The man exuding vibrant colors would have been off-putting if he radiated only a clean aura, but surprisingly, he also emitted a gray aura similar to hers.
Additionally, the rough wild hues and the cruelty akin to blood-soaked flowers, even the visualization of red lightning striking, exploded into full bloom high in the sky.
“Ahhh…”
Despite having five senses, Liu Xiao-Wo’s world was slowly getting painted in those colorful hues that she couldn’t fully perceive.
The countless Great Beasts and irredeemable villains she had released with the power of the black cat were confined in the hell known as the ‘Cursed Ancient Relic’ where they fell into eternal suffering.
One day, for some reason, their corpses got tangled up messily, leading to the terrible hybrid known as the ‘Collective of Evil’ being born.
This hybrid used the ‘Black Cat’ connected to the ‘Cursed Ancient Relic’ to sneakily target her, and as a result, she ended up trapped in a gray world.
For now, it was showing only what was visible, but as time passed, even hearing and speaking might become difficult.
Liu Xiao-Wo, unable to cut off the strongly connected cats from another dimension, was slowly rusting away like that—
“How do those colorful hues look?! What is it! I’m so curious!”
Since it was the first time she was witnessing such a mystery, she couldn’t understand why this was happening or what those colors meant.
“Just standing still is so beautiful… It must smell good if I hold it… Can someone as filthy as me get close to that being?”
Somehow, she felt like tears would burst out, but her reason didn’t let her forget what she needed to do and kept moving forward.
“I need to check that guy in front first!”
Without a second thought, she summoned the blue cat as a clone.
It was a clone stuffed with magic power without any consideration for distribution.
Despite being an extremely dangerous action that should never be taken in an area where powerful beings gathered, she had no qualms at all.
The handsome man who had seduced her while running in front was clearly a fake.
No, rather than just a fake, he was a replica painstakingly crafted by a skilled individual who could be counted on one hand.
“Black… Darkness so deep it obscures even an inch ahead… That color emanates something else residing within that man…”
Only after Liu Xiao-Wo gradually regained her sanity did she realize the danger posed by the man in black.
“Go check it out! What was that man’s purpose? Get information from him before he realizes and kills you. Don’t waste time just toying with him. Got it?”
(Kikikik- Just wait! I’ll give him a cat punch!)
The blue guy had no combat ability whatsoever and only spoke beautifully each time.
Whoosh───!
The blue cat leaped hundreds of meters in an instant.
Liu Xiao-Wo watched the blue cat’s situation as it chased after.
Just at the right moment, the man running in front turned around in surprise.
“What? Did my focus just slip for a second?”
Upon seeing the clone following behind, the man let out a short sigh.
Seeing that, Liu Xiao-Wo sighed in relief.
“Looks like he’s not a perfect monster.”
She thought he was on par with herself, but he definitely showed a small gap during his escape.
And he still hadn’t figured out the identity of the clone.
“Looks like he’s using some skill. The distance isn’t closing.”
She shifted her gaze away from the blue cat and looked at another man standing behind.
“Then, I need to learn about you now… Wow! Look at those colors blooming like clouds… So beautiful.”
The man running ahead looked exactly like him on the outside.
But her heart was racing a hundred times more than when she saw the fake, giving Liu Xiao-Wo excitement like never before.
The level of stimulation was such that she wanted to run somewhere no one could see her and relieve her cravings immediately.
“Ah…”
Once again, emotion surged within her.
Since her awakening, as she used her abilities, the gray world was beginning to change.
Sssssss──
Liu Xiao-Wo was so focused on the man that she didn’t notice.
The five cats that always guarded her—or rather, were watching her—were slowly becoming hazy around her.
* * *
“How do I send those cat guys away?”
Liu Xiao-Wo had approached so close that she could reach out a hand. She needed to decide on her actions before that…
“I do have one idea. Although it’s not much of a method.”
She recalled the part she had grown after her recent job change.
– The fire you bear burns the unseen, and your righteous sword knows no bounds.
This was the ability she had acquired from her recent job change.
In her previous job, she had gained the power to burn evil.
The women wearing cat masks visible to her now perfectly fit those conditions.
Though they weren’t clearly visible, they were mysterious beings harboring evil.
“If I really have that power…”
She blocked her mind and quietly contemplated within.
As a result, the essence of the cat masks became a bit clearer.
They were definitely beings that could only exist thanks to Liu Xiao-Wo’s magic, but on the other hand, they had additional power derived from beings in another dimension.
“This aura… I feel like I’ve sensed it somewhere before…”
It was an evil aura she was familiar with.
“….Debsorpia? I wonder why I’m feeling a similar aura to that guy.”
That power was completely opposite to Liu Xiao-Wo’s aura, which might explain why there wasn’t a complete connection felt between the cat masks and Liu Xiao-Wo.
“What power moves you?”
The three cat masks, stained with an unknown energy, had now surrounded her, obstinately chattering around.
(Kikikik)
(There are humans that look like this~ So beautifully made. Maybe there’s some elf blood mixed in!)
(It’s completely different from the human that the blue one chased!)
“There can’t be any difference. They are the same person.”
(That trash you concluded of as the guardian is a fake!)
“Good eye.”
(The blue one is pitiful… Surely it will be torn apart brutally?)
(That guy doesn’t care about that.)
(Kikikik- If a man like this appears, ‘Jin’ sleeping deep inside might show up?)
(That would be fun! If we just strengthened ourselves a bit more, we could have brought him here right away to check!)
