I fought to see Yue through the yellow sparks that surrounded me. They swarmed in thick layers, but I pushed through them with my hands until I could finally catch a glimpse of Yue on stage, her eyes darting between Yang and the puppet party.

“Yue! Yu-!”

The flurry of karmic stung my skin, leaving red burns in the shape of scars. I pushed through the pain and waved them away. They chewed through my hand, and my eyes burned like they were being sliced open. Still, I stumbled toward the stage, the doll perched on my shoulder.

[Observers Chat]

Socrates: Turn back, Jia Li! You’ll die if you continue this for much longer!

“Fuck, Archangel Michael, are you going to do something or not?!”

Finally, the sparks flew back, leaving an empty halo around me like I was in a protective bubble. The sparks clashed against the invisible barrier, struggling to get through.

I hissed air in through my teeth, trembling from the pain on my whole body. Now that I could catch a breather, it felt even worse than when I was being assaulted.

“You couldn’t do that sooner, Archangel Michael?”

The little doll still hung limply on my shoulder before falling over and leaning against my neck. I knew it was the best that Archangel Michael could do given the amount of karma surging around me, but I was still pissed that it took so long.

“Thanks anyway. Save your energy until we get closer, then I need you to fling everything off. It’ll only take a few seconds, and I’ll try to save your energy.”

[115 gods are shocked by the actions of Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts!]

[1,039 demons are enraged at the interference of the divinity!]

Demon King of Resourceful Goblins attempts to rally demons against Disciple Peijin and Supreme Commander of the Heavenly Hosts!

Demon Abyssal Kraken of Black Seas glares at King of Resourceful Goblins.

Demon King of Resourceful Goblins accuses Abyssal Kraken of Black Seas of turning against the demon realm.

Demon Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven says only weak demons would be bothered by contracts.’

Divinity Great Sage Equaling Heaven says stupid demons should keep their mouth shut.

I lifted leg after leg, lurching forward with each heavy step. It felt like I was dragging my body through quicksand. Whipping my Shield of Truth out from the bag, I began pressing my way forward.

The entire theater was rumbling, loud crashing and bangs threw me back. I gripped onto the side of the chairs, shoving myself forward until I could finally see the elevated stage before me. Yang was struggling on the stage, having suffered a grave wound to his leg that he was struggling to heal. His whole body shook with the effort to stand.

Suddenly, I heard an ear-splitting shriek cut through even the crashing stage, and my blood ran cold.

Yue.

Yang and I cried out for her at the same time, our voices cracking and violent alongside the sounds of Yue’s pained, animalistic screeches.

“Archangel Michael, now!”

The sparks all erupted away from me, glimmering and vanishing into the arc as I darted forward, leaping up onto the stage. Zhige, finally battered down by the sparks, raced toward me and flew back into my hand, gaining the protection of Archangel Michael.

Yue was being violently gored, puppet Peijin rapidly stabbing straight through her abdomen repeatedly. Puppet Yang held her in place without a flicker of emotion crossing his face.

“No! No!” My words came out as a scream. Goddamnit, even if Yue was the biggest asshole in the party, she didn’t deserve this.

[Disciple Yue has activated Demonic Fire!]

Yue’s fists lit up with the black flames, but they weakened with each stab she faced. Tears streamed down her pale face. She kicked her feet desperately, screaming and crying and thrashing.

I let out a loud scream as I lunged at puppet Peijin.

Zhige pierced straight through puppet Peijin’s back before I dragged the sword up, splitting her in half. With a brutal cry, she attempted to reach behind me and grip the sword, but Zhige’s red eye furiously blinked, and the blade swiveled to cut off her arms.

Zhige diced straight though puppet Peijin with such ferocity it was like Zhige had a personal vendetta against the ghost. The blade made quick work since puppet Peijin had been distracted by Yue, cutting her into small ghost cubes that quickly began to disintegrate.

Yang, who had finally gotten to his feet, tore puppet Yang off of Yue, who collapsed to the ground. Yang struggled against his demented self; his moves were frenzied, frantic, and panicked—only growing in intensity when puppet Yang suddenly lifted the staff and aimed it for Yue’s heart.

Some spare sparks cut into my skin like little paper cuts, but I swung my arms before me and pushed them back, stumbling forward to control and speak with Zhige.

The last thing I would die from was some stupid sparks from hell, but I couldn’t be the reason Yue died, either.

“Zhige! Help Yang!” My voice was strained now from the repeated onslaught. I’d need to use some of the elixirs and potions gathered from earlier rooms to heal my wounds, but I needed to make sure Yue survived.

