When the Wild Beast is Trapped in the Nightmare Cycle (BL)
Chapter 353: As Bright as the Sun

Chapter 353: As Bright as the Sun

"Watch out!" Shen Nianzu’s pupils dilated, his body moving on instinct to push the two Jin Jiuchis out of harm’s way.

The petals of the witch’s bane shimmered brilliantly in Shen Nianzu’s grasp and cast a protective aura around him. Even then, he kept pushing the power of the blossoms to its limit so that the area of coverage was wide enough to shield all of the players. However, it also meant that the pace in which the flowers withered was increasing, and the radiant shield’s light soon dimmed.

As though sensing an opening, the dark force intensified its assault, causing Shen Nianzu to stagger with the pressure. The black swirls on his skin writhed like sentient creatures, and a grimace of pain contorted his face.

"Nian’er!" The two Jin Jiuchis cried out in alarm. "H–Hang in there, we will eat more of it!"

"Don’t!" Shen Nianzu growled at them, his gaze steely and threatening. "Don’t even think about doing it again!"

"Can’t we just kill Qiuqiu?" Buzz Cut whimpered from where he struggled to shrink himself as small as possible to fit within the ring of protective light. "If she dies, we will all be saved, right?!"

Unfortunately, none of the players acknowledged his desperate proposal.

Noir and Ying stepped forward at the same time, each brandishing their own weapon. "You guys head to the entrance of another attraction first," Ying instructed them. "We will catch up with you later."

"Wait—!" Flustered, Gu Luoxin instinctively tried to hold onto Noir, but he was a beat too slow as the man already left the protective circle of light and plunged himself straight into the darkness, Ying following closely behind.

From afar, Medeia’s sinister laughter resounded through the air. "Do you think you mere humans can defeat me? Ha! Dreams on!"

The witch moved to confront Noir and Ying in the middle, and the outcome was as predictable as it was dire. It was not like Noir and Ying were weak, but their attributes were not suitable to be used against Medeia.

Only light could conquer the darkness, and in this battle, only Shen Nianzu had a chance to defeat her.

"No—!" Gu Luoxin cried out in horror as he watched Noir being held in a chokehold, while the witch easily repelled Ying’s arrows with her corporeal darkness. Lucius bristled in rage, its emerald eyes glimmering brightly amidst the dark. It lunged at Medeia, sharp claws poised to attack. Alas, the barrier around the witch was too thick, and it formed an impenetrable wall which no ordinary attack could shatter.

"Hahahaha!" She laughed and directed a mocking look at Shen Nianzu. "They’re your fellow humans, are they not? How is it? Can you bear to see them dying so futilely like this? How long do you plan to hide in that pitiful light ring of yours?"

"You—!" Shen Nianzu gnashed his teeth, his mind racing up a storm.

His gaze flickered down to the wilting petals in his grasp, and he knew that his time was running out. He had to act soon. The only way to defeat Medeia was with the help of the witch’s bane on him, and once the last petal fell, it would be his own demise.

Ignoring the two Jin Jiuchis’ pleading cries for him to stay, he surged forward and sliced his palm across the blade. The mixture of his blood and the pure delicate petals was akin to an stimulant shot for his weapon, causing it to pulse and radiate a brilliant light.

Shen Nianzu’s silver hair fluttered behind him as a fiery blaze ignited within his pale purple eyes.

"Finally!" Medeia tossed Noir aside with cruel satisfaction as she prepared herself for a direct battle with Shen Nianzu – the only human who managed to kill her mortal body, the proof of her darkest and most embarrassing history, and the person she wanted to get rid of the most.

In the next moment, light and darkness collided, and it was like the whole labyrinth cracked open in the middle. The explosive force resembled the birth of a supernova, so intense that it momentarily deafened everyone present.

The dark force roared beside Shen Nianzu’s ears akin to the wrathful scream of the grim reaper himself. They tore into his arms, his legs and penetrated his lungs. With each blow he exchanged with Medeia, he was strangely reminded of the time when he had regained consciousness in the ICU after more than a week.

He, who was born with frail health and many other complications, had defied the odds and survived past a high-level Cycle.

He, whom the doctors declared wouldn’t live past twenty, had dragged his ailing body step by step through the Cycles until he managed to carve a place for himself in the leaderboard.

From the very first Cycle up until now, he had fought and struggled like crazy, desperately attempting to rewrite the destiny that had been preordained to him. He had tasted what true hell felt like, had hung on the edge of life and death more times than he could count, but never... not even once had his spirit dimmed.

Not enough...

Still not enough. More! He had to move faster!

Compared to the high-level nightmare creatures he needed to fight against in the future, compared to the Nightmare itself... Medeia, Witch of the Darkest Hour, was just like another crossing on the road he had to walk on.

Shen Nianzu’s small body began to grow as he raised his blade high and charged at Medeia with unwavering determination. Purple and white colored electricity danced violently around him, cleaving through the thick darkness like bolts of lightning. He sensed the power of the witch’s bane seeping into his bloodstreams, merging with his flesh and bones, and purifying the flicker of taint in his soul. The malevolent curse that had been deeply embedded within him was slowly rooted out bit by bit.

As Shen Nianzu sensed a surge of renewed power flowing through his veins, he recalled Grandpa’s Sword of Heaven. With a single wave of his hand, all the rampaging creatures in the city were obliterated. With a single moved of his, a blinding light engulfed the whole city as though the sun itself had risen from the ground.

However, Shen Nianzu was not the sun. With his current abilities, he could only become a star at most.

What did a star need to do in order to shine as brilliantly as the sun?

KA-BOOM!

With a horrifying crunch, one of Shen Nianzu’s legs exploded in midair. It wasn’t because of the Medeia’s darkness, however. His muscles that had been strained to the nonsensical degree finally burst apart, charging him with a momentum to thrust forward.

"What are you—?!"

The leisure look on Medeia’s face finally faded away and was replaced with sheer panic.

In that second that stretched into eternity, Shen Nianzu’s entire body was bathed in pure ivory flame, looking like a pair of radiant wings had sprouted from his back. His skin rippled with silver scales that glowed akin to molten steel, as though his very own skill card was resonating with his burning spirit.

His body flew like a shooting star and broke through the impenetrable barrier around Medeia, dispelled the darkness that clung to his skin, and finally, reached the witch’s true body.

He was going to end this fight once and for all.

"Wait... stop!!"

Shen Nianzu felt the time around him slowing down. No, that’s not right. It was him who had become faster instead. The speed which no human could endure began to tear into Shen Nianzu’s body. This was the price he had to pay to burn himself as bright as the sun.

Summoning all the strength in his body, Shen Nianzu drove the tip of his blade toward Medeia’s heart, ready to kill the witch once more and break the damned curse in his body.