“The relic? ‘Jin’ that’s deep inside the relic? I don’t understand anything you’re saying.”
(“…Foolish ones. Is that all you feel from this man?”)
A black one-eyed figure delivered the query in a cold voice to the three who were critiquing her appearance.
(Oh?! The black one! It hasn’t spoken in months! Usually silent except when it’s releasing energy?)
(Sudden ghost transformation. Is it because of this man? Surely? Have you developed color lust too?! Jealousy.)
(“….Lacking ones. How about you check your own bodies and then speak freely?”)
(Our bodies—Hyiiik?! Why is this happening!!)
(It’s breaking! My body is breaking apart!!)
(Guardian! It’s the Guardian!! Look at us!! Huh? Why aren’t you looking at us, where are you looking?! We’re dying uhhuuhuh-)
Suddenly panicked, the cat masks started stomping their feet while screeching at Liu Xiao-Wo.
Like burnt ashes blowing away, they were gradually crumbling.
“Have they already been crumbling? Is it really because of me that it turned out like this?”
Among them, only the one wearing the black mask was looking at her calmly.
“The one filled with the greatest evil… I wonder if I can do something about it.”
Gathering all her magic, senses, and potential, she thought.
“Cheongwol is dangerous.”
Using Irmana’s sword from yesterday might injure Liu Xiao-Wo, turning her into an enemy.
Goooor──
Still, having used ‘Cheongwol’s’ power yesterday, she could somewhat replicate a similar gathering method.
The destructive energy wriggled around the core center.
And as she envisioned transforming that into a fiery energy, the immaterial aura began to take shape.
Kuuuuu──!
The force had grown so strong it would have made the ground sink, causing the cats to flail and dance.
(Aaah! Guardian! We’re going to die!)
(Ho hot!? What is this! What is it?!)
(Save us, meow!!)
Liu Xiao-Wo lightly ignored the cats calling out to her and looked at the man with wide eyes.
“….You?”
With her cheeks flushed, as she approached, Liu Xiao-Wo suddenly took a combat stance upon seeing me preparing for battle.
It indicated her readiness to take any attack while conveying that she had no intention of attacking him at all.
“Shut the noisy ones up!!”
Guugugugugu───!!
Releasing the tightly packed energy within her body, a massive sphere spread endlessly.
Kwakwaakwaakwaakwaak──
Liu Xiao-Wo, who was preparing for counterattack, probably never expected an attack of this magnitude as she hurried to encase herself in a magic barrier.
But she couldn’t reach the cats that were slightly farther away.
(Kwaakh!!)
(Hot, hot!! Waaa!)
(Guardian! Please save me first-)
(….?.)
The converging power that burst forth swallowed up all the cat masks that called out to Liu Xiao-Wo.
Whoosh───
A massive wave vanished beyond the horizon.
At Liu Xiao-Wo’s feet, only a plump black cat lay on its back, fallen.
“…That black one is too strongly connected. Even Liu Xiao-Wo and the unknown evil energy cannot be separated at this level. To completely eliminate it, I would have to kill Liu Xiao-Wo…”
Nonetheless, the black thing didn’t turn into a woman wearing a mask or a ghostly one-eyed figure but instead became a real four-legged beast.
‘Azraelon is coming to mind. Is there a rule in another world where one turns into a cat upon losing their main body’s power?’
Putting those thoughts aside, I took out a ‘whistle’ from the spatial pocket to send a signal to Inessa.
“I did what you wanted, but…”
Even after sending a message through the whistle, Inessa had no reply.
Liu Xiao-Wo, having lost all her cat masks, looked around in confusion, unable to figure out what was happening, and poked the black cat lying on the ground with her toes.
“Hey, are you dead? Really? Hey? Pff- Puhuhuh, you must be dead for real.”
(…I’m not dead. You know that as long as you are there, we cannot die…)
“Cheh… I see, you’re still alive? The others will soon revive too, right?”
(…It’ll take some time. Until then, you’ll be able to return to your original self… It’s better to enjoy the moment now. Once you regain your original power, you’ll make them pay for imprisoning us in that horrible place.)
“Hmph! I’m not scared of what you say at all! Just how many years will you keep repeating the same nonsense?”
(…That much shows how deep my grudge is…)
“I don’t care; besides, it feels so refreshing to have a clear mind after a long time, don’t talk to me. I can actually return to my original self… It’s like I’m about to cry.”
Liu Xiao-Wo recalled her innocent childhood when she was frightened and only thought of not going hungry.
Thud-
Roughly gripping the back of the cat’s neck, she stepped closer to me and said.
“….Ah, hello… umm- Hello… hello…”
Liu Xiao-Wo, who kept stuttering in a clumsy greeting, turned her face away, suddenly blushing when she met my gaze.
‘What’s happening?’
To anyone else, she looked a bit slow.
“Haa- Haa- The stimulation is too strong; I can’t handle it…”
“…”
While the face covering her features was that of a middle-aged woman beginning to wrinkle, to my senses, she looked like a cute woman in her early twenties, so it didn’t seem awkward that she seemed shy.
Thud-
(Kwaaaa…)
The black cat that was tossed on the ground due to Liu Xiao-Wo gripping its neck trembled and writhed in pain.
“How about moving somewhere first?”
As I simply stood there looking at her, she suddenly said we should change locations.
‘That’s just what I wanted. It’s progressing surprisingly smoothly?’
Given this turn of events, it meant that everything Inessa had asked for would be cleared now.
As I nodded and pointed somewhere with my chin, Liu Xiao-Wo began to follow me with a beaming smile.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
