Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 47: The Traitor
Myss was acutely aware of his own shortcomings.
He knew nothing about the love, hate, and messy entanglements between humans. He couldn’t investigate the source of the “anomaly” together with Salaar the way they had in Rosha.
And for now, the Perfected Creation was stronger than he was. He still couldn’t see through the vast magic sustaining the other side. Even if he copied the Perfected Creation and wove a black net, it still couldn’t cover the entire Divine Realm.
But that was fine. He only needed to do what he was best at—find the target, and crush straight through it.
If he couldn’t uncover the origin of the Perfected Creation, then he simply wouldn’t bother. If he couldn’t see through the core magic of the Divine Realm, then he would make better use of outside tools, such as—
Tass burst out of the emerald pendant in one swift motion. In his hand, the Dragon Fae gripped a strand of pitch-black thread.
Using that thread as an anchor, the black net spread out once more. Held in Tass’s grasp, it flew toward the place where the magical turbulence was most stable.
The Dragon Fae’s innate sensitivity to magic compensated for the black net’s lack of range. The net behaved like a hound hot on the scent, tracking a bleeding prey.
Following the cleared route the cats had opened, Myss leapt nimbly off the wall. He chased after the Dragon Fae as it streaked ahead like a meteor, one hand raising Fork in preparation for any interference “Salaar” might attempt.
Strangely, “Salaar” still did nothing at all, like some indifferent bystander.
He neither stopped the guards nor helped them capture Myss. He simply watched with those blood-amber eyes.
Snake-Salaar’s muffled voice came through the shell fragment. “All right… Oof… Are you… running for your life?”
“You’re the one running for your life. I’m conducting a high-speed investigation!”
Myss shot back while springing all over the corridor. Behind him, the guards were shouting something, but he couldn’t be bothered to hear a word.
“…Ah yes, high-speed investigation,” snake-Salaar muttered from inside his belly.
“What, you don’t believe me?”
Myss ricocheted wildly through the corridors, dodging the magical attacks the guards hurled after him. He left footprints across walls and ceilings alike, his tracks standing out even among the cats’ pawprints.
“I may not understand your human twists and turns, but I do know how spiders hunt—”
According to that crow priest, the closer one got to the city center, the more blood amber there was. The Perfected Creation’s power used those countless pieces of blood amber as nodes, weaving them together into a web.
And Myss had experienced firsthand that the Perfected Creation’s power behaved exactly like spider silk. Once a person even started entertaining thoughts of agreeing with it, that power would cling to them and wrap itself around their mind.
…Wasn’t that just a spider’s web?
Myss didn’t know how much camouflage the Perfected Creation had woven, nor what kind of schemes it had used. His thinking was simple: right now, everyone’s minds were falling apart, and the magic wrapped around those minds would inevitably be disturbed.
So within that shuddering web, he only needed to find the heaviest, most stable point—the spider crouched at the center of the magical web.
He ran through corridors that the cats had turned upside down, using his still-childish black net to feel out the magic turbulence.
Tass’s guidance became a clear, beautiful auxiliary line.
In Myss’s perception, the once-blurred flow of magic grew clearer and clearer. He stopped trying to stare with his eyes and instead half-closed them, sensing with his whole body.
The ominous black net became denser, lighter, more elegant, like a ghostly veil of black gauze. By the very end, Myss was almost running in perfect sync with Tass.
That layer of “black gauze” loosely wrapped around his head and upper body, lightly veiling his gray-white hair. It was like another newly grown layer of skin. Magic flowed through it, and everything became startlingly vivid.
At last, Myss opened his eyes again, revealing his dilated pupils.
Found you.
Unexpectedly, the “endpoint” of all this wasn’t on the mysterious fifth floor, nor in some shadowy corner untouched by sunlight, but right in the middle of the exhibition hall on the first floor.
The museum was closed at the moment, so there weren’t many people in the hall.
The cats were focused on throwing the employee areas into chaos, and there wasn’t a single cat nearby. At the foot of the steps, Mr. Iver was speaking with the pair of twin models.
Splendid sunlight squeezed through the narrow classical windows and lay lazily at the feet of the three figures. Everything looked perfectly normal.
