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

I shot up, immediately grasping at the empty space before me. A piercing headache stabbed through me, and as I looked around, I realized I was surrounded by the collapsed bodies of my party members and an iridescent blue barrier.

Scathing Reviewer activated!

“Socrates!” I exclaimed, panicked as I grabbed Zhige firmly and moved to shake Yang awake.

Observer ‘Socrates’: Wei knocked Jia Li out then left to find Meihua! Chang said something is blocking him from moving the broadcast, so I can’t see where they are.

I knew something was wrong. Something had to be wrong. I shoved Yang with even more desperation, slapping his cheeks.

“Wake up, god damnit! Yang, don’t you always brag to me about how you don’t need naps? Come on!”

Blearily, his eyes fluttered open and darted around for a moment before landing on me and, with seeming relief, shutting again.

I firmly punched his gut.

“Ow!”

“Yang!" I exclaimed, "Wei is gone!”

He got up with a start and slapped Yue awake. I didn’t bother waking Amelia, instead grabbing onto her and hoisting her over my back. It was best that, if anything did happen, she wouldn’t be exposed to it.

Even if this world was endlessly cruel and would continue to be, I wanted to protect her from all of it. Tch, when did I get so soft?

“Zhige, break the barrier.”

Zhige flew out of my hand and slammed against the barrier a few times. With its overwhelming spiritual energy, it quickly created a tear before flying through and destroying the barrier.

With my chest heaving up and down from my nervous breath, I began running as I shouted at Yang and a dreary Yue: “Meihua and Ailun were headed for Wei’s parents at the temple. She’s trying to feed them the serpent’s eye to cure their illness and escape with them!”

A stranded civilian, who was yet to push through the wall, reached out for me with a hysteric look; I quickly slammed Zhige against their shoulder and slammed them down onto the ground, sparing a look of disgust.

Yang winced for a moment but averted his gaze from the crying civilian. If he was a character I was writing then, just like Wei, he would’ve lost much of his faith in humanity after witnessing the brutality of this war.

“What do you mean by the serpent’s eye?" Yang asked, "Is it a cure?”

“No, but if she feeds it to Wei’s parents, the serpent’s demonic energy will clash with Daji’s,” I fought to catch my breath, surprised by my own weakness despite my current physique level, “Meihua has the medicinal skill to balance it out well enough so that it should neutralize and dissipate instead of killing them.”

I was by no means strong enough to fight Daji if we did come face to face—but as long as I could support Wei and Meihua, there was a chance.

Wei would follow Meihua to the end of the world; if she was at the temple, I knew Wei would follow, the loyal dog he was.

In Surviving My First Run, when writing Wei, he was no more than a dumb, tail-wagging dog. His endless faith and loyalty to those around him didn’t really help his case, but it was also what made him so popular among his people.

Everyone liked a man who listened to them whether they were right and wrong. Wei was someone who made people feel good, feel important.

In the first iteration of this arc, Wei was relentlessly persecuted by the entire heavenly realm. After he was banished, people called him many things—if they bothered to refer to the heaven’s failure at all. Stupid mutt, vile cur, and a whore’s whelp (of course in reference to Meihua). All of these had become names for the fallen Blessed Martial Guard of Salvation.

“Socrates,” I hissed quietly through my teeth, a pang in my chest, “Is it my fault?”

Observer ‘Socrates’: Does Jia Li want my opinion or for me to read her reviews out loud?

I snorted before averting my eyes from the pop up. “I’ll make you and Karma look like a fool.”

Observer ‘Socrates’: I didn’t say anything, Jia Li! It’s everyone else’s opinion!

“Shut up.”

Observer ‘Socrates’: You’re the one that asked me—

I closed the blue screen.

Yue, who looked like she had just risen from the dead, groggily blurted, “Peijin, there’s a shortcut through these trees. I made it during one of my recent trips.” Yang propped her up, practically dragging her through the road.