Zhige froze, looking back and forth between the two versions.

“Are you serious right now? The real one!” I was swarmed once more, my voice and strength was fading.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

I clutched the doll closely against me like it were a protective amulet. The doll began to fall apart, the stitches that made it up falling out. I could tell Archangel Michael was rapidly running out of spiritual energy in this small form.

“Archangel Michael, redirect most of your energy to protecting Zhige.” I cried out in obvious pain from my past injuries and the new ones being inflicted by karmic restraints.

I looked up at the seats locked behind that cursed glass—Wei was covering Amelia’s eyes as she hugged his leg, clearly deeply frightened by the sight.

I had to last until the end of this dungeon.

Please, let that be soon.

Or I’d come back as a ghost to haunt Yue forever and give her a new fear.

Puppet Yang flung his staff and smashed Yang against the stage wall, causing him to cough and spit a mixture of saliva and blood all over himself. The fall was hard, creating a loud crashing sound, but Yang quickly got up and ran over to Yue.

Zhige was beside him, both of them moving as one to catch up to Yue.

I sprinted toward Yue, trying to reach for her and tend to her injuries.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Yue. Let’s get out of here, okay?” I pleaded, still holding the shield above me to try and hold back the sparks. But at the sight of me, her gaze grew complicated, and she tried to crawl away.

Ah, right. In her confused and disorientated state, Yue needed Yang, not me.

My face twisted into a pained smile.

I didn’t think it would feel this bad to be rejected by my own character. I guess not all of them needed me the way I wanted them too.

Karmic sparks forced me down again, and I collapsed onto my knees beside Yue, who only further distanced herself from me.

Puppet Yang lifted his staff up into the air with incredible strength, the muscles of his arm shifting under the theater light, before sending it straight through Yue’s arm.

“It hurts! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!” Yue screamed, trying to maneuver away before falling on the ground, a puddle of deep red blood pooling out beneath her. Thankfully, her high physique level kept her alive despite the attempts of puppet Peijin to kill her, but if she was tended to immediately, she would die.

She looked up with a horrified expression, not seeming to believe the situation playing out in front of her. Her face fell with a look of sheer horror and defeat, and her cloudy gaze flickered to the spear still clutched in her hand.

Zhige finally reached puppet Yang, and with one clean cut, pierced straight through his hard skull. Puppet Yang froze for a moment before gripping the hilt of the sword and trying to pull it out, but Zhige shook violently and gored puppet Yang repeatedly.

Puppet Yang let out a violent cry before dissipating into ashes. Knowing my tradition of collecting ashes, Zhige quickly gathered and piled the ashes of both puppet Yang and puppet Peijin together while Yang scrambled back onto his feet, darting toward Yue.

Suddenly, Yue tightened her grip on her spear and aimed at her own chest, but Yang ripped the weapon out of her hands, glaring at her furiously before shouting.

“I didn’t leave. None of us did!” He shouted at her. “So don’t ever do something so stupid!”

Yang’s arms were wrapped around her neck tightly, and his face was twisted into a painful expression. He met her eyes deadon. “Yue, let’s go. We’re all waiting for you.”

Despite his words, Yue could only manage to blink up at him before blood spurted out of her mouth.

Yang tore off his jacket, quickly tying it around her wounded abdomen. Zhige flew back into my hand, and I quickly paid my respects. Finally, with Zhige back in my grasp, Archangel Michael could center the last bits of his spiritual energy on me enough for me to help Yang carry Yue out.

Although Yang’s entire body was trembling with obvious fear, he never left Yue’s side.

Yang and I dragged Yue’s limp body past the edge of the stage, finally bringing the dungeon to an end as the train appeared. The Shield of Truth covered most of my figure, and I collapsed into the train, letting it fall atop me. The train picked up Wei and Amelia just after.

I hit the cold ground of the train and ground. The sparks immediately vanished. The small ragdoll was reduced to nothing more than yarn, but it vanished before I could even process the sight.

“Thanks,” I choked, “I hope the contract helps you avoid any big punishment from Paradise.”

Each breath I took let out a small whistle sound, and my eyes were still squeezed shut from the overwhelming pain. The golden flakes continued to leak out of my body, but their rate had slowed. My tattoo however was glowing white, emanating sparks of its own.

“Peijin!” Amelia’s voice rang out and I could see the shadows from her footsteps as she approached me. She bent down and lifted the shield off.

