone desperate and imploring. "Don’t swallow it anymore or else your bodies will be destroyed!"

"Are you telling us to just sit still?!" Black-haired Jin Jiuchi retorted sharply, only to cough and spew out a mouthful of inky blood.

"Jin Jiuchi!"

Before Shen Nianzu could do anything, he felt a firm hand falling onto his shoulder as Ying moved to put herself between them and the witch. She sounded slightly breathless as she stated, "We have to enter another attraction. That’s the only way to escape our current predicament."

Behind her, Noir was dragging the half-conscious Buzz Cut by his collar, while Gu Luoxin was supporting the comatose Qiuqiu, with Toki clinging to his torso. "Xiao Shen, we need to leave now! Toki will get us out of here!"

"Chirp!" Toki nodded with determination in response.

Alas, how could Medeia let them go so easily?

"Don’t think you can get away from me!" With a shrill enraged cry, she unleashed another torrent of darkness at them!