“How much time does it save?”

“Ten minutes,” Yue replied.

So, the shortcut sucked. Still, I wanted to save as much time as I could. I wasn’t sure how long we had been knocked out, and I couldn’t jeopardize any opportunities.

“Is it somewhat paved?”

“A little,” she replied, trying to make her voice louder, “I got mad and started destroying trees.”

“Hm.”

In any other pretense, such a comment from Yue would have made me snicker, but my head was swarming with the thought of Wei needing to face the same fate, a fate I assigned him.

“Gosh, what am I feeling so guilty for,” I grumbled, grabbing onto Zhige and stroking the blade. “Zhige, aren’t you such a cool sword? Remember that one time in Yang’s room?”

Yang immediately looked embarrassed, and his face twisted into a sour expression. “W-What are you bringing that up for?”

“Zhige, you did so well there!” I praised.

The eye squinted, looking pleased, as the sword grew to nearly double its size.

I continued speaking to the sword, looking like a maniac to anyone who would’ve seen me. “Zhige, I’m very sorry for the times I criticized or doubted you. You know, I actually think you’re very brilliant.”

Its bright red eye spinning in delight, the sword grew even larger. It was almost where I wanted it.

“Have you fucking lost it, Peijin?” Yue cried, staring at me with a look of bewilderment.

Zhige shrank.

I glared at Yue over my shoulder, screaming at her. “Shut up! Zhige is very sensitive!”

Upon hearing my defense, the blade grew massively.

“Yes! Good Zhige!” I came to a sudden stop and held Zhige parallel to the ground. “Stay up, okay?”

The blade hovered in the air, the eye following me as I grabbed onto it and hoisted myself onto the blade. To my relief, my weight and Amelia’s didn’t seem to affect it.

“Yang. Yue. Climb up.”

“I’m not riding on the sword!” Yue exclaimed, taking a step back. “Are you trying to kill us before we get there?!”

“Are you seriously going to argue with me right now?” I cried, “Just get on the damn sword!”

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Yang gently ushered Yue to the sword and helped lift her onto it while she argued with me the entire time. She sat down on the hilt and clutched it while Yang stood between us.

“Zhige, take us to Wei’s temple. Follow the path, and I think we should end…” I turned to Yue.

“By the river,” she answered, her voice tinged with annoyance.

“Okay, by the river,” I confirmed.

At once, Zhige accelerated to unbelievable speeds and swerved through the forest. Yue let out a loud scream and clutched the hilt as I stumbled, struggling to keep my balance on top of the sword. Yang held me steady by clutching my robes, spitting as my long hair whipped against his face.

“Sorry!” I apologized, trying to stop it from hitting Amelia and Yang, but Amelia’s eyes slowly opened.

She let out a shrill scream and grabbed onto my neck with a suffocating grip, and I choked as she continued wailing.

But, thanks to Zhige’s incredible speed, we quickly arrived at the side of the river, the gorgeous temple looming over us. The sun hit against the colorful tiles, casting a beautiful golden sheen.

It was perfectly still, not one disturbance other than the sound of running water.

Bai gawked at us as he stood submerged in the river, washing all of the clothes including his own. They were surrounding him in the river as he scrubbed his skin with a bar of pink soap.

Yang quickly grabbed Amelia and covered her eyes as I flung Bai’s robes at his face.

I scolded, “How could you be so indecent in front of a child?!”

Bai tore the robes from his embarrassed face. “What the fuck?! What are all of you even doing here?” He exclaimed, reaching for a cloth he kept dry at the side of the river to dry himself. “Why the fuck would you bring a kid unannounced?!”

Yang also quickly covered Amelia’s ears.

“Are Wei, Meihua, and Ailun inside?” I asked, already halfway up the temple steps.

Bai turned around, tying his robes. “His Highness? Isn’t he with you?”

My blood ran cold as I turned around to face him, my hands trembling.

“His Highness is with me?”

