A small doll appeared on stage before the sparks vanished, and it immediately fell limp on the ground.

I darted forward, quickly picking it up. It was a traditional ragdoll with large black button eyes—the doll had curly pieces of yellow yarn for hair and white wings attached to its back with blue robes flowing out.

In my hands, it looked like a normal angel ragdoll—completely lifeless and still.

To make a descent like this, it would have already cost Archangel Michael an unspeakable amount of spiritual energy.

You have received a new rating.

5 / 5: I want to see Peijin do cool things, and if bad reviews are what kills her, I might as well leave this one.

Observer ‘Socrates’: Hurry, Jia Li! You can only hold off karma for so long.

Gently placing the doll on my shoulder, I offered it a large smile. “This form is quite cute. I wouldn’t mind signing more contracts if I could keep you perched here like this.”

The doll was still hunched over on my shoulder, the big button eyes unblinking.

“Zhige, here,” I called out, slapping the side of my leg as if the blade were a dog. “Can you feel pain?”

Amelia was now pressing her small forehead against Yang’s, and soon, I would be thrust into the arc’s punishment for invading the dungeon room.

Zhige shook back and forth in an attempt to reassure me before pressing against me once more.

“Lucky you.”

I lept off the stage and tried to run as far up the auditorium as I could toward the glass, but Yang quickly descended before I made it.

At once, massive sparks flew out around me and, like a swarm of infuriated hornets, surrounded and seared into my skin.

“Urgh!” I cried out, falling onto a knee while my limbs kicked and convulsed, trying to get rid of the burning pain.

More and more sparks emerged around me and bit into my skin, leaving burn wounds before vanishing. Zhige trembled violently against me and tried to ward off some of the sparks.

Even if my physique level was at fifty or a hundred, the arc’s punishment would’ve overwhelmed me; I was breaking the most fundamental and core rule of the entire system—allowing me to survive would be a massive flaw.

I groaned, trying to stand up as the flurry around me began to completely block out my vision with nothing more but bright, angry sparks.

“Zhige, can’t you try a bit harder?”

Seeming rather offended by my remark, Zhige flew above my head and grew in size—with the blade pointed toward the ground, it spun rapidly in circles to deflect the sparks around me.

Surprisingly, most likely due to Zhige’s incredible spiritual power, it actually deflected nearly all of the sparks. Soon, the system would come for Zhige as well, but I could finally fight for a few desperate inhales.

To outsiders, I would look like a burning tower, sparks of fire and pure energy exuding out of me.

Before me, there was a sudden blue flash that I could hardly make out. It creeped closer until a small blue snout poked through the whirlpool of sparks.

“Chang?”

Oddly enough, he seemed strangely concerned with his scaly brows furrowed and his lips dipping into a frown.

[You need to get back behind the glass, Peijin.]

“I can’t.”

[You can never outdo karma. God of fortune and fate or not.]

I laughed pitifully, standing up and readjusting the doll. “You wanted a good show, right?”

Before me, Yang was struggling against puppet Yang. Puppet Yang matched his skills, if not superior. He wielded the staff seamlessly, creating distance between the two as he continued pulling Yue toward the end of the stage.

“Yue! Stop!” Yang cried, desperately trying to reach her, but the staff beat him back ceaselessly.

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Scathing Reviewer activated!]

I looked up at Chang with a small smile on my face. “I can’t leave until this dungeon ends. I trust Zhige and Archangel Michael.”

Divinity ‘The One Who Fights in Front’ nods at your display of bravery.

Divinity ‘The One Who Fights in Front’ also criticizes your behavior as unwise.

Chang’s expression fell immediately at my words.

[The doll… is that?]

“Yes, it is.”

[Do you understand what you’re doing, Peijin?! How did he even agree to let you do that?]

Chang’s voice grew louder and louder, and he tugged harshly on his whiskers, clearly stressed out.

“Aren’t all your bosses gods? Since when did you start doubting them?”

[If you’re a god, I can see why you got banished from the heavens.]

Sparks continued flying around me as Zhige attempted to swing them off, but he was slowly being forced closer and closer against me.

“Zhige, you need to leave me and get puppet Yang,” I whisper to the spinning blade above me.

Faltering for a moment, Zhige hesitated with the command—as soon as Zhige left, the sparks would reattach themselves to me.

I let out a little laugh, brushing my hair back, “I know. I’m pissed off that Yang hasn’t ended this yet.” Gripping the doll tightly, I took in one last breath.

