[2. Thorn Rose]

Who, who can love me so much, and wish

Giving up their precious lives?

If anyone is willing to die in the sea for me,

I will be liberated from the stone statue,

And life, life will be redeemed.

I was so eager for the blood to rush;

But the stone statue is still cold,

Hope to be reborn - life is so beautiful.

Does no one have it?

Will I have the courage to wake up,

If one day, I can be born again,

My world is glowing again,

Then I will cry,

Alone, weeping for the stone statue I once had.

What if my blood is as red as wine?

It can't wake up from the sea,

The one who loves me the most.

- (Austria) Rilke, "Song of the Stone Statues"

—

In the stench, noisy dimness, the red-haired young man held the kitten and pushed the door into the decaying peony hall of the Flower Blossom Courtyard, like opening the ominous seal of the forbidden place—

The strong and pungent smell of blood rushed out, and the flames of a thousand candles shook suddenly with the wind and rain he brought, giving people the illusion that the strange blood-colored prints that were painted all around suddenly came to life. The dark red hall, once filled with the smell of moss and rancidity, was now full of disgusting sensations of the source of the evil arts, and at the center of all the crooked runes was a large old bathtub on a drenched dark carpet in the center.

"Bathtub...... the young man smiled wryly, but still walked over without hesitation, and after examining the items prepared by the bathtub, he stepped into the dimly colored water.

Even in the empty ruins, the crazy roar and killing sound of the outside world still penetrated. But the young man resolutely chanted the ancient mantra and called on the designated one in the sea of demons. Summoning monsters always seemed ominous, and as his spell took effect, the borage-covered water in the bathtub began to boil and turn a blood-thick crimson. Right in front of him, something with a rocky texture rose like a continent into a sea of blood, and gradually became taller—

It was a rough humanoid with a pale blue fluorescence at the heart, and this stone statue was what he wanted.

"I hear your call," the voice of the stone statue sounded slowly, but unexpectedly young and soft, you want me to take the life of the man at the heart of the tragedy, and you want me to destroy the city. ”

The young man gazed at it, and asked calmly with a bitter expression, "Will you answer the wish of such a noble demon, the child of power and doom, the eternal death of the Akane Rocks?

"Silence, freedom......" The tone was slightly self-deprecating, and the demon seemed to sigh, "Is death expected like this?"

The young man smiled when he heard this, and his expression was unwavering: "If this can keep the people I cherish alive." ”

But I refused. The voice was so haughty and resolute, like that of a king, that the young man could imagine the cold curvature of his lips when he took the demon's humanoid posture.

"You won't enjoy this feast?" said the young man in a much more relaxed expression, still in a voice that was calm and almost indifferent.

"You'll be disappointed, I'm not like any other demon. ”

Hearing the demon's words, the young man smiled faintly again: "No, I'm very happy. ”

"Happy?" the demon seemed confused, "why did you call me?"

"To get your power, to liberate the city from doom. ”

"By making everyone die?" The killing voice was almost nonchalant with a slight sarcasm as the demon struggled to restrain the displeasure of being summoned.

"No, by letting the King of Doom die. The young man answered without hesitation, and at this moment a thunderclap shook the ruins like an explosion in the mountains, unscrupulously revealing the domineering of the demon king.

The demon was silent for a moment, then suddenly chuckled and sighed in a heavy tone: "It's useless, I resisted, but I failed completely, I let my teacher, my lover, and my best friend all die." ”

Gently stroking the soft fur of the kitten in his arms, the young man lowered his eyelashes: "I know your story. ”

"Yes," the demon's tone softened, with a sadness that shouldn't have belonged to the monster, "it's sad, isn't it?"

"Hmm. ”

The stone statue suddenly crumbled slightly, and the rough human form gradually embellished the soft lines. The demon sighed softly: "How sad it is to have life because of love, but to lose the love as soon as you understand the meaning of life......"

The young man couldn't help but show a bitter and gentle expression, and said softly: "You have lost your love, but you have not lost your love. ”

The outline of the demon as a human form became clearer, and the tone became more subdued and heavy: "This gentle and empty comfort is useless. ”

"Not a consolation, Miss Nellie Lister loved you dearly, no doubt. Even after death, her love is still giving you blessings. Red Hime's thoughtfulness towards you is out of command, but her love and protection for you comes from Miss Lister. ”

"Why are you ......?"

To the demon's question, the young man pursed his lips and then replied, "I am the Heavenly Punisher, and I know everything about you as best I can. ”

The cold stone statue began to reveal the texture of its flesh, and the blood-stained rose-colored texture became softer and softer. The demon's handsome face was still frozen in sadness, like a bitter self-deprecation carved with it: "Heavenly Punisher...... Still haven't given up on me, but I'm ......"