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

An incomprehensible amount of spiritual energy erupted through the forest as all of the plants and flora seemed to tear out of the ground, twisting and turning into the air before shooting straight toward the man and Daji.

Daji’s eyes widened in complete disbelief as her nimble body leapt onto its feet and dodged quickly. The movement caused Ailun’s body to slam around violently, and fat tears dripped from his face.

Wei’s expression was twisted into fear and terror; did Meihua… have this kind of power?

As she swirled in the air, her black sword slicing and tearing into Daji’s skin, she resembled a primal, terrifying beast. But still, to Wei, it almost looked like she was trying to hold back. This newfound power tapped into an endless pond of spiritual energy, but Meihua wasn’t using all of it.

Realizing the new threat that Meihua posed, Daji darted behind her disciple before she unhinged her jaw, fire bursting out and causing all of the neighboring trees to light on fire.

Meihua coughed, covering her mouth with her already bloodied robes but not once did she slow her endless attack.

Wei gripped his chest, blood trickling out from the hole in his heart.

Please, please, please, please.

He begged and pleaded, tears welling up in his eyes as he desperately tried to recover. He gripped onto his sword as Daji’s disciple stormed straight at him, killing energy blazing from him.

Wei could only stumble back, the wound healing but not healed. The man was relentless, however, and continued to approach with even more ferocity. He sliced past the various trees and slashed right through Wei's entire abdomen before a root burst from the ground, piercing the man's body.

He let out a pained grunt, but Meihua had now turned her focus onto him. At the sight of the man’s murderous intent, she let out an anguished cry as she turned all of her power to him, watching as branches erupted through his entire body before they tore spun and tore him into pieces.

Daji’s tails suddenly seemed to multiply, turning into dozens behind her as they all shot straight at a distracted Meihua.

“No!” Wei screamed, darting forward, blood spilling out of the gaping wound in his chest, his hands sweating, his eyes welling with tears, his entire body trembling in complete horror and fear and devastation.

Meihua whipped her head back around and attempted to cut through the tails but to no avail—they pierced through her before erupting into bright red flames.

She created a vortex with her sword, whipping it in the air to quell the raging fire, but it couldn’t fix the wounds littering her already wrecked body. Whatever power she had used to heal her leg, she now held it back.

With a faint smile, she thrashed her sword one last time before letting it go; its long black blade buried into Daji’s entire body like too-tight shackles before she was seized.

“No!” Wei cried, his hands digging into the ground in disgust of his weakness. A martial god? Really? How could he have ever called himself a martial god?! How could he call himself anything other than a useless fucker?!

“No! Please, I’ll do anything! Daji, please, you can do whatever you want to me, but leave Meihua out of this! Please! Torture me for centuries, banish me for a millennium, but let her go!” Wei screamed, feebly slashing his sword as tears streamed down his face. “Please!”

“Wei,” Meihua said softly, looking up at him as the tales slowly crushed her body. Her eyes were bright red, and little tears trickled down her face as she gave him a wide grin. “I’ll die without regrets.”

“Please!” Wei screamed, feeling no shame or dishonor at his pitiful state.

Meihua didn’t bother bracing herself as Daji’s jaw unhinged, her claws and tails holding Meihua down as they dug into her small body.

Meihua let out a small sob through her endlessly bright smile. “At least that’s what I’d like to say,” she choked, “Truth is, I do have one. I wish I could’ve spent the rest of eternity with you.”

“MEIHUA!”

Daji's jaw snapped shut on Meihua’s head before tearing her entire spine out of her body. Crimson blood erupted as Meihua finally fell limp, completely lifeless. Meihua’s beautiful features were lost in the hungry snaps of Daji’s mouth as she hungrily chewed and swallowed her body, blood covering her lips.

Wei collapsed and stared at the sight before him in utter silence. He couldn’t hear anything other than one repeating phrase.

I wish I could’ve spent the rest of eternity with you.

