Cruel

[His life was one of infinite glory. He had tasted the flavor of power and had set foot in high positions. Later, those who hated him were killed by him, and the one who loved him died for him. The body was long buried underground, with only ambition left uncorrupted.]

It was a desolate battlefield.

The soil on the ground was a blackish-red from excessive pollution, soft and damp in texture. A single step would cause one to sink deep, and viscous fresh blood would ooze out.

The sky was murky and oppressive, with a pitch-black vortex appearing in it. Two translucent, void-like energies were fighting wildly above. When one side turned into an eagle, the other would become a falcon; when one side became a lion, the other would turn into a fierce tiger. Their claws and fangs were incomparably sharp, always attacking each other's vital spots. The sounds of their fierce battle echoed through the sky.

After an unknown amount of time, a victor was finally decided. The lion suddenly bit fiercely onto half of the tiger's paw, but the tiger took the opportunity to attack. It twisted its body and bit into the lion's throat. Its fangs pierced flesh and blood, and with a violent tear of its head, a spray of blood mist erupted. The lion's massive form fell heavily from the sky, then suddenly dispersed and shrank, turning into a young man.

"Bang—!"

He fell powerlessly onto the black soil, not even kicking up any dust. His throat was a mess of flesh and blood. If not for the powerful physique of a Sentinel supporting him, an ordinary person would have already stopped breathing.

"Er... Erlitu..."

Anmi clutched his throat in pain, his amber eyes staring hatefully at the equally battered tiger above. He watched with his own eyes as it leaped down from the air and transformed into a man with a blood-smeared face. Even in such a wretched state from the battle, it was not hard to see his handsome and beautiful features. His deep blue eyes were like an abyss, and upon closer look, they even had iridescent golden rims.

Erlitu was also injured and exhausted. The moment he landed, a trickle of blood slowly seeped from the corner of his mouth. However, he seemed completely unconcerned, instead raising a hand to suck on the wound—

The little finger on his right hand had just been bitten off by Anmi. Now, blood was gushing out, smearing across his handsome, refined face, exuding an indescribably bewitching and eerie aura.

"My dear partner, what is it you want to say?" Erlitu asked.

Anmi's expression was terrified. He might have wanted to spout some harsh words, but the intense pain from his body and his rapidly fading life force made it impossible for him to act tough. His chest heaved like an old bellows as he wheezed heavily:

"Erlitu... If... if both my brother and I die here... how will you report back when you return to the Imperial Star..."

"If the family finds out you killed us... they definitely won't let you go..."

Erlitu raised an eyebrow faintly, his tone innocent, "Oh? But they all know I am just a Guide with no offensive capabilities. How could I possibly have the ability to kill an S-rank Sentinel like you? And..."

He paused for a moment as he spoke. When he mentioned that name, there seemed to be a trace of some inexplicable emotion, but it was so faint it was blown away by the wind. He still wore a half-smiling expression, even tinged with a hint of playfulness:

"And Yin Lai, the former SS-rank Sentinel?"

Yes, former...

Although the man had been injured on the battlefield years ago, destroying his Mindscape and causing him to fall from a proud SS-rank to a low-class C-rank Sentinel overnight, no one had ever doubted his strength, much less thought he could be easily killed by a Guide.

Hearing this, Anmi's heart filled with despair, and his face turned deathly pale.

Indeed, who could have imagined that Erlitu, a low-level Guide from a lower-class planet, was secretly hiding such a terrifying ball of energy called 'Void,' allowing his spiritual body to change at will and possessing strength no less than that of an S-rank Sentinel.

He had truly been the hunter hunted. He originally wanted to hide it from everyone and secretly eliminate Erlitu here, then devour his energy, but he never expected to lose to him.

Erlitu had walked up to Anmi at some point. His military boots, stained with black mud, pressed down on his chest. He looked down at him, the corners of his lips curling slightly, but the smile did not reach his eyes. "Also, you killed Yin Lai with your own hands, you know. No need to pin that blame on me."

Anmi suffocated under his foot, his expression twisted in pain. He desperately gripped Erlitu's cold military boot, wishing he could twist the leg off, but his strength was spent, leaving him able to only force out difficult, airy words, "He died to save you..."

"Erlitu... Yin Lai died to save you..."

"You despised him for being a cripple... For all those years of marriage, you never gave him Spiritual Guidance... Then, the moment your rank increased, you immediately abandoned him to become my partner... And now you're going to kill his only brother... Don't you really feel any guilt or remorse..."

Anmi tried to pry open Erlitu's cold heart to gain a chance at survival, but unfortunately, he had misjudged this person's cruelty and heartlessness. Not only was the other man unmoved, but he even smiled at him, his tone gentle, "How silly. Of course, I don't feel any guilt or remorse."

Erlitu squatted down and gently patted Anmi's face, chuckling in a low voice, "Back then, if you hadn't been so greedy for merit and recklessly advanced on the battlefield, how would Yin Lai have ended up surrounded trying to save you, resulting in his Mindscape being destroyed and turning him into a piece of trash nobody wanted?"

