novelraw Chapter 292-2: When the Cherry Blossoms Wither (2)
Chapter 292-2: When the Cherry Blossoms Wither (2)
“I get it.”
He slapped his thigh and thought of a brilliant method.
[You ran quickly toward the black spear still planted like a pillar not far away.]
[The battle between the Great General and the Nine-Tailed Fox was so intense that neither noticed your actions at all.]
Lin Xun opened his inventory and clicked the key item to break the deadlock, the Newborn Fruit of Evil.
Both the Flower of Evil and the Fruit of Evil only worked on targets that did not resist.
To use this item directly on the Great General, he would have to first beat the Great General down to a state of near death.
Therefore this item could not be used on a vigorous Great General, but it could be used on the jet-black great spear he had thrown.
[You took out a tiny black seed and reached out, bringing the seed close to the spear.]
[The seed suddenly erupted with an invisible, powerful suction that kept drawing the spear’s malice as the sea gathers all rivers.][The suction was enormous. Malice surged endlessly into the Fruit of Evil, causing the seed to grow plump and robust.]
[Absorbing malice in progress…]
[Current malice reserve: 24%]
[…]
[Current malice reserve: 28%]
[…]
[As the malice on the black great spear decreased continuously, the other five weapons in the Great General’s hands and the armor on his body gradually dimmed.]
[His offensive momentum grew weaker and weaker, shifting from suppressing the Nine-Tailed Fox to standing even. He could no longer maintain a dominant position.]
[The Great General suddenly turned to look at you and saw you, tiny as an ant, constantly drawing the great power granted by a deity.]
[He roared, ignored the Nine-Tailed Fox’s attacks, and charged at you with great strides.]
“Valkyrie, everything depends on you.”
Lin Xun continued absorbing malice and issued an order to Valkyrie.
[Valkyrie suddenly ceased shooting and took from her sword case a lantern made of flesh and blood.]
[A point of warm light from the lantern illuminated the ancient battlefield. The Great General wanted to rush straight to your side, but he could not help glancing back again and again at that warm light.]
[At last he could bear the lantern’s radiance no longer. He hurled the long halberd in its hand at you and turned to charge Valkyrie.]
[The giant halberd whistled through the air, but with the Great General’s attack power greatly reduced, the halberd lacked the speed and ferocity of the great spear.]
[You hastily ceased absorbing malice and fled using the sword.]
[With a thunderous boom, the halberd grazed your sleeve and crashed into the ground. The violent shockwave flung you away.]
[You were struck by numerous flying stones. Though the blow did not hit you directly, it was so fierce that you still took minor injuries.]
[The Great General wheeled and rushed at Valkyrie, closing fast.]
If Valkyrie faced the Great General alone, she would likely fall soon.
Lin Xun had no other options. He could only use Valkyrie to draw aggro and buy time.
“Valkyrie, I am sorry. I will reward you with a few powerful arrows later.”
[Unexpectedly, Valkyrie beat her wings and shot at great speed to the Nine-Tailed Fox’s side, shoving the Abyss Lantern into the Nine-Tailed Fox’s hands.]
[She then beat her wings again and fled at full speed.]
[Only a stunned Nine-Tailed Fox and an enraged Great General remained.]
[The Great General roared and launched another assault on the Nine-Tailed Fox.]
Lin Xun was dumbfounded.
“When did Valkyrie get so smart.”
This aggro transfer took him by surprise, but Valkyrie’s decision was undoubtedly correct. At present only the Nine-Tailed Fox could trade evenly with the Great General.
Shifting the Great General’s hatred to the Nine-Tailed Fox was the optimal tactic.
[You again took out the Newborn Fruit of Evil to absorb malice.]
[This time, in addition to the great spear there was the halberd, so the Fruit of Evil’s absorption speed increased.]
[Current malice reserve: 86%]
[…]
[…]
[Current malice reserve: 100%]
[The two weapons before you turned hazy, with far less malice than before.]
[You looked at the Great General and saw that its weapons and armor were the same.]
[The Nine-Tailed Fox crossed weapons with the Great General again and actually seized a slight advantage.]