“Zhige, go.”

The blade darted forward, and I was immediately engulfed by the yellow sparks.

✩•̩̩͙*˚⁺‧. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧.˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧. •̩̩͙*˚⁺‧. ˚ *•̩̩͙ ✩

Wu Peijin has my best interest at heart.

That was a phrase Yue truly believed.

In fact, if she were asked to, she’d swear her life on this belief; however, she’d never confess to that. Peijin’s ego would be far too boosted.

The two deeply resented each other, but there was an unspoken tension of respect between them. Yue deeply admired Peijin’s cunningness, and Peijin acknowledged Yue’s unparalleled growth.

But there was another truth that Yue believed.

If it’s in my best interest, Wu Peijin will abandon me.

These two truths managed to coexist within Yue, and in only a few days, cultivated a deep garden of fear in her heart. For one, Yue did not yet know if Peijin would abandon her for Yang or Amelia or Wei, as Peijin always managed to achieve everything; she never had to make such decisions.

Peijin, however, was still deeply cruel. Yue saw, felt, and accepted this when watching Amelia tremble with fear in the past room, and Peijin permitted it. In fact, Peijin fostered it.

“Y-Yang!” Yue screamed, wielding her spear nervously in front of her as the two identical figures viciously battled one another.

How could anyone tell them apart?

“Get out of here!” Yang screamed, looking over his shoulder while slashing through the air with the golden staff. “You’re at the end. Make it through! Peijin and I will hold off these imposters.”

The other Yang shouted, but his breaths were labored and weaker. “Don’t listen to him, Yue! He’s not real!”

The Peijin that had burst through the maze now vanished, erupting into no more than a golden flame, but the one that had been with her this entire time continued to fight relentlessly before a gray blade suddenly appeared.

It swung at Peijin with unspeakable force, throwing her back with a loud cry.

A blade that can move on its own?

Yue couldn’t quite recall through her foggy memory.

The gray sword was immediately coated in thick layers of the yellow sparks, crackling and popping like a firework—shaking it off, it lunged at Peijin again.

Yang drew his staff into the air, swinging it down and causing the entire stage to splinter in half, sending everyone flying back. With a deeply fearful look, he turned around to make sure Yue was okay.

That’s right, he was the real Yang. The one who had gone through the maze with her, because Yang didn’t leave.

Yang was different from Peijin. It was clear he harbored a deeply odd fear for Yue, his entire body trembling like a weak autumn leaf around her, but Yang stayed. He stayed with her at the station, he stayed with Amelia during her level, and now, he stayed with her through the maze.

With a loud cry, Yue darted forward, pinning the imposter Yang against the ground with a flurry of attacks.

“Yue? What’s gotten into you? You can’t recognize me?” The imposter shouted, looking up at her desperately while merely dodging her attacks, never once daring to strike back.

Suddenly, his gaze flittered over to the glowing yellow figure in the audience, and his face immediately fell, his eyes growing wide in horror.

“Peijin…?”

That wasn’t the real Peijin. It deserved to die.

Yue’s spear finally slashed into the imposter’s face, causing a deep cut to bleed down his cheek. With a quick movement, the imposter tucked his legs in before kicking out, sending Yue flying with a loud cry.

Suddenly, Peijin darted in, pinning the imposter to the ground. The blade chased after her tail, stabbing deeply into her back.

Peijin let out a deep guttural cry but continued to beat back against the imposter.

“No! Peijin!” Yue screamed, reaching out for her, but she suddenly felt a hand firmly grip her wrist.

“There’s no time, Yue. We need to get out of here! Peijin will catch up with us, believe in her!”

Yang tugged her firmly, sprinting toward the end of the stage and flinging her forward. With one last jump, Yue lept for the end of the stage, her arms outstretched far in front of her.

But she suddenly stopped.

Two arms were hooked underneath her armpits, pinning her tightly against his body.

Yue blinked up, confused, as she looked over her shoulder and met Yang’s eyes.

“Yang?” Her voice faltered now as the betrayal set in. “Yang?”

A blade thrust straight through Yue’s abdomen, causing a line of blood to shoot out and splatter onto the ground. The blade let out a metal ring as Peijin removed the sword in a quick movement before piercing Yue more, over and over and over while Yang held her.

With a violent, guttural sound, Yue cried out as blood spurted from her mouth.