Chapter 10: The Undying Plush

Garrozo froze, his gaze locked on the pure white plush bear in the corner of the cabin.

It definitely hadn’t been there when he came in.

Such a hellish place, yet there sat a doll so clean it seemed utterly out of place. This was clearly… wrong.

He narrowed his eyes, killing intent flickering. Whatever it was, since it was odd, he would destroy it outright for safety.

He flicked his wrist, the long sword hummed out of its sheath, and pale azure source power coalesced into a razor-sharp sword aura. Without any reservation, he slashed viciously at the bear!

A “swoosh” sound cut through the air as the sword aura swept past, engulfing the tiny plush doll in an instant. White cloth burst, cotton flew, and the bear, once whole, was split in two, its scattered remains losing all form.

“…” That should be better.

Garrozo let out a small breath, sheathed his sword, and turned to head toward Nan Muxi, still bound on the ground. Alliance reinforcements could arrive any second, so he had to move quickly.

But as he turned his head, a suffocating chill more terrifying than before pressed down from above. The entire space seemed to freeze at that moment.

Flames stalled, wind stopped, even drifting smoke hung suspended in midair.

Garrozo’s pupils shrank, his face turning paper-white.

Because the doll he had just destroyed was now standing in front of him again, having reappeared at some unknown point.

Still in the shape of a toy… but clearly not just a toy anymore.

It had grown, enlarged to an unnatural size.

Beneath the plush surface, something writhed, as if alive.

Its “face” was still there, but those button eyes were now staring at Garrozo. No, how could button eyes have a gaze?

In that instant, the doll seemed like a monster crawling out of an abyss, emitting a distorted, bizarre aura that made one’s soul shiver.

What?! What is this thing?!

His expression drastically changed, and without a second thought, he instinctively erupted with source power and swung his sword forward!

As a commander who had fought against alien races, Garrozo’s combat instincts were sharp.

But…

“Clang!!!”

The giant bear doll simply raised a massive paw and gave a light pat.

A deafening noise.

The fine steel sword in Garrozo’s hand burst into countless fragments, shattering inch by inch.

The terrifying force traveled through the pieces into his body, shattering his source power barrier. He was thrown backward like a kite with a broken string, smashing through layers of broken alloy before slamming into a mountain wall hundreds of meters away, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

“Pfft!”

His internal organs seemed shifted.

“Damn, this strength!”

Wrath and shock mixed. Gritting his teeth, he exploded with all his source power. The scene was bizarre, but he wasn’t about to give up the mission given by the marshal. He had to kill the monster blocking Nan Muxi and take her back!

He unleashed the peak strength of the Yaoge realm without reserve. Pale azure light shot into the sky, and source energy condensed in his hand into a sharp spear, murderous intent surging.

“You spirit-possessed thing!”

He leaped up, closing in on the enemy in an instant. With a quick crouch, he dodged the giant bear’s sweeping claw, then poured all his power into the spearhead and drove it deep into the doll’s body!

“Rip!!”

The spear tore the giant doll into two. Fabric burst, stuffing scattered everywhere.

“…Solved… Huh, that was easy.”

Garrozo panted, murmuring with a light laugh.

But before he could ease up, a deep-seated chill of dread climbed up his spine from the depths of his soul.

What?!

He didn’t even dare turn around for a moment.

It felt like countless cold eyes were pressing against the back of his neck, silently watching him.

Garrozo slowly, stiffly turned his head.

The giant, grotesque bear doll he had just torn to shreds stood there again, perfectly intact, having reappeared silently behind him.

Its pitch-black “eyes” were fixed on him without blinking.

At the same time, across the sky, among the ruins, within the broken cabin, behind the scorched rocks, in the burning flames… countless densely packed blood-red eyes slowly opened, all staring without a single blink.

All of them trained on him.

“…!!!”

What the hell was going on?

At this point, Garrozo had completely lost his will to fight. His mind held only one thought: leave this place quickly.

But for some reason, his body had turned to stone. His limbs refused to obey, and he couldn’t move even a finger. His soul felt bound by invisible threads.

?!?! Move!! What’s happening!! Move!!!

As he struggled frantically, growing increasingly frantic, the giant bear doll slowly lifted its massive claw and aimed it at his head, about to strike!

If that blow landed while he was immobile, he would undoubtedly die…

Fear and panic overwhelmed the man.

No, no, no…

But just as the claw was about to descend, the air gave a slight tremor. Without any warning, the claw came to a halt, hanging less than an inch from his head. Then, it stopped.

Like an invisible hand had gripped its wrist and pinned it midair.

The doll’s “face” turned toward a certain direction: toward Yuhai City.

At the same time, the binding force on Garrozo vanished.

He could move again?

Realizing his mobility was restored, Garrozo didn’t stop to think. Cold sweat pouring down his body, he poured all his source power into getting away from the doll, widening the gap between them. Though the doll stayed motionless, he had no courage to attack it.

Under the eerie gaze of those countless blood-red pupils, he fled wildly into the distance, even stumbling once in his haste.

“Damn… what kind of thing is this?!”

If he stayed… he was in serious trouble! Very serious!

He had to report this to the marshal, fast!

…

…

On the other side, the black-haired girl, who had collapsed from weakness, was still in a daze, but she sensed Garrozo’s presence fading away.

He… didn’t take me?

Why… did he suddenly leave?

In the haze, confusion spread through her mind.

She lay still in the lonely wreckage.

Until something gently touched her head.

Soft. Fluffy. And strangely comforting.

It felt like being comforted by her mother when she was little…

Nan Muxi blinked open her right eye in a daze, and a pure white plush bear came into view.

The bear tilted its head, gently tapping her forehead with its short, soft paws, one tap after another, as if examining something.

Its button eyes looked at her calmly.

No ferocity, no killing intent. Only a strange, yet inexplicably peaceful calm.

“…”

She didn’t wonder why the toy was moving. Instead, almost instinctively, she asked in her heart.

‘You… who are you?’

As the girl remained puzzled, from the distant night sky came the deep, steady roar of engines.

Lights pierced the darkness, speeding toward the crash site.

It was the support force from Yuhai City.

…

…

Meanwhile, at the Qionglan base, in the Saintess’s bedroom, Teresa stood behind Luoxue, holding a delicate wooden comb, running it gently and meticulously through the girl’s long, snow-white hair.

Luoxue sat serenely before the mirror in a soft white nightgown, an eye mask over her eyes, as obedient as a kitten.

As she combed, Teresa couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“The Saintess’s hair is gorgeous, soft and silky. It never tangles, no matter how much I comb it.”

Luoxue said nothing, only lowered her head slightly.

Then, suddenly, Teresa’s motion paused.

She looked at the girl in the mirror with surprise.

A faint, delicate smile was lifting the corners of Luoxue’s lips. It was a breathtaking, perfect smile.

Teresa’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Saintess, you seem to be in a particularly good mood today. What happened?”

Luoxue tilted her head slightly, her voice soft and distant. “Just… something happy came to mind.”

Teresa smiled and was about to chat more with this adorable girl when a chill ran down her spine.

What?

She turned around, and her eyes narrowed.

There, on the sofa not far off, sat a pure white bear plush toy.

It was ordinary that the Saintess’s favorite plush was on the sofa… But… didn’t the sofa seem empty a moment ago?

And also… the toy had a smell of blood on it.

Suspicion began to form in Teresa’s mind.

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