[The three resplendent divine swords attacked again and again, causing the Great General’s armor to grow increasingly battered.]
[When the armor was damaged, the weapons once again supplied malice. The Great General’s offensive power grew weaker and weaker.]
[You even felt that you might be able to withstand the Great General’s full-force strike yourself if you stepped forward. Of course, that was an illusion.]
[The Nine-Tailed Fox fought with increasing vigor, continuously consuming the Great General’s malice.]
[…]
[…]
[Finally, with another swing of the Nine-Tailed Fox’s swords, the malice from the Great General’s weapons and armor was no longer sufficient to form substance.]
[Weapons and armor turned to thin black miasma and drifted away.]
[The Extreme Evil Great General’s body rapidly shrank. Two ugly heads turned to powder. Four massive arms crumbled to grit.]
[In the end, he returned to his original state, bracing itself upon his blade to keep from collapsing.]
Lin Xun let out a long breath.
They had finally beaten the Great General back into first phase.
Now the Nine-Tailed Fox still bore the blessing of remnant divine power from the evil god. Dealing with the first phase Great General would be more than enough.
“It was not easy, but at last I can see the dawn of victory.”
[The Great General propped itself up on his blade and slowly raised his head.]
[Its eyes were full of deep malice as he stared at you and said that you were the first to make him so miserable.]
[Next, you would be fortunate enough to witness its strongest form.]
[Originally, this was prepared to deal with the legendary Vermilion immortal. That you could witness it would mean your life was not in vain.]
[The Great General suddenly stood. Its expression twisted in savagery and madness, as if he were about to transform again.]
???
Three question marks popped into Lin Xun’s mind.
“Again? A third form?”
“Hellish game, do you not treat Apostles as human!”
“I, Lin Xun, even if I die outside, even if I jump from here, will never choose Hell difficulty again.”
“Even if Jesus comes, do not think I will choose Hell difficulty again. There, I said it.”
[You knew that this was already the most critical moment. Would you call upon the Dance Goddess, Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto.]
“Eh?”
Lin Xun started, then came to his senses and rejoiced. He slammed ‘Yes’ with lightning speed.
[Hard-traveling Apostle, you have triggered this chapter’s final event, When the Cherry Blossoms Wither.]
[Please note, after completing this final event, the Apostle will be teleported directly back to the Library and will not be able to enter this chapter again afterward.]
[Please settle the interpretation rating at the Book of Salvation in the Library.]
The sudden special circumstance made Lin Xun frown.
Should not the final event be the final battle with the Great General.
What on earth was ‘When the Cherry Blossoms Wither?’
Moreover, the final event prompt should have appeared before he fought the Great General. Why had it only appeared now.
“Could it be…”
Lin Xun thought of a possibility, but the hellish game text continued to roll, completely outside his control, as if watching a cutscene.
[You possessed the shell of the Fire-Worshipping Saio Chisoku-hime.]
[You took out the Vermilion Ceremonial Scepter and gazed toward the firmament. Your gaze seemed to pierce layers of cloud seas and reach the far side of the void.]
[…]
[In an instant, heaven and earth fell silent. In your eyes, all color drained from everything and only black and white remained.]
[A small female figure appeared above the sky. You could not see the woman’s face clearly. You could only judge from her form that she was a young woman.]
[The woman danced in midair, her steps graceful and captivating.]
[When she danced, she was the only color in this world.]
[Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto floated and turned, sleeves waving. Endless divine light spread across the land.]
[You received the effect of an unknown skill. Your shell recovered full health and shed all fatigue.]
[Not only you, but the Nine-Tailed Fox, Valkyrie, and the Snow Woman, along with the many Red Armor samurai and numerous God War Heroic Spirits who fought for you, were all healed by the divine light.]
[The divine light encompassed the entire Ancient Fire Mound. Most of the Extreme Evil monsters of the Anzai Army were also touched by the light.]
[Unlike you, they did not even have time to scream before they all melted and evaporated in the divine light.]
[The light that shone on a wide area gradually condensed into a single concentrated beam of brilliance.]
[That beam fell straight upon the Great General.]
[The Extreme Evil Great General before you suddenly froze, expression stiff.]