Myss jumped onto the smooth staircase railing and slid down on one foot as if skating.
Behind him, countless strands of black gauze were woven out of thin air.
They blocked the passage between the first and second floors like a spiderweb, sealing the guards behind them. Only “Salaar” was fast enough—shielded by his golden defensive magic, he broke out before the seal fully formed.
Myss darted a glance at “Salaar,” then launched himself upward and landed on the grand chandelier in the center of the hall, looking down over everything from above.
“The place where the magic is most stable is here, though maybe that’s just because there are so few people…”
Tass sounded uncertain.
“No. It’s here.”
Myss’s dilated pupils locked onto the figure below—
He didn’t see the large golden retriever Magibase on Iver. He only saw the ominous “endpoint.”
Myss tightened his grip on the swaying chandelier while the black gauze drifted around him like a jellyfish.
Before now, they had already been in close contact with Iver several times. Yet Myss had neither smelled the Abnormal Fruit on him nor seen an “endpoint” on his body.
“Mr. Myss, that is very dangerous.” The thing that looked like Iver said, “I’ve heard you caused quite a disturbance upstairs. If this continues, we may have to consider terminating your contract…”
The beautiful twins also lifted their faces to look at him, the exact same polite concern written on both of them.
Myss gave the chandelier a sharp swing. Under the cover of flashing crystal light, a bolt of black magic shot out.
It pierced clean through “Iver’s” right shoulder. The entire joint was annihilated instantly, and Iver’s right arm smacked onto the floor.
…Did that count as a specimen?
For a second, Myss genuinely wasn’t sure.
The exposed cross-section at the joint revealed smoothly polished hardwood and tiny delicate gears. The gears were coated in fragrant oil and kept turning silently even after being severed.
And beneath the skin lay richly colored soft silk. Seen through the skin, it produced just the right hazy flush of blood.
As “Iver’s” eyes moved, his irises gave off a fine, strange shimmer like butterfly wings. His skin was indistinguishable from that of a living person, yet lacked all the natural imperfections of living flesh. It was more like some kind of flawless gelatinous material.
Rather than a specimen, this thing resembled a meticulously crafted… doll.
And yet what was strange was that Myss could hear a strong, vigorous heartbeat.
That heartbeat was in its left chest, perfectly overlapping with the “endpoint.”
But within only a few seconds, large amounts of blood amber seeped from the wound surface of “Iver’s” shoulder. The fallen arm floated up of its own accord and reattached in the blink of an eye.
The annihilated portion regenerated perfectly. Even the damage to the clothes was restored, without a single extra speck of dust.
All expression vanished from the twins’ faces. Standing one on either side of “Iver,” spikes of blood amber shot out of their palms like awls.
Myss instinctively leapt off the chandelier. The next instant, the female twin flashed to where he had been and thrust her blood-amber spike forward.
At the same time, the male twin charged toward where Myss would land. Myss managed to step off the man’s head and narrowly land behind him, but the other twisted his body in a way almost impossible for a human and sliced open Myss’s back with the spike.
Their movements were elegant and flexible, clearly the result of intensive dance training.
Myss felt the sting across his back, and then a warm current swept over him. The wound healed in the blink of an eye.
The divine power in the surroundings was too dense. Tass’s skin hissed as though drenched in acid, so he had to retreat first into the emerald pendant.
“Hey, I found the Perfected Creation.”
Myss kept the shell fragment active. “It looks exactly like Iver, but it isn’t the Iver we met before.”
“…Very clever.” Snake-Salaar hissed in analysis. “First it used the living-specimen Iver to make us lower our guard, then moved around freely wearing the exact same appearance. If not for your eyes, probably no one could tell them apart.”
Myss grunted in satisfaction and narrowly dodged another strike.
The twins’ speed was almost beyond human. Their blood-amber spikes were condensed with raging divine power, and Myss’s black magic couldn’t shatter them.
“By the way, is it a living specimen?” Snake-Salaar asked softly. “Could Mr. Iver also have a twin?”
“No. That thing is completely artificial. Its skin is made of glue.”
