"Phew... we finally avoided that troublesome question."
Chu Lian held Hare Menjou's small hand as they walked through the empty graveyard. Looking up at the large silver moon hanging in the sky, the tension in her heart gradually eased.
"Lian, what was that person just now?" Hare Menjou still couldn't let go of that strange feeling. Although it had already faded, it didn't mean she would forget it.
"It's actually quite simple. What you see isn't necessarily real, but it's not necessarily unreal either. Whether it's true or false... we can only rely on our own judgment," Chu Lian replied. She couldn't explain it clearly, so she could only brush it off with vague, philosophical words.
Hare Menjou nodded as if she half understood. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly said, "That girl earlier... did she like you a lot, but couldn't get a response from you, so she willingly became someone else's sacrifice?"
"Pfft..."
Chu Lian was impressed by the girl's imagination, but she didn't correct the obviously mistaken conclusion. Since she didn't know the truth, there was no need for her to find out. After all, the truth was rather cruel—and even Chu Lian herself couldn't fully accept it yet.
"Maybe. I don't know whether she liked me or not. But I've already attracted enough girls, so I didn't respond. Isn't that fine? As long as I have you all, that's enough," Chu Lian said honestly. As more and more girls gathered around her, her heart had gradually settled. She felt that she shouldn't keep getting involved with so many people.
"Even though I really want you to belong only to me... that's obviously impossible," Hare Menjou said, her voice full of longing at first, before she shook her head with a bitter smile.
She looked at Chu Lian's slightly evasive gaze and spoke softly, "Lian, maybe you've noticed it—or maybe you haven't. There's something about you that's incredibly attractive."
"I don't know how this works for men, but I do know that if you wanted to, you could use this charm to attract countless girls. You could make them go crazy for you, make them fall deeply into your allure."
"This kind of trait—something that usually only men might possess—you have it. And without even realizing it, you've drawn many girls to your side."
"You've noticed it too, haven't you? Most of those girls have some level of affection toward you. I've hardly seen anyone reject you. Of course, maybe they exist—I just haven't met them."
"But you really are very, very attractive. It's not because of your looks or anything superficial. Even when you were wearing that robe, Enri still fell for you. That kind of attraction—it's something people can't escape just by standing near you."
"Whether it's something you were born with or something given to you, I don't know. But one thing is certain—Lian, you possess a charm that drives people mad. And although you probably realize it, you've neither deliberately used it nor tried to hide it."
"Maybe it's simply in your nature—you're not someone who would change because of that. But for me..."
As she spoke, Hare Menjou pulled Chu Lian's hand over and pressed it against her chest.
"Listen. Feel it. My heart is beating for you."
"I don't hate this trait of yours. Not at all. I'm sure they don't hate it either. They're captivated by the feeling of being with you, by the time they spend with you."
"Maybe it's not love. Maybe it's not pure affection. Maybe it's a kind of obsessive love. But so what?"
"Who says love or liking has to be pure? Do you think the people around you only like you because of that trait, and not because of who you are?"
"You're wrong. Your charm may draw attention, but whether someone truly likes you depends on who you are. If you were someone unpleasant—someone people wanted to avoid—then no amount of charm would matter. It wouldn't matter at all."
As she spoke, Hare Menjou suddenly stepped forward, pushing Chu Lian down onto the ground. She then bent down and sat on her waist. Looking into Chu Lian's slightly confused eyes, she spoke softly:
"Just like what I'm doing now... they probably all want to treat you like this all the time—holding you beneath them, making you into a lovely little thing that trembles and gasps."
"Ah... here? Shouldn't we go somewhere cleaner and find a better time for that? It's too dirty here," Chu Lian said instinctively, her mind not quite catching up.
"Pfft—"
Hare Menjou couldn't help but laugh, covering her lips as she looked at her.
"Chu Lian-chan, since when did you become so lewd? I never said I wanted to do that kind of thing here."