The shield clattered to the ground beside me, and Amelia covered her mouth in shock.

[Observers Chat]

Hedgehog1938: Oh my god…

Cjst123: Holy shit. Even with all that spiritual energy it turned out like this?

[You have received a new review!]

BEIGETOWEL REVIEW: ★★★★★

Peijin has changed a lot. For someone who acts so cold and brutish, she is far more heroic than I’d have ever expected.

Divinity The One Who Fights in Front is stunned by your pain tolerance.

The luminosity of the metro lights bore into me, and even with my eyes closed, I was blinded—my eyelids were worn so thin now, that they couldn’t even block the light.

Demon Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven is amazed at how far you went for Disciple Yue.

Demon Great Sage Who Pacifies Heaven sponsors 10,000 stars.

Zhige nudged me, trying to get me to stand up. My skin was marred by deep red marks, some actively bleeding while others seemed to have torn chunks out of my skin; I took in a shuddering breath that stung my throat.

If it weren’t for the doll, I would have been immediately torn apart. This? This was nothing.

No one could escape karma.

“P-Peijin…” Wei said. He crouched down beside me, his puppy-like eyes large and trembling. “I’m sorry I was too weak to do anything for you or Archangel Michael.”

At Wei’s words, Amelia teared up and sniffled loudly, on the verge of wailing. “Is Peijin going to die?”

My eye twitched. “No. Peijin is too angry to die,” I said.

I slowly sat up, moving at a snail’s pace. I opened my bag to pull out a pink elixir. Blood dripped into my eyes and made my vision, but I stumbled over to Yue on the ground, kneeling beside her. Yang was holding her tightly, and he tried to reach out to grab onto my arm, but he hesitated when he saw the condition of my skin.

“Peijin…” Chang muttered.

I hadn’t realized that Chang followed me back here. I couldn’t process any of his words right now through my pain.

The pink elixir sloshed in the clear glass, and I tried to pry open the container’s cork lid with my thumb; however, as soon as I put pressure on the lid, the skin on my thumb peeled off and revealed a raw flesh.

Yue’s eyes followed my movements—her expression was that of a stranger. Every few seconds, she’d wince, and sweat that collected on her forehead would bead down her face and blood would gush out once more.

“I got it,” Yang whispered softly, gently taking the bottle from my hands and tilting it above my mouth. “Here.”

I shook my head and gestured at Yue, trying to take back the elixir. “Give it to her first.”

Yang gave me a rather surprised expression, and I felt glad that I hadn’t looked in the reflective windows of the metro. Was my condition so bad that he thought I’d need the elixir before Yue?

I let out a small laugh.

Yue was still bleeding out on the ground before me, obviously in visible pain. She needed it far more than I did. If anyone was going to beat her to the brink of death, it would be me, not some stupid scenario.

Yang gently dripped the glittering pink elixir into her mouth before closing her chin, and she swallowed it with a wince. Her breath began to slow, and the blood began to clot.

“Give her some more,” I commanded with a scratchy voice, leaning over to tip the elixir until it was virtually empty. “She needs to heal so she can pick her skill like Amelia did.”

Once Yue finished drinking, she lay on the ground rather frozen and unmoving, but her injuries were clearly beginning to heal over.

Her eyes fluttered open, her eyelashes twinkling in the light, and she looked at Yang before staring at me, her face promptly twisting into one of horror at my condition.

“Peijin, drink the rest and then open up a new elixir for yourself,” Yang said.

“I’m fine.”

Yang glared at me with a harsh expression, and I sighed.

“Her lips touched it,” I argued back stubbornly. Every ounce of that elixir had to be preserved, and I was annoyed to have spent an entire one on such a trivial scenario.

“Do you have any leftover kraken mucus?” I quizzed. “That’ll fix this right up.”

Yang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Just grab a new elixir then.”

“That was the only healing elixir we got.” The lie slipped out easily despite my jagged voice, though it wasn’t really my intention. It was the only healing elixir we should use—they were hard to come by, and we were short on stock.

It wasn’t really a lie if it was for everyone’s sake.

To my fortune, Yang hadn’t been paying enough attention to the collected elixirs, and since I was the one gathering all of them in my bag, he was unable to question me. My vision continued to blur as my hearing began to cut out, overwhelmed by a stuffy buzzing sound, but I still reached out and grabbed the kraken mucus from Yang’s hand.

“Peijin? You’re looking a bit…” Yang’s words trailed off as I felt my entire body wobbling black and forth, blood still trailing into my eyes.

My body collapsed with a loud thump.