Myss sounded certain. “It hid the Abnormal Fruit in its chest. Watch me carve it out—”
His gaze locked onto the left side of “Iver’s” chest beneath the elaborate formalwear. He identified attacks entirely through the black gauze around him. The moment he caught the slightest opening, Myss slid past the twins like a fish and hurled his entire body at “Iver”—
Buzz!
A golden defensive barrier sprang up at once, locking Myss together with “Iver”—or rather, the Perfected Creation.
Damn it. That was Salaar’s magic!
In shock, Myss glanced toward “Salaar.” The latter stood at the turn of the stairs above, watching without blinking.
…So that’s why he never made a move. The Perfected Creation could use Salaar’s power too!
Without a moment’s hesitation, Myss reached for the “endpoint” of this Divine Realm, the core of the Perfected Creation. If he could get the Abnormal Fruit first, he would win—
Buzz!
Another layer of golden magic flared up, blocking his hand solidly. The magic was weaker than the Salaar in the seal, but much stronger than the body-swapped Salaar. Myss couldn’t break it.
“I can feel my magic—it’s a trap!” Snake-Salaar hissed in alarm. “It didn’t use this move earlier because it was waiting for you to get close!”
Too late. Myss was trapped tight inside the barrier with no way to retreat. “Iver” grabbed him with a backhand and clamped onto his wrist.
“You really are difficult to catch.” The Perfected Creation sighed beautifully, its voice just as pleasant as Iver’s. “Forgive me. I actually hate violence.”
“The End of the World really is a very fine painting. I originally intended to wait until that Perfect Love piece was completed…”
“But the annihilating force in you is far too dangerous, and you cannot be added to my collection… I have no choice but to completely seal you away. It’s truly a great pity…”
It looked at Myss with Iver’s moist gaze. Several dark-red drops of blood amber fell from the corners of its eyes. They landed gently on the floor, glowing with a mellow luster.
In the next moment, they were submerged beneath blood amber appearing out of nowhere. It piled up rapidly, rising past Myss’s shoes.
Myss triggered annihilation magic again, but every bit of it was blocked by the Perfected Creation using “Salaar’s” power. It fought with the same elegance as the twins, as if it were using their abilities too.
But its techniques were stronger, simpler, and carried the pressure unique to divine power.
This thing’s ability wasn’t just pure mental restraint—
“I know your talent is astonishing… Your power can erode my tears.”
“You and Karns are both exceptionally beautiful creations. Before, I acted too hastily and nearly damaged Mr. Karns. This time, I’ll be gentler.”
The Perfected Creation looked toward “Salaar” and sighed softly, clearly still brooding over the failure of its previous attack.
“Once I solidify you, I will add Mr. Karns’s defensive magic. After that, I will simply wait… until you change your mind, until the day you fully recognize me.”
“You can use the abilities of the ‘Perfected.’” Myss completely ignored its rambling. “Even a flawed Perfected like Sa— ‘Karns.’”
“They are my irreplaceable collection, my most precious property. I am merely using what belongs to me.”
The Perfected Creation gave a flawless smile.
“If I were you, I would release Karns’s heart. Surely you don’t intend to make him suffer alongside you?”
Myss laughed. “You misunderstand. Even if he weren’t here, I’d still drag him in to suffer with me.”
“And besides, he’s my property. His body, his heart, even his corpse. Even if he turns into a pile of ash, those ashes are mine.”
“Wow, I’m deeply moved,” snake-Salaar said in a tiny voice. “I’ll return the sentiment right back at you.”
“I’m not your property.” Myss bared his teeth. “You belong to me, and I belong to myself.”
Snake-Salaar: “…Fair enough, I guess. By the way, why haven’t you moved at all? Is everything alright?”
No, everything was not alright. The blood amber inside the barrier was steadily rising, and before long it had passed Myss’s calves.
He tried to move, but it was like standing in thick swamp muck, his feet sucked firmly into place.
“I see.” The Perfected Creation murmured, “How I wish I could collect such perfect love…”
Myss: “?” Whatever. No point arguing with a thing like that.
He deliberately cleared his throat, speaking slowly and clearly. “I get it. You use blood amber to bind human minds, and draw power from their Magibase. You also turn the people you take a fancy to into living specimens, ‘collecting’ the perfect parts of them.”