"Petra," the young man called out the demon's name, "no one doubts your excellence, you once broke through the Thousand Ice Oceans with your own strength and integrated into the human world, and no one has ever been able to imprison you in the human demon island." You will always be a fighter for as long as you want. ”

"I've had enough of the futility of protecting with all my might—"

"In vain, if you don't show up, more of the rebels may die early, and Nelly will be at the mercy of others to wash her face with tears," the young man quickly interrupted him and said again, "And Tono Sheng, without you, he might not have survived the Chang'an Blood Festival." ”

"What's that—"

"Then do you want to continue to wander, clinging to a prison on the rock, like Sleeping Beauty sleeping in the castle of the Wild Rose? ”

"Where are they happy......"

"Are you unhappy? Do you really understand them? With the most important person, even if you cry, you are happy!" "In this dangerous moment of being forced by the outside world, where can there be so much time to comfort, but the young man suppressed the anxiety in his heart and said loudly, "They all trust you and expect you to be better, you live, shouldn't you cherish your youth for them?"

Finally, even the skin faded to a fair color, but the blonde-haired and blue-eyed demon still stared hollowly in the twilight: "Between us...... Does it matter?"

"Why do you think I'm related to you?" the young man asked, angry.

"Your tone," the demon who looked up looked directly at him, "I can't see it, and my mind can't clear it...... But your tone seems to say, let me apologize. ”

At this time, he wanted to dodge something, but the young man just urged: "There is no time, just ask you, now only you can respond to the Black Temple to change the fate of the whole city, Petra, will you accept this call?I know your hatred of doom, and I also know your sincere love for Nelly Lister, there are few people in this world who call your name for yourself, and now I call you, I want you to use your power for protection!"

"Yes...... Jean?" the light seemed to finally come into the blue eyes, and the demon slowly showed sadness.

was recognized, but the young man still laughed at himself, and then said loudly: "I have always insisted that it doesn't matter who I am, the important thing is that you can partner with someone you don't know again for your own heart! People will always lose something, but there is absolutely no reason why they cannot move forward if they lose something, if you want to apologize, I apologize to you for wasting your freedom and youth, but I want you to reply now!"

"Accept this sacrifice and stop Ephenice Palenset, right?" the demon confirmed, frowning as he listened to the frenzied noise outside.

"Hmm. ”

"I accept it, but I don't need the lives of my seniors. The demon who said this, its rose-colored power lines spread out like countless thorns, like a wild rose eager to grab the nutrients of the land, absorbing the twisted killing intent and madness in this deep soil, and squeezing out the turbulent power of the Black Water Hime!

That's right...... Now Cedar and He Yanfang, who can purify their demon thoughts, are in a difficult situation, and only Petra, a demon with noble blood but an alien kind, will devour the evil things of the demon world without harming them-

He is a good devil, and although it is very contradictory, it is a fact.

"Whether or not to enjoy the sacrifice is my freedom as a demon, and you expect this to tamper with the spell array to summon me, right?" the demon asked with a wry smile as he glanced at the lifeless kitten in the young man's arms.

The young man met his gaze fixedly, and his expression was too stubborn: "That's right, I'm using you and calculating you. I'm going to manipulate your power, because death has an infinite number of directions, whose death is the death and what is allowed to die, and the significance of this is something that even you can't comprehend, and I need to get the most meaningful result of death!"

Is it so, it is the enemy who dies and I am of course a world apart, and the concept of death is itself a mixture of grief and joy, and whether this meaning is good or bad for itself, that's the key, right?

He gazed at the young man's face, and the young man's light pupils reflecting the flickering firelight could not see the usual ice blue, as if it was just a cold color like reflecting the brilliance, the pupils that were as round as the moon in the night, and the strong will that burned desperately like a flame—

Those were qualities he knew and that he didn't want to see from anyone else.

And who else can imitate this way of doing things? It is both complicated and simple to fight for a simple purpose and to use all the complicated means, both overtly and covertly, to be so bold that you can gamble everything and even your own life can be exhausted.

Only you.

The more he understood the situation, the more he became angry, and the demon asked softly, "Are you angry?"

As a demon, this temper is really too good, and it may be even more impossible to vent his anger than He Yanfang. The young man sighed softly, lowered his eyes and listened carefully to the ghost crying wolf howl that accompanied the cracking sound: "I'm not angry, I just feel sad." This time for yourself, please...... Bear down. ”

"If I accept the sacrifice and don't take the life of my predecessors, I'm really a traitor to the demons...... The High Demon will not break any oath, not even my father, who is an alien, will not break the contract," said this, but accepted all malice without remorse, the demon smiled resolutely, and his excessively gentle face finally showed an awe-inspiring appearance that the demon feared, "If you can persist for yourself like this, you can be regarded as growing, right?"

How many years have passed, and this is the look that young people want to see again. Only this betrayal is so crucial in this conspiracy, death rejects the mercy of fate and takes the place of turmoil and hatred, so that the chain of curses that Hei Sui Ji and the Empress are extremely proud of is finally destroyed. The ground beneath his feet shook violently, and the city polluted by hatred was breaking free from its shackles by feeling alone, and the strong and unyielding power of the cedar roots was inexorably multiplying and growing—

The hardest hour is behind me, and there is no conspiracy, only the battles that are familiar to everyone here, collide with each other with pure will.

