60: 2.30 Together

2.30 Together

[System notification: Host's corruption is in progress: 83%...84%...]

Lightning struck without mercy, illuminating the hidden mansion atop of the hill. Gale howled and the thorny veins that shrouded the mansion walls flapped around wildly. It was an old building that seemed to have been built centuries ago, judging from the mold and spiderwebs around. No light could be seen from within, adding on to the gloomy and eerie atmosphere.

Under the basement where it was pitch black all around, a figure has his arms chained by his sides, kneeling. His long hair draped across his face and from the skin which wasn't covered in clothes, dense black veins crawled out terrifyingly, wriggling as if they had come alive and were going to dig out their way soon. His chest was undulating fiercely and faint growls rumbled from deep within his chest. His body jerked once in a while, shivering as if enduring great pain.

[666: Host…?]

[666: Host!!!]

[666: Uwaaah Host is unable to respond to 666 anymore! 666 is going to file another complaint to Admin God! Corruption is too dangerous, it not only affect Host's body but also his mental state!]

Lu Yizhou didn't know how much time had passed. He went through one nightmare after another; some were memories of the past while the other was the product of his own wild imagination. He saw people who shouldn't have existed anymore; the family he lost, the people whom he had killed, those who cursed him as well as those who cried for mercy…

The scene changed and he saw Ren Zexi's sorrowful face the day he left, then all of a sudden, his face morphed into Theodore's…

He peeled open his eyes, feeling as though his head was going to crack from the pain. The scene in front of him was a blur and for a while, his mind was so disoriented that he couldn't remember what had occurred before. He didn't even know whether this was reality or another dream.

[666: Host, you're awake!!! QAQ]

[...]

[666: Uwaaah, Host has lost his mind!!!]

Lu Yizhou's eyes were blank as he hung his head low. Amidst the darkness of his world, a faint light seeped through. He narrowed his eyes and tried to focus his sight, realizing that it was a familiar brooch pinned to his chest. Brooch… Right, in this world, he was Raphael, the Vampire King. This was a gift he received from Theodore…

He squeezed his eyes shut to regain his senses. [...How long has it been?]

[666: Host! You scared 666!!! This is already the 28th day. In two more days, the portal will open and we can leave by then. 666 has detected a lot of activities around the bottom of the hill but due to the bad sinyal underground…666 can't find out who it is…]

The corner of Lu Yizhou's mouth curled. Who else would it be? It must be the protagonist and female lead. Their timing was awfully accurate. Soon, he would die under the protagonist's holy sword and... everything would be over.

Lu Yizhou waited. There was no day or night where he was thus he could only confirm the time by the system's notification.

[System notification: Host's corruption is in progress: 97%...]

By then, the black marks had been imprinted on his whole body and his pupils were pitch black like a bottle of ink had spilled into them. He often wandered around dream and reality and only the holy chain around him that prevented him from going insane thoroughly. Animalistic growls escaped his throat and turbid, black colored sweat dripped down his body. The chains rattled wildly and the walls shook from the exertion. The buttons on his shirt snapped one by one and the fabric ripped under his swelling body. He looked exactly like a demon who crawled his way up from Hell.

Clang! The brooch slipped and crashed to the ground.

Lu Yizhou cracked open his eyes with much difficulty and upon seeing the deep blue and crimson gemstone, clarity flickered in his eyes. Gift… That was a gift. He reached out for it yet his arm was suspended by the chains. Growling, he started to thrash around wildly in anger. He wanted to grab that thing! He wanted it for himself but...why? Why did he want it so much? In the back of his mind, he could picture someone clasping the brooch to his chest but he could no longer remember who it was...

[666: Host… QAQ what to do? 666 is so scared. So this is what SSS level is like. So terrifying…]

[System notification: Host's corruption is in progress: 98%...]

Bang! The gate to the basement slammed open and a few men poured in bearing swords, followed by a voice that pierced through the mist of Lu Yizhou's mind. "Hold them back! Kill if they resist! No matter what, they shan't get close!"

"Yes, sir!"

Theodore stepped in, his clothes and hair messy with splashes of blood here and there. He breathed heavily and swept his gaze around. As soon as his sight landed on the sole creature in the room whose original appearance couldn't be recognized anymore, his throat choked up, especially as he saw how the creature strived to reach for the familiar looking brooch on the ground, struggling desperately like a wild beast in a cage.