Now it all made sense. In order to preserve their talents and characteristics, the Perfected Creation left the Magibase intact.
But there was one point Myss still wasn’t entirely sure about—
“Before you seal me, let’s have a perfect ending. Tell me—do those people still count as ‘alive’?”
The Perfected Creation continued to look at him with a gentle, regretful expression, as though it were gazing upon a world-famous painting covered in dust.
“They have been fixed at their most perfect moment. They will never age and never deteriorate.”
The Perfected Creation said softly, “This was their own choice. They accepted my revelation and chose to abandon the greatest flaw in the mortal world.”
“…They personally abandoned life.”
There was satisfaction and joy in its tone.
“Now you’ve heard it.” Myss pulled the emerald pendant from his pocket. “Take your revenge, Dragon Fae.”
The moment those words left his mouth, black magic instantly wrapped around Myss’s feet, annihilating the portions encased within the blood amber.
Snake-Salaar cried out, forcing out his magic with reckless desperation. Below the severed lower legs, a new pair of feet and calves grew back in an instant.
An enraged Tass shot out of the pendant and hurled himself at the golden defensive barrier. Just like on that night long ago, he merged directly into the spell and tore it apart.
Before the crack of shattering had even died, Myss flipped away beautifully, putting distance between himself and that pool of blood amber. Barefoot, he landed on the soft carpet, black gauze drifting around him like a jellyfish.
The twins immediately repositioned themselves in front of the Perfected Creation.
An exhausted Tass landed on Myss’s shoulder, his body covered in wounds, his eyes full of rage.
“It’s not just you who knows how to pull a bluff.”
Myss snorted. Snake-Salaar’s healing was slower than Salaar himself; Myss’s legs still throbbed with a lingering ache.
The Perfected Creation continued to look at him with that same gentle gaze, as if it had never been born with emotions like anger or hatred.
“Using a Dragon Fae’s talent to destroy the barrier—very clever. But how many more days can that Dragon Fae endure?” It shook its head, like an adult reasoning with a petulant child.
As it spoke, more “Perfected” entered the hall.
Myss saw Mr. Anti in formalwear, dissection knife in hand; he saw the real Iver, the one who had invited them; he saw Danton, his movements still slightly stiff, wearing brass knuckles on both hands… all of them had strong and unusual Magibase, their magical power not to be underestimated.
Mr. Anti’s gaze swept over the weakened Dragon Fae, then lowered. Tass let out an angry breath and coughed up a little blood.
“Still haven’t noticed the problem?”
Myss stood proudly in the distance, sounding completely unruffled.
The Perfected Creation replied, “My arrangements have no flaws.”
“No.” Myss said. “One person has not fully obeyed you.”
Then he turned toward “Salaar” on the stairs.
“You saw all of it. I can find it, see through it, and learn its tricks.”
Myss spread his arms wide, a confident smile on his face.
“Next, I only need to build up enough power to break the golden shell you gave it—the shell it made can be broken even by a heavily wounded Dragon Fae.”
“Now answer me. Is a piece of trash like that qualified to seal me?”
The blood amber in “Salaar’s” eyes flickered, but he remained silent.
Myss curled his lip. “Cut the act. I know you too well by now. You were never pinning your hopes on it. You were only using it.”
In a sense, “Salaar” really had acknowledged the Perfected Creation. If the Perfected Creation were truly strong enough to seal him, then “Salaar” would absolutely welcome it.
But if the Perfected Creation wasn’t strong enough, then “Salaar” would reject it without mercy. Myss knew that, because he had seen that same ruthless Salaar over the long course of those three hundred years.
“You’ve seen enough, you bastard.”
Myss hissed the words.
On the stairs, “Salaar” parted his lips and slowly exhaled.
Then he raised both hands and, without the slightest hesitation, drove them straight into his own eyes.
The author has something to say:
Other Perfected: I embrace perfection, I belong to the Perfected Creation.
“Salaar”: I embrace perfection, so Perfected Creation, you’d better be absolutely perfect. If you’re not, I’m out.
Myss: LMAO, told you already, I’m the most perfect one. [cat paw]
Kinky Thoughts:
In a sense the most perfect one for Salaar.
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