Scarlet Descent
Ch. 74 - Missing Emotion

The sound of a clock ticking reverberated, freezing everything in place, except for Wei Wei, who was swinging his scarlet scythe.

Even the terrifying tendrils of flesh were momentarily immobilized, unable to pierce through Wei Wei’s body.But the effect lasted only an instant."You think you can escape?"The next moment, the endless tendrils of flesh abruptly retracted as the mysterious will roared in anger. Somewhere in Scrap Iron City...In a hall filled with statues of the Goddess of Life, the cheerful ticking of clock hands echoed, as though celebrating something.At the same time, a face made of flesh on the wall suddenly opened its eyes.Its expression was one of intense rage mixed with traces of confusion.But there was no doubt, its primary mission was to suppress this entity that dared to seize an opportunity to escape.Its pupils contracted sharply as countless chains of flesh intertwined and tightened. The chains wrapped around a vertical stone coffin that had begun to rise from beneath the floor, forcing it back down into the ground. "Heh heh..."From within the stone coffin below, a voice filled with malice chuckled:"You know I’ll leave eventually...""Even if that guy has ambitions beyond anyone’s imagination, even if he has a loyal dog like you, at most, you can keep me here for three years. And even then, how do you know I didn’t stay willingly?" "Impossible..."The face on the wall suppressed a violent cough, seemingly comforting itself:"I don’t know why it’s someone as insane as you who returned... but the mentor never makes mistakes...""Anyone who betrays the mentor will suffer eternal curses.""The rituals are still being conducted across this city, I’ll have enough power to suppress you...""The bloom of the Rose cannot be stopped by anyone’s will..." "Hahaha..."The voice from beneath the floor laughed loudly:"Do you know what mistake your mentor made?""His intimidation and fear might make cowards like you submit and earn your loyalty...""But it doesn’t work on lunatics...""That little guy is insane! Hahaha! Madness doesn’t bow to anyone..." Back at the monastery...Two invisible wills clashed violently in the air, colliding and surging against each other. Finally, both the furious voice and the ticking clock reached their peak before extinguishing simultaneously. The oppressive pressure that had enveloped the small monastery vanished entirely. "Ah..."The Life Mentor suddenly snapped out of his daze, his massive body shrinking as he retreated rapidly. The countless faces on his flesh screamed in terror all at once."Hahahaha!"Wei Wei hadn’t expected to survive either, but as long as his work wasn’t interrupted, nothing else mattered. With renewed vigor, he charged forward even faster, swinging his blood-red scythe mercilessly at the grotesque Life Mentor before him.Chunks of flesh were sliced off, writhing briefly like eels before rapidly rotting away.Wei Wei dashed toward the massive body of the Life Mentor, circling it swiftly while slashing repeatedly with his scythe. The Third-Stage Life Demon  was a monstrous entity with immense vitality and a twisted appearance.But Wei Wei didn’t take it too seriously, after all, his instructor had covered this topic extensively:"This thing is only dangerous if it develops some kind of mutation or special ability, otherwise, there’s nothing to fear.""First- through Third-Stage Life Demons are basically useless unless they’re turned into syringes or hung up as life batteries.""Their strongest ability at Third Stage, Flesh Symbiosis, only has two features:""One: They’re hard to kill.""Two: They look creepy.""So when you encounter one, just make sure it doesn’t grab you and keep shooting until it’s dead.""The biggest challenge when dealing with one is figuring out how to justify your ammo expenses afterward." Of course, that might have been a bit discriminatory on the instructor’s part.But since Life Demons weren’t admitted into training camps anyway... everyone discriminated against them by default.Could someone even call themselves a training camp graduate if they didn’t look down on Life Demons? Thus, Wei Wei felt no psychological burden at all.Having nearly exhausted his ammunition supply, he now relied on more economical methods.His scarlet scythe danced around the Life Mentor like a blade slicing noodles.The massive body of the Life Mentor shrank rapidly under Wei Wei’s relentless assault, but at this point, all it could do was defend itself. Earlier, when that mysterious will had descended upon them, it had drained all life energy from within the monastery, not intentionally but as an inherent effect of its presence. This natural aggregation effect left behind by such an overwhelming will had weakened even the Life Mentor’s strength.More importantly... that Will's conversation with Wei Wei had left him shaken to his core.At first, he thought he was dealing with a madman.Now... he wasn’t sure what kind of monster he was facing... Meanwhile... Wei Wei himself didn’t fully understand what had just happened, the cryptic dialogue about alliances and factions...That powerful will claiming they were on the same side...Was this some attempt to corrupt him, a proud Foundation-trained officer with bright prospects?Thankfully... he’d resisted. This subtle difference in mindset led to vastly different outcomes: Wei Wei grew increasingly focused and excited while unleashing his Scarlet Power to its fullest potential, even surpassing his usual limits, while fear and doubt consumed the Life Mentor.Despite being a Third-Stage entity, a step closer to becoming a true demon, it couldn’t put up meaningful resistance against Wei Wei’s relentless assault. "Madman! Madman!"The Life Mentor reverted rapidly toward its original form, scrambling on all fours like a cornered animal desperate to escape.Wei Wei followed slowly behind him, scythe in hand, with an unusually radiant smile on his face. Though he could have moved faster... he deliberately slowed down to savor every moment of his prey’s despair.Cornered against a wall, the Life Mentor screamed like prey caught in a trap.Wei Wei burst into laughter before raising his scarlet scythe high overhead.But just as he was about to strike, a fleeting hesitation crossed his mind, as though listening intently to something...Amidst lingering traces of dissipated wills, a faint psychic whisper drifted into his ears along with subtle currents of air:"True awakening comes from touching your soul...""...and finding what truly moves you." Swish...Wei Wei furrowed his brows thoughtfully.Fragments of past dreams and fleeting thoughts resurfaced faintly within him, things he’d once overlooked now stirring faintly in his heart.He realized something he hadn’t noticed before...From discovering traces of Blood-Flesh Roses  earlier tonight, to gathering evidence, to persuading others within this monastery, and now facing off against this Life Mentor...He’d maintained an extraordinary level of motivation and excitement throughout it all.But now... he suddenly realized that something still felt missing...His ascension ritual for reaching Third State had been stalled for months despite maintaining perfect stability in both mental state and demonic energy levels, and consistently exceeding sacrificial quotas during missions...So why hadn’t he advanced yet?What was still missing?For so long... he couldn’t figure it out, but now... clarity seemed just within reach. "I guess I really do need something more moving after all..."As if sensing this shift, the cornered Life Mentor froze momentarily before hope flickered faintly within its terrified eyes, it turned sharply toward Wei Wei...Only for him to sigh deeply instead of delivering another blow with his scythe.The blood threads surrounding him retracted swiftly, the scythe reverted back into its original rusted form before clattering onto the ground."Killing you guys is starting to bore me..."Squatting down lazily before his prey, Wei Wei sighed again softly...These words reignited faint hope within what remained of the Life Mentor, it turned its head sharply toward him once more...Reaching into his pocket, Wei Wei pulled out a cigarette and placed it between his lips, but failed miserably at lighting it, the cigarette soaked through with blood...Letting it dangle limply between two fingers, he sighed again quietly:"You people...""...Why are there always so many more waiting to be killed?"Holding onto an unlit cigarette amidst blood-soaked chaos, he gazed down at this trembling creature without raising his weapon again..."I guess I really do need something more advanced after all..."Standing slowly, the faintest trace of emotion flickered across Wei Wei’s face, a glimmer resembling genuine sentimentality:"It’s time for some real transcendence..."

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