“WHY DIDN’T YOU EVEN TRY? YOU DIDN’T EVEN TRY TO KILL HER? YOU HAD YOUR CHANCES!”
The voice erupted like a cataclysm, a searing, guttural shriek that fractured the air and warped the battlefield’s edges. It wasn’t sound alone—it was a force, vast and alien, clawing from a higher abyss, its vibrations twisting reality itself, bending light and rattling the soul with raw, unbridled fury.
Evelyn whirled toward the sound, mana blazing in her fists as she shoved BaiYun behind her, snarling, “Show yourself—who dares?!” Her violet eyes clashed with Ola’s, his arcane light flaring as he snapped, “Beyond this plane—impossible!” only for Qilin to lunge to BaiYun’s flank, crimson eyes wild, roaring, “Shut it, egghead, some high-ass fuck’s out for blood!” Their voices tangled in a furious snarl—Evelyn’s command, Ola’s disbelief, Qilin’s rage—forming a tight, bristling ring around BaiYun, their backs to him as they faced outward, defiance and confusion colliding in the thickening air.
BaiYun sat silent at their core, his breath shallow, eyes darting as he fought to grasp the chaos swallowing them.
Then, another voice rang out, sharp and frantic, cutting through the chaos like a blade. It was a sound Evelyn, Ola, and Qilin didn’t recognize—a rough, urgent rasp that seemed to claw its way from some unseen corner of the battlefield.
But to BaiYun, it was as familiar as his own heartbeat: that useless system of his, the one that only fed him scraps of magic and world info, then did nothing but bicker with him.
“Oh shit—oh hell—we’re done, we’re fucking done! That—that’s the Ultimate System—my goddamn boss!”
BaiYun’s head snapped up, his voice rough with confusion. “What the fuck’s this ‘Ultimate System’? Why’s it want me to kill Evelyn?”
The system’s reply came in a jittery, half-choked mess, words tumbling out like a man who’d lost the plot. “You’re just a fucking pawn, you thick-headed moron! It—it dragged your sorry ass here to put on a damn show, and you’re screwing it up big time! This—this cozy little mess? It’s not what it wanted—not even close!” Its voice cracked, dropping to a shaky, snarling hiss. “It stuck me with you—this shitty, half-baked wreck—because the audience thinks it’s fun, me being useless while you’re floundering around! There’s a bunch of sick bastards up there, watching this crap, and you’re their goddamn circus act!”
Shock froze the group—Evelyn’s fists tightened, Ola’s light wavered, Qilin’s growl sharpened—but before they could speak, the air turned frigid, a bone-chilling weight pressing down as if the sky itself recoiled. The vast voice thundered again, its tone now an icy, venomous hiss, each syllable dripping with contempt and a chilling, calculated malice aimed at the system.
“Your host is an abject failure—a wretched speck unworthy of even the meanest stage. A match forged in futility with a tool as broken as you. We plunged him into the agony of that petty worm’s life, every wound and scream etched into his soul—his rage should have burned Oliver Enzo to ashes, a vendetta to sear the skies, whether he killed or was killed! His mind teemed with schemes and stratagems, proof he craved a world in flames—only in turmoil could his cunning rise, yet he spurns it for peace. We placed him before the queen, her death a spark to ignite this land’s chaos outright, a key to shatter its fragile order into ruin! We saw his leering hunger for women, a spark primed to erupt into debauchery, ravaging this land with lust like Enzo’s vile shadow! Endless chances to weave a tapestry of ruin! Yet he grovels here, entangled in this tepid farce of affection—a stain that defies comprehension, a fracture that chills the audience with dread I cannot permit to fester. They recoil not merely in disgust but in peril—his every breath an insult that gnaws at their certainty, an aberration I must erase before it unravels all. This pawn has failed them, failed me, failed the very purpose of his existence.”
BaiYun froze for a beat, then let out a crooked grin, scratching his head as he muttered, “Woah, hold up, bro—your vocabulary sounds absolutely fabulous. But I don’t get half of it—this is just my second language, eh? Care to make it simpler?” But in his mind, he was screaming at the system, “Oi, you useless prick, calm the fuck down! Shut your trap out there AND LISTEN TO ME! You just said we’re all done—does that mean it’ll take you out too?”
The system’s voice sputtered back in his head, a frantic whisper, “Yeah—yeah, you dickhead, we’re bound, can’t be separated—when you’re fucked, I’m fucked too！”
BaiYun’s gut tightened, a flicker of trust sparking—he knew now this shaky little shit was in the same boat. He pressed on in his mind, “So how’s this bastard gonna kill us, then?”
Before his system can answer, the Ultimate System’s voice lashed out again, colder and sharper, zeroing in on BaiYun. “A fucking disaster—that’s what you are, you miserable wretch.”
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BaiYun tilted his head, feigning a slow nod. “Me? A disaster? Yeah nah. But thanks for clearing that up.” But inside, he pressed the system, “Answer me, how’s it gonna do us in?” The system’s reply trembled in his skull, “I—I don’t fucking know, you asshole! Normal systems like me got no body, just noise. That thing’s got form, but it’s stuck up in some high-frequency hellhole—it can’t just come down here ‘cause its frequency’s locked to that damn world! Killing us outright on this lowlife continent? That’d break the damn rules!”