"I should have said that it was over, but I summoned you for something else. While picking up the clothes that had been prepared long ago from the side and handing them over, the young man who spoke slowly was still resolute in relief.

"What else?"

"Now that we are on the same path again at last," the young man stared at him with a scorching glint in the shaky darkness, "and I, I hope you are my contractor." ”

Stunned for a moment, the demon couldn't help but whisper: "Me?"

"I'm weak," the young man's expression was strong to reveal the truth bluntly, "I may only have an obsession to the death, but if you still have a wish that you can't give up, if you are willing to tell me, I will run for you to the last breath—"

In the same way, the lines of power diffused by the youth are also endless thorns, pure white, wild, and spikes. But unlike the demons, he is not bound by the seal, but uses it as a force to lash out without mercy on everything that stands in his way.

Red and white thorns intertwined right before our eyes, as if to connect each other's doom. And feeling the strength of the coexistence of youth and weakness again, the demon's expression was also brightly relieved: "Sure enough...... It's you. ”

Staring at his face mixed with joy and sorrow, the young man also bent the corners of his eyes slightly with a mixture of sadness and smile: "Then, Petra Pallenset, I am ...... Who?"

It was impossible to admit that he was mistaken, and the demon whispered the name that he had not dared to mention: "My dear friend, Tono Sheng." ”

Finally able to smile and respond calmly, the young man stretched out his hand: "Make a vow again, this time regardless of high or low, and swear to live and die together on an equal footing." ”

This time there will be no more confusion, and the demon holds his hand like a miracle: "I am the child of power and doom, the eternal death in the Akane Rock, Petra Palenset." ”

"I am the Xenomorph Seven, the Seal and the Mist of Sleep," the young man said for a moment, and then spoke loudly, "After the Wuzhou Yuan Clan, the Silver Python Adjutant and the Phantom Puppet Envoy Yuanye Sheng. ”

"I swear by my life and honor—"

"I swear by my life, in the name of virtue—"

"From now on, we will live and die with my friends, even if it is the doom of death, we will bear and fight together until the last breath. ”

"Since then, I have lived and died with my friends, and I have joined the Demon Sea to fight for eternity, only to fight for my loved ones and enemies, and no matter what fate I share, I will never swerve until death. ”

"Bearing witness to the blood," they were finally as desperate as they were when they were young, and they smiled at each other, "The two-way oath is here." ”

Then pass on the will, and in the rising white mist, the madder flames burned along the intertwined thorn lines, warm, bright and vigorous, heralding the rebirth of a demon. Petra Palenset once hated his ugly thorn lines, and he once asked himself if his body curled up in a rock prison could only nourish the thorns that stabbed him, but now he saw the same thorn marks as himself—the lines of Sheng, which would draw all the strong marks of roses even in the darkness of doom.

The ruins in the flames crumbled, and in the deep soil, the roar of the Beastmaster Gu Ding burst out, uncontrollable rage—

Tonight, the city's battle against doom is coming to an end!

"And now," the already grown Sheng asked softly but firmly, looking into the lightning sky through the huge rift, "will you go see your mother?"

That's right, so the opponent is the Demon Mother. But Petra's expression was no longer wavering: "Let's go." ”

This time he will not run away again, he will fight for his own happiness. If there's anything he wants to change, it's himself-

He lives, and his maiden will never return. The thought of this still makes his heart ache excruciatingly. But it's really time to end, it's time for him to change back to the way he was beloved by the girl, and he should carry the weight forward.

Probably that's how life works, even if you cross the tangled thread, your feet will still be imprisoned. He had succumbed, he had been bound to the cage of memory, and this step of growth did not mean absolute freedom-

Reality is still a cage of howling winds. But in this wailing cage, as long as he wants to believe, there is a real miracle in front of him, and he is not without nothing.

Come, then, roar at the heavy doom that has suppressed him, and enforce his righteousness! He is the demon of death, who abhors the weakness of the human world, which rewards vile and gnaws away virtue, and now is the time for the power of liberation, and guides the revolution of condemnation and punishment with his sparkle of sparkles!

-

Preview: The coldest thing is the blade of the weapon, like the scale armor of the silver python.

The most boiling thing is the blood of the warrior, like the red pupils of the silver python.

The most tenacious thing is virtue and people's hearts, the flow of centuries is transmitted by dreams, even if the soil is polluted by a thousand layers of curses, that ancient lotus seed will still rise and fall in the sea of demons, and bloom red lotus in any soul dyed with silver radiance.

Now respond to the Soul Shaking Seal, the flames of Baise wrap around the sword raised to the sky, and bleed only for the beauty that you believe in!

In the next part, the brand of the deceased, the silver python ring lotus.