"But it's fine. After you die, you can go down there and repent to him properly. And while you're at it, say thank you for me."

Crack.

There was still a smile on Erlitu's face, and his tone was exceedingly gentle, yet he snapped Anmi's neck without any warning. In that instant, the blood from the other's throat spurted out from the pressure. A drop even splashed onto Erlitu's eyelashes, then slowly dripped down due to gravity, meandering across his fair cheek.

The wind whimpered, as if mourning for someone.

Black sand filled the air all around, and the thick stench of blood was so overwhelming it was hard to breathe.

Erlitu took a low breath, as if finally realizing the passage of time. He slowly stood up from the ground, looked around, and finally fixed his gaze on the area beneath a massive, ancient tree that was pure white but dry and leafless. He staggered into the black mud that submerged his feet and began digging furiously under the tree.

This soil was actually quicksand. It only looked damp and viscous because too many lives had been lost on this battlefield, and their blood had soaked the top layer of soil. Over time, everything on the surface would be swallowed by the quicksand and sink deep underground, including corpses.

Erlitu dug for an unknown amount of time before suddenly stopping. A young man's body lay quietly buried in the pit of quicksand. He wore the Alliance military uniform of the Imperial Star. His face was a pale, ashen gray, and his eyes were tightly closed, clearly having been dead for a long time. There was a piercing bloody hole in his abdomen, the blood long since sucked dry by the quicksand. The area was slightly sunken, and one could faintly see the twisted, broken bones within.

That blow from Anmi had been too heavy and too vicious.

Yin Lai had thrown himself behind Erlitu to block it, dying almost instantly on the spot without leaving a single last word.

The other's body had already begun to decompose, but his features were still discernible, making it easy to see how stunningly beautiful he had been when alive. It was just that in Erlitu's memory, Yin Lai was always pale, thin, and sickly, with a withdrawn and irritable personality, always sitting in a corner, not the least bit likable.

But now he was dead.

He would never open his eyes again and look at anyone, including himself, with that venomous, suffocating gaze.

Erlitu suddenly realized that even if he dug the person out, he couldn't be revived. Like an exhausted traveler with no strength left to go on, he slowly collapsed to the ground, his expression dazed, as if deep in thought.

Perhaps about his life of boundless ambition.

Erlitu was originally born into a noble family, but by the time of his birth, the family had already declined and weakened. His parents passed away, leaving only his grandfather to take him and his older brother, Fei Ang, to live on a Third-Class Star.

The only good news was probably that their grandfather had served in the Military Department in his youth and had arranged a marriage with his then-comrade-in-arms, Soland, for their unborn children, agreeing that their descendants would become partners once they grew up—

Which was Fei Ang and Anmi.

However, life is unpredictable. That comrade-in-arms' position had risen all the way, and he eventually became an influential figure on the Imperial Star. His eldest grandson, Yin Lai, was originally an SS-rank Sentinel, but his rank plummeted after an injury on the battlefield, turning him into a C-rank cripple. Meanwhile, the once-unknown second grandson, Anmi, soared to prominence, jumping from a B-rank Sentinel to an A-rank, with hopes of even reaching S-rank.

In comparison, Erlitu's and Fei Ang's situations were also rather dramatic.

His older brother, Fei Ang, had an honest and clumsy personality, yet he differentiated into an A-rank Guide. Erlitu excelled in everything, but he was born with a defect—he had no spiritual body and only tested as a useless D-rank Guide.

However, there was only one spot for the marriage alliance, and only one spot to go to the Imperial Star to change one's fate.

Fei Ang was unwilling to compete with his younger brother and voluntarily gave the spot to Erlitu. As he wished, Erlitu packed his bags and headed to the Imperial Star, ready to fulfill the marriage contract with the Soland Family.

They were still young then. Though they knew the outside world was treacherous, they still yearned to risk life and limb to build a career. If Erlitu had been smart enough at that time, he would have known that the marriage contract between two families could not be changed so easily and that there were many cruel standards of measurement.

Grandfather Soland, mindful of how his comrade-in-arms had saved his life back then, did not go back on the marriage agreement. However, his grandson Anmi now had a bright future ahead of him and was highly sought-after in the Military Department, shouldering the hopes for the entire family's rise. It was absolutely impossible for him to marry a D-rank Guide who was not even in the proper ranks.

So the candidate was changed, and Yin Lai was just thrown over like that.

He had once been unparalleled in his glory, the Blade of the Imperial Star, the light of his family. But now his rank had fallen, and he had become a reclusive, withdrawn, and sickly cripple, impatiently pushed over by his family like a piece of trash that should have been thrown out long ago.

One a C-rank, the other a D-rank. In the eyes of outsiders, they were a good match.

Erlitu did not feel humiliated. On the contrary, without a trace of resentment, he completed the wedding ceremony with a beaming smile. After all, he just needed the capital and a stepping stone to establish himself on the Imperial Star. Marrying Anmi would have been great, but if he couldn't, he would settle for the next best thing. Yin Lai wasn't too bad; as long as he could be linked to the Soland Family, it was enough.