A haggard vampire stumbled in and as he saw the chained Lu Yizhou, he almost pissed his pants and prostrated himself. "M—M—My Lord, how can you become like this?!"

"Why the hell are you doing this, Theodore Valmor?!" Jeffrey hollered from the door. He couldn't get through because a line of guards were vehemently blocking his way. The holy sword, Nightfall, was strapped to his back and the closer he got to Lu Yizhou, the hotter it became. "Can't you see what kind of creature he has become?! He's not Raphael anymore! He's only a monster! Haven't you seen what happens outside because of him?! Drought and plagues spread all over the continent, the flowers wither away...If this continues, he might as well destroy the world!"

Theodore sneered, the rims of his eyes reddened. He took his first step toward Lu Yizhou. "You think I care about that? As long as Raphael is alive, let the whole world be damned!"

"You're insane!" Jeffrey gritted his teeth and roared toward the guards. "Are you all so hellbent on protecting him? Can't you see he has almost lost his mind because of a vampire?! It's the Vampire King, a pureblood!" Jeffrey couldn't understand no matter how hard he pondered, Raphael was a vampire moreover, he had been corrupted! Such a creature ought to be obliterated!

"Shut your filthy mouth!" Theodore hissed and picked up the brooch on the ground. In an instant, Lu Yizhou reacted and lunged forward with his claws out only to be pulled back by the chain. Dusts and rocks fell from the ceiling and the whole mansion shook as if it was going to collapse soon. Theodore stared at the hideous creature in front of him, his sight blurry from the tears. Without the slightest hint of fear, he approached Lu Yizhou and kneeled in front of him. He put the brooch into the vampire's palm and clasped his hand gently, not even caring for the sharp black nails that looked deadly. "You want this, don't you…?" His voice trembled as he spoke.

He hadn't seen anything like this before. Raphael was terrifying, his eyes were pitch black without any sclera and black marks covered his skin like cracks. Theodore brushed Lu Yizhou's messy silver hair back and dropped a chaste kiss on his forehead. "Silly Raphael…"

Jeffrey's eyes widened in shock and he unsheathed Nightfall. The sword hummed, its aura swept through everyone and pushed them a few steps back.

"Step aside!" He bellowed angrily. "Or else I won't hesitate to hurt you!" However, he hadn't launched an attack yet when a shadow agilely pounced on him from behind, knocking the sword out of his hand. Caught off guard, Jeffrey rolled on the ground and as soon as he saw the culprit, he blurted out in extreme shock. "Why is it you?!" He thought Selina had died when he attacked her back on the bottom of the hill, but she was still alive?!

"Foolish human!" Selina cackled. One of her eyes was damaged badly and grave injuries marred her whole body as she jumped across the wall, her ankle twisted into a strange angle. "I have been waiting for this moment for a very long time!"

Lu Yizhou let out an ear deafening growl. His mouth was wide open, filled with jagged fangs and was ready to bite down on Theodore's neck. However, when he was only a few inches away, his body abruptly jerked, an extremely hoarse voice escaped his lips. "...T—heo…?"

[System notification: Warning! Host's corruption has stopped at 99%. Unable to proceed!]

[System notification: Warning! An error has been detected. Unable to fix the source of the error!]

Theodore's eyes widened and just like that, tears started to fall down, unstoppable. He thought he was done for but it turned out...Raphael could still remember him? Unable to resist any longer, he hugged the vampire tightly. "Yes! Yes, it's me, Theodore!" He buried his face into Lu Yizhou's neck as he always did and burst out crying, venting his grievance out for the past two weeks of long, arduous journey. "How can you disappear just like that?! I won't forgive you...I definitely won't forgive you!"

Lu Yizhou trembled. Was this another dream...or reality? His sight was already a blur and Theodore's voice seemed like it had come from a faraway place. "Go...away…"

"No! I won't go!" He cried out and cupped Lu Yizhou's cheek. A sad smile graced his face and his voice was barely a whisper, flooded with the affection he had no idea where to put. "I won't beg you to stay, but...at least, let me go with you, okay? Don't chase me away… Please…"

Theodore pressed their foreheads together, his tears falling into Lu Yizhou's knees like the weight of a mountain, so heavy that it managed to scrape together the strand of his scattered sanity. The back of his eyes burned and he lifted his head to prevent the tears from falling. However, as soon as he did, he caught sight of Selina with the holy sword Nightfall in her hand, its sharp tip thrusting forward.