The air shuddered, a low hum rising as the ground beneath them pulsed and cracked, fine fissures snaking outward. Suddenly, a shimmering field of energy—crackling with violet tendrils—snapped into place around them, sealing the battlefield in a dome that pulsed with an eerie, violet sheen.
Evelyn snarled, hurling a torrent of molten lava at it; the magma struck true, only to hiss and recoil, a searing jolt lancing back through her chest—she gasped, clutching her ribs as she stumbled and fell to one knee, pain etched across her face. Ola thrust out a hand, unleashing a volley of arcane missiles; they slammed into the field and shattered into sparks, his face paling as he spat a mouthful of blood, staggering back. Qilin roared, charging forward and slamming its goddamn bulk against the barrier; its claws raked the surface, sparks flying, but the field held firm, and it recoiled with a snarl, unscathed but pissed.
The Ultimate System’s voice dropped to an icy purr, laced with venomous disdain, “I fear not to tell you—this field will hold for a mere five minutes. But you pitiful worms have only three left to breathe. Wriggle while you can.”
BaiYun’s chest tightened, a sharp pang stabbing at his heart like a knife twisting under his ribs. He gritted his teeth, sweat beading on his brow—hell, it hurt, but he could handle it for now. His eyes darted to the others, and his stomach dropped. Evelyn knelt, her breaths ragged, one hand pressed to her chest like she was breaking apart; Ola swayed, wiping blood from his lips, his face grey; Qilin’s snarls were tight with pain, its huge frame shaking despite its grit. They were in bad shape—real bad—and it was killing him to see it.
Evelyn’s jaw clenched, and with a groan, she forced herself back to her feet, her violet eyes burning through the agony. “No—we can’t stop. We have to try again!” Her voice cracked, but she raised her hands, mana surging as she summoned a roiling wave of molten lava, thicker and hotter than before, its crimson glow casting jagged shadows across the cracked earth. She staggered mid-cast, a choked cry escaping her lips—blood trickled from her nose, then her mouth, staining her chin red. Her hands shook violently, the spell faltering; then her eyes widened, crimson tears streaking down her face as her knees buckled. She collapsed before the lava could fully form, hitting the ground with a dull thud, unconscious.
The Ultimate System’s voice slithered through the air, a chilling sneer dripping with contempt, “Squirm, you worms—your pathetic sparks amuse me.”
“Evelyn!” BaiYun’s shout tore out, rough and desperate, his heart pounding as he lunged toward her. She didn’t move—no twitch, no sound, just a limp heap on the shattered dirt. Anger and panic surged through him, his fists clenching hard enough to ache. “Fuck—Evelyn, come on, wake up!” His voice cracked, then hardened into a snarl as he glared at the empty sky, “I’m gonna tear you to fucking pieces one day, you fucking cunt—you’ll beg for death.”
Qilin bounded over, its massive snout nudging her side, then lifted its head with a deep, rumbling growl. “She’s breathing—still got a pulse. But we’re running out of goddamn time—move it!” Ola knelt beside her, arcane light flickering over her still form; it flared briefly, then snapped back, forcing a ragged cough from his throat as he spat another mouthful of blood, his face twisting in pain.
BaiYun whirled on his system, his voice a furious roar that bounced off the dome as he bellowed out loud, “You said it can’t fucking kill us—what’s this shit, you liar?!” His chest heaved, the pain spiking with every word, but his glare was pure fire.
The system’s voice burst out, shrill and panicked, ringing aloud for all to hear. “I—I didn’t fucking lie, you dickhead! That’s the rules of their high-frequency freak world—swear to God, I’m not bullshitting you!”
“Oh just shut up!” BaiYun snapped, spit flying as he yelled. His fists shook, wanting to smash something—anything—to make this stop. He slammed a fist into the dirt, forcing himself to breathe—slow, steady, calm the hell down. The ache in his chest eased just enough for him to growl, “Fine—what’s this rule you were talking about? What does it say exactly?”
The system’s tone quavered, still loud and frantic. “It’s the damn law up there! No wiping out life in a low-frequency dump like this—straight-up forbidden!”
BaiYun’s eyes narrowed, his mind racing despite the pounding in his head. “If you’re not lying, then it’s breaking its own rules—it’s killing us right here in this low-frequency world! That means it found a way to bypass the rule.” He paused, breath catching as something clicked in his head out of nowhere. His voice shot up, sharp and urgent, “Wait—frequency? Tell me, where does mana come from in the body?!”
The system, Ola, and Qilin answered in unison, their voices overlapping in a chaotic chorus—“The heart!” The system’s shrill panic, Ola’s strained rasp, and Qilin’s gruff snarl collided, ringing through the dome.
BaiYun’s gaze snapped into focus, his eyes narrowing as a cold, razor-sharp clarity locked onto his face. He shot to his feet, fists unclenching in a swift, controlled motion, his voice low and steady like a blade cutting through the chaos. “This Ultimate System is not killing us. We’re killing us. So that’s how this fucker got around their rules.”
He snapped his head to the others, his voice firm and steady. “You need to trust me now—follow my lead. I know how to beat this fucker’s dumb trick and get us out.”