Chapter 211 - "Log Out."

Cheng Xiu and Yaksha kept attacking the Rat Barrage in the hopes that San Zhe would be able to kill the Rat Counsellor. Soon it was the Tenth barrage.

San Zhe stepped back to escape from the slash of the talons.

He looked at the rat woman with narrowed eyes. The woman seemed become more and more of a rat with each passing barrage.

His eyes went towards Cheng Xiu and Yaksha.

While the expert did not look like he was super powerful and invincible as he dealt with the rats, Cheng Xiu looked terrible.

Her long red and white martial robes were slashed at various places, and torn at the midriff. He averted his eyes from the expansion of white that was visible through the torn clothing.

Her white mask was stained with blood and smoke marks.

Though he was not sure why, he felt at that moment, the most dangerous person was Cheng Xiu.

The Ghost Flames were thrown one after the other, killing of the enemies who dared to get close.

She was littered with cuts, shallow and deep. And there were even winding wounds around her ankles thanks to a rat that had a poisonous tale and it used the tail to wrap it around her leg.

Cheng Xiu's eyes did not register the state that she was physically in and just attacked at a fast pace.

San Zhe stepped away from the attack of the rat counsellor again, his steps and pace steady.

Yaksha looked at Cheng Xiu who was attacking the rats with a one-track mind and at San Zhe who was taking his sweet time to fight.

He scowled. "Hurry up."

San Zhe was surprised by the words that the expert said to him.

And then he observed why he was urging him.

Cheng Xiu was fighting the rats with blank eyes. Her entire motion seemed to have become telegraphed as she burned away the rats.

San Zhe could still hear the screams of pain and horror that the rats let out whenever they died. He wondered if Cheng Xiu could still hear it or had she become numb to it?

San Zhe did not know the answer and he was not sure if he wanted to know.

San Zhe doubled his attacks, desperate to finish it off because he finally realised that killing the Counsellor would not only help with the Rat Barrages but also their quest. He was not sure that Cheng Xiu would be in the right mind after all this.

There was reason that many people avoided VR games that imitated Reality to this extent. Because in the end, they would witness the pain and suffering of these people up close and personal. And not many wanted that.

In that regard, the Other World was special. Because its gameplay allowed a player to just enjoy the scenery and not the pain and suffering that many players would go out of their way to witness.

San Zhe summoned the Crimson Talisman.

Cheng Xiu felt a flash of red in the corner of her eyes from San Zhe's eyes. Her heart trembled for a moment before she allowed herself to look towards him.

Her eyes fell on the talisman that he was holding as he fought with the Rat counsellor with his one hand and sent Qi into the Talisman using the other.

Cheng Xiu recognised it was the "Elemental Confiment" that Yaksha had talked about before.

There was a flash of fire and the rubes decorated the trident again. The fire in each of the gems flared.

He released the first and second rubies immediately to kill the rat creature.

The rat counsellor stepped back in fright and used a bunch of the Soldier Rats to block the way for him.

The fire of the trident set the creatures ablaze.

The smell of burnt flesh assaulted his senses.

San Zhe then understood why Cheng Xiu was so agitated. She must be repeatedly smelling it.

He looked to the side and found a great visual. The red flames surrounded the bodies around Cheng Xiu and consumed them as she threw the black Ghost Flames one after the other. The sea of red fire was even more jarring with the contrast of the black flame.

San Zhe's orange flame added to the mix, and the entire colour pallet was the most alluring violent colours that he had ever seen.

The trident finally hit the creature's skin.

San Zhe was surprised by the small gash that his attack left.

The hope in his heart rose and San Zhe used the trident even more viciously.

When the creature hit right, he too turned to the right and escaped the attack fluidly.

After a row of bouts, the Trident flared again. Multiple columns of fire formed at the spikes and burst out.

The fire engulfed the entire person of the Rat Counsellor and burnt the creature in to a crisp.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, player San Zhe for killing the Rat Counsellor x 1. One A+ ranked Beast Core rewarded.]

[Ding!]

[Players Selafia and San Zhe have completed the kill the Counsellors x5. Counsellor Chapter will come to a close only after the final Barrage is completed, and rewards will be distributed evenly between the two players.]

San Zhe fell to his knees and heaved. His eyes were bloodshot and he was sweating profusely. There were dark spots in his eyes.

His Qi Capacity was at an all time low.

Had it not been for sheer determination to not let Cheng Xiu and Yaksha down, he would have fallen to the side already.

He was not sure if meeting the two had made him braver or if he had always had this personality but he did not know it before because nobody relied on him like this before. He suspected it was a combination of the two.

San Zhe slowly got up.

The sound of the screams and the crackle of fire burning still echoed around them

San Zhe stared blankly at the floor for a moment.

Nothing changed.

While killing the Counsellor had led to Mission Progress, there was no other change.

Cheng Xiu still had to burn down the enemies.

San Zhe stared at her for a moment.

Her frame was straight and vigilant. Her shoulders were tense and the flames that she thew out were far stronger than before.

San Zhe suspected that her ability to use that skill had gone up a notch or two. He was happy for her in that regard, but he could not help looking at the White mask that adorned her face. What would her expression be at that moment? Was it blank? Was it frowning? Was she smiling?

He wanted to know. Because he hoped it was none of those. No expression could solve the fact that they were killing things. These rats might have been NPCs but to Cheng Xiu they were not that. They were just like the players, and sometimes more precious than the players.

Cheng Xiu sighed. She could feel the gaze that San Zhe was throwing at her.

Even though she was not sure what it was about, since he was staring at her since the system announcement, she could guess his thoughts.

"It is alright, Brother San," she reassured him. "I had actually guessed it would be something like that. After all, the system said that we had to wait for all 20 rat waves to pass before the ritual is actually successful. You did a good job."

San Zhe blinked. She was concerned about him?

He thought for a moment and decided to let it be. She was already so awkward. There was no reason for him to agitate her.

"Thank you," he said to her.

"Take rest."

"But-"

"You have been fighting for too long," Cheng Xiu said to him. "You reserve is low. I can see it on your face. Our next opponents are the queens themselves. We better prepare for that."

San Zhe nodded. He sat down to the ground and stared at Cheng Xiu.

"How many waves has it been?" he asked Yaksha, when the expert was closer.

"16," the man answered.

The waves continued. Each wave was larger than the last and their attacking methods were different but Cheng Xiu's Ghost Flame killed them all.

After the 20th wave was over, there was another announcement from the system.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations, Players San Zhe, Selafia Veritas, and Lord of the Ghost Realm, Yaksha. You have released all twenty souls that were captured. In the final battle, all the players will get one chance to summon all twenty of the NPCs to fight for you.]

Cheng Xiu just nodded. "Log Out."

San Zhe was surprised. "Why?"

Cheng Xiu stared at him and then pointed towards her nose.

San Zhe looked at it but did not find anything weird there. It was long and clear.

"Yours," Cheng Xiu said.

San Zhe touched his nose.

There was something sticky and wet on his fingers following that action.

San Zhe looked down.

Blood.

"Log Out," Cheng Xiu said to him.

There was a flash and she was gone.

Yaksha stared at the blood stained fingers and then he too logged out.

San Zhe stared at the place and then Logged out with a sigh.

This was unexpected.

***

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