When she mentioned "that kind of thing," her face flushed slightly, but she didn't dwell on it. Still pressing down on Chu Lian, she continued:
"What I mean is—just being near you makes me want to hold you, to dote on you as much as I want. Do you understand?"
"Not really," Chu Lian replied. She felt like she was close to understanding something, yet couldn't quite grasp it. Perhaps it was a thought she herself didn't dare to believe.
"Do you really need me to spell it out?"
Leaning down, Hare Menjou pressed her lips against Chu Lian's.
Seeing Chu Lian's wide, bewildered eyes, she lightly licked her soft lips before straightening up again. Supporting herself with both hands beside Chu Lian's head, she said:
"Like this—kissing you, breathing in your scent, watching that helpless look in your eyes... wanting to take you..."
"So... you mean I'm easy to push down?" Chu Lian asked softly after finally organizing her thoughts.
"Easy to push down? I suppose that's one way to put it. As long as you're here, it's hard to resist wanting to devour you—slowly savoring you, tasting you bit by bit, filled with endless affection," Hare Menjou said, not fully understanding the phrase but still expressing her feelings.
"I treat you all as friends, but you all just want to get me," Chu Lian suddenly said, her eyes welling up with tears as she looked pitiful, on the verge of crying.
"Ah—no, no! I just like you a lot, Chu Lian-chan, so I couldn't help doing that. But I really don't have those kinds of thoughts!" Hare Menjou panicked, waving her hands as she hurried to explain.
Unexpectedly, Chu Lian suddenly exerted force, flipping her over and pinning her beneath instead. Looking down at her with a mischievous smile, she said:
"Hare, don't forget—I'm very good at acting."
"Lian, what are you trying to do?"
Hare Menjou's hands were pinned down by Chu Lian, leaving her unable to struggle. She could only widen her eyes and stare at her, trying to figure out what she intended.
"Nothing much. Just... going to eat you," Chu Lian said with a faint smile, leaning down to whisper by her ear. The words made Hare Menjou's cheeks flush with a soft pink, as if she were shy.
"Right here?" she asked bashfully, her eyes shimmering with moisture, yet she didn't seem worried that Chu Lian would actually do anything to her.
"Right here," Chu Lian replied, looking at her enticing appearance. For a moment, she truly felt like indulging herself right there. The moonlight was beautiful, and there was no one else around. Even in the wild... it shouldn't be a problem, right?
"But..."
Hare Menjou turned her head slightly, and her next words made Chu Lian freeze.
"I... don't want to."
"Ah..."
Taking advantage of her momentary distraction, Hare Menjou instantly turned into a streak of light and returned to Chu Lian's spiritual sense. Her voice echoed in her mind:
"Lian, you're way too lewd. Wanting to do something like that out in the open? I'm not going along with that."
"When you put it that way... you're actually right. I really shouldn't be doing something like that in the open," Chu Lian muttered, the corners of her lips twitching. Even she felt that her thoughts just now had been strange. Why would she suddenly want to do such a thing here? Her desires weren't that strong to begin with.
Roar—
A low growl sounded near her ear. Chu Lian looked up to see several massive bone dragons flying toward her, circling above her head.
She had no idea where they came from, nor how they had survived Nina's nearly world-ending attack earlier. But since they had chosen to show up when she was in a bad mood... perhaps she should thank them for volunteering as punching bags.
"When I'm in a bad mood, I should solve things with a blade. After all, being polite in the end isn't as satisfying as drawing weapons," Chu Lian said as she stood up. Irritation was already creeping into her heart. Why were these things so persistent? Wasn't the Source of the Aberration already dealt with?
"Who told you the Source of the Aberration was resolved?" Ayase's voice rang out. "The creature Yukari Yakumo killed was merely a 'virus' attached to the source—it wasn't the source itself."
"The Source of the Aberration has no physical form, nor does it merge with other lifeforms. It exists independently, acting only according to its preset functions. It will never change for anyone, nor will it disappear just because a mere virus has been eliminated."
