Chapter 30: The Puppet’s Last Stand

The shadow began to feel fear. It watched Mo Ya, who extended a hand with a cold smile, yet found itself unable to control the girl’s body.

The palm paused before it, forming a gesture of grasping empty air. The next second, a searing pain surged through its head.

‘I will die,’ it thought. ‘I will truly die at the hands of this man before me. If I don’t leave this girl’s body now, I won’t live to see the day I return to the Erosion Realm.’

With immense difficulty, the shadow made its decision. It escaped from Feng Ling’s body.

It hoped this would allow it to evade Mo Ya’s annihilation. Humans, in moments of crisis, often recall pasts they wish to forget.

Erosion entities were no exception. The shadow was plagued by unpleasant memories. It continuously withdrew from the girl’s body, condensing into a black humanoid figure before Mo Ya.

Deprived of its host, Feng Ling collapsed softly into Mo Ya’s arms. Mo Ya swiftly placed her against a nearby tree and released his dark energy to envelop her.

The curse had vanished. She could finally live a normal life.

She could laugh, she could cry, and then, she could strive with all her might to atone for her past sins.

‘I, too, once wished for such a life,’ Mo Ya thought. ‘But… I have already shouldered too much.’

Mo Ya’s gaze forced the surrounding erosion entities to retreat. His golden snake-like pupils then turned towards the shadow, which was still piecing its body together.

Now, it should be called a puppet.

The black puppet stood upright, its form composed solely of the viscous substance from before.

Its sole red eye stared unblinkingly at Mo Ya, filled with a mixture of anger and agony.

Its medium for growth was gone. The transmission of negative emotions had ceased. More importantly, its very life was now at stake.

The puppet saw the expression on Mo Ya’s face—the look one gives to the dying. The puppet clenched its fists.

‘I cannot die yet…’ it thought. ‘Though the disparity in strength is evident, I cannot die.’

‘I must become powerful. Only then will the gate to the Erosion Realm not reject me, only then can I return to my homeland once more.’

‘Why can those weaker erosion entities traverse freely, while I am trapped in this human world? It’s unfair. It’s all because of that man. That man altered my body, which is why the Erosion Realm’s gate doesn’t recognize me, why I can’t return.’

The puppet gasped for air, Mo Ya having clearly inflicted significant damage upon it.

‘I must survive, grow stronger, and then break through that gate that isolates me. I will fight my way back to my homeland.’

‘That man… yes, that one who called himself King.’ It remembered now. ‘He is King Wutie! That silver-haired youth! It’s all because of him.’

“I cannot die! I cannot die!”

A voice, neither distinctly male nor female, emanated directly from its body. Perhaps due to its lack of a mouth, it sounded strangely distorted.

The puppet thrashed its body wildly, the black substance on it erupting outwards as if in a frenzy.

Trees that had been neatly arrayed began to topple one after another, kicking up a considerable amount of dust. In an instant, the visibility for both of them cleared significantly.

The dark energy instinctively transformed into the shape of snakes, flinging aside any trees that might harm or awaken Feng Ling.

Silver moonlight bathed the puppet’s form, and its red eyes burned with intense unwillingness.

‘A toy, destiny, and myself.’

“Ha, haha, hahaha! I am not a toy! Only I can torment others! Only I am the master! Only I!”

‘In the end, am I still unable to escape the fate of being played with? Am I merely a toy in someone else’s eyes?’

The puppet halted its erratic movements and turned to face Mo Ya.

‘Home… I can’t go back.’ It thought. ‘Then at least… let me choose my own death.’

The puppet charged at Mo Ya without any strategy, abandoning its potentially advantageous long-range attacks.

The puppet continuously closed the distance, yet Mo Ya remained rooted to his spot, unmoving.

There was no need to move. With its spirit damaged, it couldn’t reach him. For an entity skilled in mental manipulation, its spiritual strength was undoubtedly its lifeblood.

And Mo Ya had utterly, completely destroyed it.

The puppet continued to run, but its speed grew progressively slower. As the moonlight shone upon it, pieces of black substance flaked off its body, drifting into the air.

Still, it ran, its raised arm attempting to strike Mo Ya. At this rate, it would undoubtedly vanish before making contact. Yet… Mo Ya’s masked face subtly furrowed, unnoticed by others.

Perhaps, it never truly desired this path to power.

Its legs dissipated, and deprived of support, it tumbled forward, its fist still clenched.

Mo Ya took a few steps forward, his body bathed in moonlight, his golden snake-like pupils appearing even more eerie.

Thump… It was a soft collision. At the very last moment, the puppet finally struck Mo Ya’s solid chest.

Then, it dispersed with the wind. Leaving nothing behind.

Mo Ya quietly observed the erosion particles swirling in the air, lost in thought.

“Another pitiful warrior manipulated by fate… is that it?”

Then, he turned his body.

‘Did it leave nothing behind? No, it left a pile of sins to bear.’

However, this village should no longer suffer from plagues. And she, too, could finally find liberation.

White scales receded from Mo Ya’s face, and his eyes returned to their former profound black.

The Ouroboros, as if satiated, dozed off briefly before dimming. It bit its own tail with its fangs, calming down.

The dark energy gradually dissipated, leaving only the sleeping Feng Ling within.

“The nightmare is over.”