Chapter 831: Chapter 816: Eternal Dead End

More than thirty years ago.

A certain valley on the border between the Empire and the United Kingdom.

The rugged terrain here was unsuitable for marching, and the various unknown Demons meant even spies rarely chose to pass through.

Yet at this moment, there were two figures in the valley.

Sigmund had wrapped himself up tightly, his hood pulled very low, revealing only a small stretch of pale chin.

He was supporting the weakened Ina as they moved through the woods, stopping from time to time to listen in silence, making sure there was no other movement behind them.

They reached the lakeside they had agreed on.

The water’s surface was calm, reflecting the sun hanging high in the sky. Sigmund looked up at it, then pulled his hood even lower.

A sound suddenly came from ahead, and Sigmund’s hand instantly went to the iron blade at his waist, but when he saw who stepped out from behind the tree, his hand moved away.

"Alama."

"Sigmund!"

The two youths hugged. Alama’s fist patted his back, then he stepped away, his gaze quickly falling on Ina.

Ina was leaning against a tree trunk, her face as white as paper, lips bloodless, eyelids half drooping, as if she might faint at any moment.

Alama hurried forward to check on her, asking, "What’s wrong with her?"

Sigmund came to the side. "The Earl finally made up his mind to use Ina’s ability to control his superior. To test the limits of her Charm ability, he had someone give Ina a dose of a potential-stimulating drug, and not a small dose. The aftereffects are serious, but she won’t die just yet."

Alama slammed a fist into the tree trunk. "That animal."

Sigmund nodded. "That’s why I suddenly told you to come and take her away. If she really went to carry out that mission, Ina would probably be either cut down on the spot or silenced afterward. She wouldn’t survive either way."

Sigmund paused, then reminded him, "Alama, I have to warn you: don’t trust human nobles. They’re not necessarily any better than the nobles of the Empire. It’s best not to let anyone know about Ina’s ability."

Alama nodded solemnly. "Don’t worry, I’ll protect Ina."

Immediately after, Alama began worrying about Sigmund. "But letting Ina go like this—won’t you be in danger when you go back? Why don’t you just come with us? There’s no need to return to that kind of place."

Faced with Alama’s genuine concern, Sigmund gave a helpless smile.

"What do you think suddenly gave me this much freedom and the chance to get my hands on the keys to the cells?" He rolled up his sleeve, revealing the pale skin of his arm.

Alama’s face turned ashen. "Vampire..."

"Still just a Half-Vampire, but not that different anymore." Sigmund let his sleeve fall back down. "I can no longer live on human land. But you don’t need to worry. Tonight, a rival of mine is in charge of the cells. I’ve already arranged everything; whatever happens will be pinned on him."

Alama looked at him, well aware that things could not be as easy as Sigmund made them sound, but there was nothing he could do to help.

"Sigmund..."

Sigmund wasn’t used to such straightforward concern. He turned his head aside and forcibly changed the subject. "Speaking of which, how did you get here so fast? This valley’s terrain is complicated—I nearly got lost."

"Heh, I just got lucky and met some residents of the valley who showed me the way."

Sigmund was slightly taken aback. "There are people living in this valley? It’s a border area—aren’t they afraid of running into the Demon Race?"

"Their village is very well hidden. I only stumbled in by accident."

Sigmund’s gaze flickered, as if he were calculating something. "Roughly where is that village?"

Alama didn’t suspect anything and gave a rough description, then added a few more details. "There’s no Church there, and the villagers are very kind. They probably won’t just attack someone like you, who was forced into becoming a Half-Vampire, without distinguishing right from wrong. In the future, if you can’t get by in the Empire, you might be able to stay there for a while. I’ll go there from time to time to see if you’re still around."

Sigmund fell silent for a moment, then said softly, "That probably won’t be necessary..."

"What?"

"Nothing." Sigmund shook his head and looked up. "Take care, Alama—and Ina as well."

Alama sniffed. "Take care, my friend!"

...

"Alama!"

Sigmund’s furious shout rang through the forest.

The two figures were locked in combat, Blood Blade and sword-light clashing countless times. Large swathes of trees around them were cut clean in half, leaves flew in all directions, and the ground was covered in sword marks.

However, the fierce battle did not last long.

This place was far from the battlefield and lacked fresh blood, and what’s more, Sigmund was already gravely wounded. The Mycelium had only preserved his life; in such a short time, it was far from enough to repair his injuries.