I wish…

I…

“Ah…” Wei gasped, staring at the ground as his nails gripped the dirt, digging into it. “Aghhh,” he wailed, crying and screaming as he shouted louder and louder, pounding into the ground as hard as he could but hardly making a dent.

He gripped his head and screamed, the sound of Meihua’s body crunching beside him. There would be no funeral. There would be no worship or candles burned or a goodbye. There would never be a sendoff, never be another picture taken, never be...

Meihua was dead.

“Meihua, please, I can’t! I can’t!” Wei continued screaming, curling up into his small body like a pathetic, abandoned dog.

Daji let out a satisfied sigh before cackling wildly, Meihua’s blades still digging into her skin. Even after her death, her blade refused to let go.

A spiritual weapon without its owner was wild and lost.

Daji grabbed onto Wei’s ruined body and hoisted him into the air, her face and claws covered with the scraps of Meihua.

She smiled at him, licking her chops as she gently undid his hair ribbon, tying it to both his hands instead. Instead of thrashing or attempting to escape, Wei merely hung there, completely limp and empty. He was no more human than Meihua now.

“You really are a dumb dog,” Daji said with her sly, sultry voice, “To let your emotions take such a hold over you. That’s why fools like you end up abandoned on the streets.”

She tightened the bands around Wei’s hands, and he squirmed from the pain, trying to pull back.

“But, Your Highness,” Daji continued, “I don’t fall victim to such foolish emotions. I don’t stop just because someone dies.” Her ears flickered toward her dead disciple’s body still bleeding out on the ground.

She brought Ailun’s body in between Wei’s tied hands.

Wei’s eyes widened in horror as he quickly recovered, thrashing and kicking as much as he could, even if all he could muster was a wiggle.

“Stop it, please,” Wei pleaded, trying to kick himself back.

Daji maneuvered the ribbon around Ailun’s neck. Ailun’s eyes welled with tears, and his pupils desperately remained locked onto Wei’s, pleading with him.

Ailun: Wei, please, please help me! Please!

Ailun: It hurts! It hurts! Please end it!

Wei shook his head slowly, a horrified expression torn into his face. “Why do you have to do this to me…?” He cried.

Ailun: Gege*, please, are you really going to make me suffer?!

Ailun: PLEASE! Don’t kill me like you killed Meihua!

Ailun: Hahaha, do you really think that was her only regret?

Wei’s face turned a sickly blue shade.

Ailun: You’re a fool for thinking that Ailun can even talk to you anymore. When will you ever learn, Wei?

Daji spoke through poor Ailun’s body, and Ailun couldn’t help but wretch and gag, trying to pull Daji’s claws out of his throat.

“I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!” Wei swore, spitting and tearing and clawing at Daji. “I don’t care if you kill me now! I’ll come back as a ghost and haunt you forever! I’ll never let you live!”

Suddenly, Daji pulled his two hands tight, and Ailun became strangled by his ribbon. Daji withdrew her claw from his throat, and blood poured out as Ailun let out gargled cries.

“No!” Wei screamed, trying to loosen the ribbon, but Daji pulled his hands further and further apart, causing Ailun’s face to turn blue and purple.

“You, Your Highness,” Daji gave a patronizing smile, “are going to be the one to kill your very own brother. His blood will be on your hands.”

“Stop it! Stop it! I can’t! I can't, I can't, I can't!” Wei screamed, his head roaring in pain as his migraine only worsened and made his jumbled thoughts explode.

Ailun’s young face, his plump cheeks and wide eyes, turned bright red as the ribbon only tightened more and more. Tears fell down his face and soaked the ribbon, and he could only let out barely audible cries and groans, staring at Wei.

Until finally, Ailun’s head erupted.

Blood poured out of every single one of his orifices as his eyes popped out of his head, and his neck completely snapped in Wei’s very own hands.

Daji dropped Wei, and he slumped to the ground.