[Its body melted without a sound like those Extreme Evil monsters. Without even a scream, he dissolved completely.]
[Your allied deity, Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto, defeated the Extreme Evil Great General.]
[You obtained Small Fragment of World Wandering Spirit Essence x1.]
[You obtained Complete Forging Crystal Chunk x1.]
[You obtained Great Seal of Yomi-no-Osho Jinpi-Yasha – Yang Seal (Epic+ Accessory).]
[You obtained Blood of the Evil God’s Offspring (Legendary Item).]
[You obtained Tachi: Eight Views Welcome Evil (Legendary Weapon).]
[You obtained Extreme Evil Great Armor (Legendary+ Item).]
[You obtained Sakura Falls Yasaka Curved Jewel (Legendary+ Item).]
[Above the sky, the goddess’s dance ceased. She floated to the ground and slowly came to stand before you.]
[Her face was veiled by an inexplicable radiance so you could not see her true features. Looking closely made your eyes ache and you could not help but avert your gaze.]
[Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto let out a soft laugh. Young devotee, Enma’s Proxy, she could not remain here long. She could only be brief.]
[She was the last surviving deity of Sakura Falls, a constant thorn in the evil god’s side.]
[Now that she had risked herself to kill the evil god’s proxy, she would quickly draw the gaze of the evil god.]
[Slaying one avatar of the evil god was a desperate measure like drinking poison to quench thirst. It could only slightly slow the evil god’s pace of corroding all things.]
[If one truly wished to save all living beings, there was only one way, to help Enma and the Dragon God break free of malice.]
[If the supreme might of the two principal deities could be joined, the evil god could be suppressed and all beings in the world could be reborn.]
[Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto had not yet finished speaking when she suddenly fell into extreme terror.]
[You could not see her expression, but from her movements and trembling body alone you could feel the god’s fear from the depths of her heart.]
[You sensed something and raised your head.]
[You saw a twisted monstrous face fill the entire sky. Everywhere you looked there was no sun, no clouds, only that face whose eyes brimmed with pure malice.]
[Those eyes of extreme malice were staring at the Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto before you.]
[Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto let out a heart-rending shriek. A layer of pitch-black miasma visibly stained her body.]
[Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto fell into despair. She screamed madly. She understood. This was the evil god’s plot. This was the evil god’s plot.]
[You should not have killed the evil god’s proxy and should not have called her. It was too late. All was lost.]
[Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto was falling into Extreme Evil at terrifying speed.]
[…]
[With the fall of Sakura Falls’ last deity, the people of the island nation, no, all living things of the island nation, whether human, yokai, or beast, all fell into Extreme Evil.]
[Their eyes filled with malice. They let out eerie, silent laughter. Smiling mouths split cheeks. They bared fangs at the nearest living creatures and began a blood-drenched, ruthless slaughter.]
[Even the God War Heroic Spirits guarding the necropolis entrance against the Anzai Army revealed the same eerie smiles.]
[The many Anzai Army and God War Heroic Spirits turned to look at you in perfect unison in an instant, the motion of thousands perfectly synchronized.]
[Not only they, but even the Ame-no-Uzume-no-Mikoto before you also looked at you in the same instant.]
[You were shocked to find that the radiance veiling her face had vanished at some point. An ordinary-looking woman’s face wore a vicious, sinister smile that chilled your spine.]
[You raised your head and suddenly understood. The immense monstrous face above the sky was grinning at you. Pure malice fixed you in its gaze.]
[You are about to fall into Extreme Evil.]
[Final event, When the Cherry Blossoms Wither, complete.]
[Teleporting to the Library.]
[…]
[…]
[Teleport successful.]
[A powerful wandering soul awakened in the Library.]
Lin Xun finally understood. The endpoint of this chapter was not the slaying of the Great General.
The Great General had never been the final boss. Such strength was not that of a final boss at difficulty five.
The endpoint of this chapter was the fall of Sakura Falls’ last deity into Extreme Evil, plunging all of Sakura Falls into true apocalypse. This was precisely what the final event described, When the Cherry Blossoms Wither.
[T/N: Epic finish to an amazing arc!!]