After yet another clash, the Blood Blade Sigmund had condensed from his own blood finally shattered, and he himself was swept into the forest mud.

As he barely managed to climb back up, Alama’s Greatsword was already resting against his neck.

Their eyes met; the sincere friendship of their youth was long gone from both gazes.

"Sigmund, when you chose to do all those vile things for authority and Power, by any means necessary, did you ever think you’d end up like this?"

"Spare me that disgusting face of yours. I wasn’t wrong, I just lost—and I didn’t even lose to you!" Sigmund’s scarlet eyes were full of disdain for Alama. He stretched his neck. "If you’re going to kill me, do it. Or what, torturing a loser like me will vent your spite better?"

Alama still didn’t strike; instead, he gave Sigmund a vicious kick, sending him sprawling.

Sigmund, lying in the mud, sneered. "What are you doing? Don’t tell me you’ve gone soft."

"Trust me, if I could, I’d lop off your head right now. But I can’t. Someone... some shroom insists we keep you alive."

Hearing that he would not die, Sigmund showed no joy at all; instead, he stared over, suddenly terrified.

A Puki stepped out from behind Alama.

At the same time, that voice which had appeared countless times in Sigmund’s nightmares rang in his mind once again.

"Xiaoxi, relax. I’ve talked it over with everyone—we won’t let you die."

"Even though your sins are overflowing, enough bad deeds to buy a hundred trips to the amusement park, but... you know, you’re special to me."

Puki came closer; its tentacle lightly tapped Sigmund’s chest, which kept shrinking back.

[Soul Touch Level 9]

This time, however, Lin Jun did not destroy Sigmund’s soul. Instead, through this link, he connected back to the previous locus, pouring the Power of Soul into Sigmund’s body in a ceaseless stream.

That long-lost terror—that his own body no longer belonged to him—once again engulfed Sigmund.

"You monster..."

In his mind, Lin Jun was still trying to console him.

"Alright, alright, Xiaoxi. In the end, atonement isn’t limited to dying, you know? Look, you’ve got a theoretically eternal lifespan; we can completely take it slow. As long as we keep at it day after day, never letting up, one day..."

"One day you’ll give my body back? Quit bullshitting me!"

Sigmund’s body convulsed violently, his face twisting.

As more and more Power of Soul surged in from Lin Jun, it became harder and harder for him to control himself.

Yet the terror in his eyes gradually faded, replaced by a stark resolve.

"I am a free Duke of the Blood Race! I will never become your slave!"

"What are you doing?" Lin Jun sensed something was wrong.

Sigmund’s expression turned joyous. "Remember those soul books I read? None of those methods could deal with you, not even the Demon King could do anything about that freakish soul of yours—but among them, there was a way to help me break free of you!"

With Sigmund’s resounding shout, countless cracks actually appeared across his soul.

"Fuck!" Lin Jun’s soul wrapped around his, trying to stop his self-destruction. But how do you stop someone who truly wants to die?

More and more Rifts opened in Sigmund’s soul, bringing endless pain, yet he laughed hoarsely.

In his final moments, he looked to Alama again. "You think you’ve won? Wrong! The Demon Race and humans both lost. The ones who win in the end are these Pukis! No... it might not even be the Pukis, but some monster that nobody can even name! Look at those Mycelium on you—you’re just a Puppet with fake freedom! Everyone’s lost! Hahahahah—"

The laughter cut off abruptly.

From the [Inspiration] perspective, Sigmund’s soul shattered into scattered starlight, quickly melting into the world.

Years of enmity finally reached its conclusion.

Gazing at his rival’s wretched end, Alama let out a soft sigh, then left with a complicated expression, leaving only the silent Puki standing by Sigmund’s corpse.

What Alama didn’t know was that, on the soul level beyond his perception, Sigmund’s already-collapsed, dispersed soul was, bit by bit, re-emerging from the world and gathering in a certain place within Lin Jun’s soul.

This was a situation even Lin Jun had not foreseen.

There, a wisp of soul existed that belonged to both Sigmund and Lin Jun.

It was precisely by linking to this wisp that Sigmund had become a patient of the "self-study phenomenon" and acquired those Skills. And now, his own soul had completely collapsed.

According to the rules of soul reconstitution, the fragments reassemble around the largest remaining piece—namely, that shared wisp of soul.

Lin Jun watched that soul slowly, painstakingly condense again, and let out a cold snort.

"Xiaoxi, looks like we’ll meet again. And you... you just tore apart the only bargaining chip you had..."

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