"NO!" Lu Yizhou wanted to push Theodore aside but it was too late. The sword pierced through Theodore's back straight to Lu Yizhou's chest and came out again through his back. Theodore jerked, blood spilled forth his mouth as he lowered his eyes, dumbfounded.

"HAHAHAHA, I DID IT!" Selina laughed hysterically. "FROM THIS DAY ON, I'M THE VAMPIRE QUEEN!"

Jeffrey lunged forward and roared. "You're crazy!" Together with Theodore's guards, they started to turn their attacks to Selina, engaging in a messy and fierce fight.

Upon making contact, the holy sword instantly reacted and burned Lu Yizhou's organ from inside. Eerie sizzling sounds reverberated through the room as his body slowly disintegrated. The pain was excruciating yet he couldn't even feel it a bit. He yanked the chain off in one rough move and caught Theodore's falling body, hugging the teenager to his chest, trembling violently. Chill spread through his whole body and bloody tears slid down his cheeks. He tried to cover Theodore's wound in panic but instead saw his long claws which would hurt the teenager instead. Why...Why was this happening? This wasn't what he planned for… He didn't leave just for this to happen!

"This...is an order…" Theodore let out a breathless wheeze and whispered into his ears with every last strength he could muster. His hand clutching onto the fistful of Lu Yizhou's shirt, relentless and desperate. He coughed out more blood, his strength slowly dissipating. "You have to bring me along… Together..."

A guttural, punched-out growl tore out of the depth of Lu Yizhou's dissipating body. With his head hung low, he gave a nod, his shoulders trembled minutely. "Alright… We will be together…"

[System notification: Host has initiated self destruction. Commencing in three…]

The ruckus around came to a halt as overwhelming pressure radiated from Lu Yizhou's body. The guards vomited blood and collapsed in an instant, breathless. Jeffrey, Selina and the petrified guide vampire tumbled to the ground, clutching their chests with a painful expression. Blinding light burst out from Lu Yizhou's body. It was like a dejavu, the thought slipped into Jeffrey's mind. Last time when the Goddess of Night visited him in his dream, she was also this dazzling. So brilliant that he couldn't open his eyes.

[Two…]

Selina gasped. "He...He's self-destructing! STOP HIM!"

The mansion shook—no, the entire hill rumbled violently and birds lost their sense of direction, flying around headlessly. People were screaming along the street, pointing at the blood moon that descended amidst the intense thunderstorm. It was an ominous sign. The vampires knew what was going on and ran for their lives as far away as possible from the source of the crushing power, stumbling and falling. Houses collapsed and streets cracked. Screams of despair and help reverberated through the air.

[One…]

[Self destruction completed.]

In the next moment, the world was enveloped in white.

.

.

.

[Beep...Beep…]

[Severe warning! Host has broken the rules and eliminated the protagonists of the world!]1

[Status of the mission: bzzz….bzzz…an unknown error was detected. Unable to sense the core energy. Unable to confirm the status of the mission.]

[Level red warning!]

[Simulator SSS-06 failed to restart. Unable to trace the original source of data.]

[Contacting Admin God… Failed to contact.]

"What the fuck is going on?!" Inside a room that was filled with countless monitors showing the same warning, a man in white coat cursed out loud, frustration radiating from his furrowed brows. He waved his hand and a hologram keyboard appeared mid air. He started to type furiously yet the monitor remained the same. "Connect me with 666."

[Bzzz...bzzz...no signal found. Unable to connect.]

"Damn it!"

Twice. It had happened twice. And both times, all the data turned into jumbled mess of codes which were unable to be deciphered. Worse, he couldn't even reach the system assigned to the patient now. He scratched his head in confusion, mumbling. "Patient 666, Lu Yizhou… what the hell have you done?"

"Head administrator!" The door was slammed open and a woman in a similar white coat barged in, pulling her mask down to reveal a wide, excited smile. "We did it! We have detected the SSS patient's brainwaves!"

"What?!" He stood up abruptly, almost knocking the chair down. "Tell me in detail!"

.

.

.

Second Arc — The End

A/N: Hiii we have finally at the end of second arc! So is this a BE or HE hmm anyway, delana has something to say so please read the author's thought below otherwise it will be too long :') Thank you very much for reading and I hope you are ready for Arc 3! Spoiler: it's a HE for sure.

Reviews, votes and comments are much appreciated!

pqdm.com