"To put it simply, the Source of the Aberration is like a computer, while the virus is something that damages it over time. But a computer won't stop running just because the virus is removed. Do you understand?"
"Ah, when you put it like that, I get it. The Source of the Aberration is rigid, while the virus is active. So... that means I still have to deal with at least another wave of attacks from it?" Chu Lian said, somewhat surprised. She could accept that it hadn't been destroyed, but even so, these monsters shouldn't be appearing nonstop.
"No. Once you deal with this wave, it will relocate," Ayase replied. "You should have noticed that this attack is unusually intense—far stronger than before. That's because it has drawn on future reserves of energy to summon more undead to attack you."
"That's also why a Transcendence-level expert like Nastaryel appeared among them. It summoned too many, so some had to be pulled in from Tyrael. And those who sensed your presence and wanted to find you... came along as well."
"So this is basically a disaster out of nowhere?" Chu Lian couldn't help but laugh wryly. If she hadn't been in the graveyard, would the Source of the Aberration have been powerless against her, no matter how many undead it summoned? After all, a Transcendence-level opponent like that had left her with nowhere to run.
"It is, in a sense," Ayase admitted. "If it didn't need to summon such a massive undead army, it wouldn't have had to draw from Tyrael. And without that, no one would have noticed your presence or come looking for trouble. However... 'End Legion' is a name worth paying attention to."
Her tone turned serious, and Chu Lian immediately nodded, knowing this wasn't the time for jokes.
"Enemies at that level aren't something I can handle yet. And this time, them finding me was purely coincidental. As long as I avoid being present when the Source of the Aberration is active—or when someone is summoning undead on a large scale—I should be fine. Without my presence, they won't come looking every time, right?"
"Besides, not every world's Source of the Aberration can raise the world's energy limit. In a normal world, the worst you'd see would be aliens or ghosts—not something this absurd," Chu Lian added.
She had already thought this through and found a way to deal with it. At heart, she was someone who preferred to avoid danger and seek out the most advantageous path.
"Even if you can't deal with them now, you still need to be cautious," Ayase said. "Interact more with undead in the future, gain more titles and auras. When the time comes, lead your own army, stack your buffs, and crush them outright. Let's see how arrogant they can stay then."
It was clear that the End Legion's actions this time had thoroughly angered her.
"Relax, relax. No matter how strong the End Legion is, they're still being held in check by Tírnas. According to her, they're at best evenly matched. If they keep sending too many troops or powerful individuals over, they'll only weaken themselves and give Tírnas the advantage," Chu Lian said as she took out the Senra Longblade, gently running her fingers along its edge.
"As long as they have any sense, they won't act recklessly. I think sending Nastaryel this time was already their limit for probing. Once they realize they can't deal with me, they'll back off for now."
"After all, no matter how much they want Nina—the world-ending dragon—or Tírnas' cultivation notes accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years, the overall war situation comes first. Without an overwhelming advantage, acting rashly would only lead them toward defeat."
With a push of her feet, Chu Lian shot into the air. Blue-green light shimmered in her eyes as the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception activated. In her vision, the bone dragons before her were nothing more than fragile targets, easily erased.
"Sometimes, I really marvel at obtaining these eyes. On the surface, they don't seem to increase my strength much—but the moment they're activated, the entire world changes. It's like becoming a completely different person. Truly terrifying... isn't it?"
With a single swing of her blade, the final bone dragon was sliced into pieces. Even these monsters, stronger than those in the original story, were still unbearably fragile in her hands.
After clearing them out, she didn't descend. Instead, she used the remaining duration of her eyes to steady herself in midair, gathering all her essence, energy, and focus into one point.
Beneath the moon, her figure seemed almost ethereal.
One strike—
A peerless slash cut through the sky, splitting the entire graveyard open and leaving behind a deep chasm, like a pathway leading into the abyss, left for others to imagine...