This marriage lasted for five years.

Yin Lai had always been so gloomy and withdrawn, his moods unpredictable. He wouldn't even let Erlitu touch him. Every time he had a Mental Rampage, he would suffer through it on his own or suppress it with medication.

As for Erlitu, he showed not the slightest impatience during those five years. He took meticulous care of Yin Lai, endured his absolutely terrible temper, and successfully established a kind and harmless image to the outside world. Even he himself felt that he was truly a perfect live-in son-in-law, an impeccable partner.

And during this period, through a strange twist of fate during a lab leak at the Military Department, Erlitu obtained a ball of energy called 'Void.' This energy was incredibly powerful; not only could it change his spiritual body at will, but it could also raise his own rank.

Erlitu keenly realized this was an opportunity to defy fate and change his life. He secretly kept it to himself, telling no one. He lied to the public, claiming his spiritual body defect had been repaired, and presented himself with a 'Unicorn' spiritual body, known for being healing and harmless. His rank jumped from D to S, attracting the attention of the Empire.

It should be known that the number of Guides who had differentiated in recent years was already scarce, and S-rank Guides were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. The Empire deliberated repeatedly and finally decided to rematch him for marriage. As luck would have it, he was matched with Anmi.

Erlitu could have divorced Yin Lai, or he could have stayed married. But he always felt there were no feelings between them, and it was better for them to go their separate ways. So, he signed the divorce papers.

The day of the divorce...

Erlitu couldn't quite remember the scene anymore. He only vaguely recalled that after Yin Lai signed the papers, his Spiritual Power suddenly went out of control. He kept vomiting blood and was rushed to the hospital, where he underwent three months of painful treatment, finally concluding with a diagnosis of organ failure—

Because he hadn't received Spiritual Guidance from his partner for too long, that rampaging Spiritual Power had wreaked havoc inside his body, and he was already running on empty.

But this couldn't be blamed on Erlitu.

He had thought about giving Yin Lai guidance, but the other man wouldn't allow it. He wouldn't even take off his clothes when sleeping at night, acting as if Erlitu were some kind of virus.

Erlitu had always thought Yin Lai hated him.

But when Anmi wanted to kill him and seize his energy, it was Yin Lai who had sacrificed his life to save him.

He was bewildered, uncomprehending. His life of calculated interests was shattered by this, collapsing with a crash and turning into a field of ruins.

"Why..."

Erlitu looked down at the corpse and softly asked this question. He reached out to unbutton the other's military uniform and then saw the crisscrossing, mottled scars on his body, dense as if seared by flames, utterly horrifying. His movement paused as he suddenly understood something.

...

"Heh..."

Erlitu let out an inexplicable laugh, feeling only the mockery of fate. He bent down and took Yin Lai's cold, lifeless right hand, only to discover that he was still wearing the wedding ring from all those years ago. Back then, he had been short on money and could only afford the cheapest one. After five years of wear, it had long since lost its luster.

He hadn't thrown it away.

Erlitu closed his eyes and kissed the ring:

"Rest in peace, my love..."

He was speaking gentle words but committing a cruel act. When he finished, he silently opened his mouth and fiercely bit off the other's right little finger, smiling as he swallowed the piece of rotten, bloody flesh.

Erlitu was missing a little finger.

He had also bitten off Yin Lai's little finger.

In an ancient legend, if you swallow a part of your lover's flesh and blood, after reincarnation, they will become an inseparable part of your soul's flesh and blood, bone of your bone, flesh of your flesh.

Just as Eve was Adam's third rib, the place closest to the heart.

Erlitu maintained that leaning posture, gently pressing his forehead against Yin Lai's, unmoving for a long time, as if he would turn into an eternal stone statue—

His back was exposed to the air, revealing a bloody hole so deep the bone was visible, in the exact same position as the wound on Yin Lai's body. He had long stopped breathing.

"Whoosh..."

A low gust of wind blew quietly, and the quicksand buried their embracing corpses.

In the distance grew a Moonlight Tree that soared into the clouds, the only life on this barren land. A Black Snake had appeared at some unknown time, its long body coiled around the rugged white branches, a stark contrast of black and white.

It lowered its head, hissing as its scarlet tongue flickered in and out, like the incarnation of the demon that tempted Eve to disobey God's command in the Garden of Eden. Its eyes were a magnificent scarlet, beautiful yet untouchable.:

[Dear friend, I'm truly curious, what is your relationship with that corpse in the distance?]

In the unseen realm, a soul was controlled to answer, its voice coming from beneath the quicksand: "The one I hate..."

[Then what about this corpse you are embracing?]

"The one I owe..."

[If I give you a chance to be reborn, but you must obtain the heart of the one you hate and then ruthlessly kick him away, are you willing?]

Hearing this, the person let out a light laugh, as if he had heard something interesting, and asked in return:

"Why not?"

The Black Snake flickered its tongue in satisfaction. The sky suddenly darkened, wind and clouds shattered, and time reversed.

[Then, as you wish...]