Chapter Forty-Eight: The Blade of Asura

Holy Land Mary Geoise, District Eight, on a silent street.

A gaunt man, with wounds all over his body and blood still seeping from his injuries, held an upside-down wooden stick. The state of his body made it clear he had just endured a brutal fight.

And in this place, there was only ever one reason for such violence: food.

As for the so-called food...

It was the girl he protected behind him.

"Jack... Jack! Are you alright?"

Seeing her companion—who had defended her for days—so grievously wounded from the recent battle, barely able to stand, Lina felt a stabbing pain in her heart. With a cry of concern, she wrapped her arms tightly around Jack’s waist from behind, sobbing, "Jack, maybe... maybe you should try to escape on your own! I really... really don’t want to drag you down any longer!"

"Don’t say such foolish things."

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Jack’s lips. He slowly turned, gazing into Lina’s eyes with deep affection, and said with a gentle laugh, "The first time I saw you at Lady Rizlina’s palace, Lina, I realized I had fallen deeply in love with you. I just never imagined our fate would be so cruel—first becoming slaves to the Celestial Dragons, then being cast into this 'hell on earth.'"

"But..."

Jack paused, the smile fading from his lips as his tone grew solemn. "But even in this cursed place—the Sixth District—my vow still stands! I am Lucian Jack, and I once promised to protect a girl named Lina for a lifetime, to be with her forever. So I will protect you for a lifetime, I will always be by your side!"

"Jack... you..."

Joyful tears welled up in Lina’s eyes. The horrors of this 'hell on earth' and the fear of the Sixth District could no longer hold back her love.

But just as she rose on tiptoe, ready to offer her first kiss to the man who had vowed to guard her all his life, a sudden “thud”—the unmistakable sound of a blade piercing flesh—rang out.

Staring in disbelief at the blood spreading from her chest, Lina could not comprehend that the man who had just promised to protect her for a lifetime had, in the next moment, ended her life with his own hands.

Weren’t you supposed to protect me forever?

Weren’t we supposed...

To always be together?

Lina’s shocked gaze fixed on the gaunt man before her. She could not fathom that the one who ultimately killed her was the companion who had shielded her for three whole days.

As Lina’s stunned eyes gradually lost their light and turned lifeless, Jack grabbed her clothes, preventing her body from falling loudly to the ground. He spat a blood-tinged glob onto the street and growled with a twisted expression,

"Lina, it’s not that I don’t want to protect you—it’s that I want to live!"

"Did you really think we could escape? That’s nonsense! No one in the Sixth District has ever escaped alive! So the real reason I protected you all this time..."

"I didn’t want anyone else to take what belonged to me!"

"That’s right, Lina, I would protect you, because I’ll let you live forever inside me. As long as I’m alive, you’ll always live!"

"So now... let me savor your body!"

He threw down the wooden stick and, with rough hands, began to tear at Lina’s clothing, intent on enjoying her flesh before devouring her.

But just as Jack’s hands touched her clothes, before he could rip them apart...

A sudden “whoosh!” sliced through the air.

A blood-stained figure appeared out of nowhere. Jack heard a cold voice whisper in his ear, felt a sharp pain in his chest—and all thought vanished.

"Traitor..."

"Kill."

Blood sprayed from Jack’s chest, splattering across the crimson figure, deepening the stains upon him.

That blood-stained figure—there was no doubt—was Chu Yi, intent on “purifying” the entire Sixth District.

And Chu Yi knew well that Jack, the traitor before him, would not be the last to die.

For there were many more within the Sixth District awaiting judgment...

Traitors...

Kill.

Cannibals...

Kill.

Those who had become demons...

Kill.

With each step, leaving a crimson footprint, Chu Yi strode slowly down the street, purifying the filth of the Sixth District—and his own soul underwent a transformation.

Especially after witnessing the depths of human depravity in the Sixth District, Chu Yi felt some barrier in his heart shatter.

From that moment, he accelerated the pace of purification.

His silhouette flashed like a streak of light through the streets. Those who encountered him saw only the flicker of a bloody figure before all signs of life left them, dying miserably in pools of blood.

Yet the blood shed by those slain did not remain by their bodies.

Because each time Chu Yi killed someone, a strange phenomenon occurred.

The blood of the dead, as if summoned, slowly flowed forth and quietly followed behind Chu Yi.

Soon, half an hour passed.

The once bustling streets grew silent. With every step, Chu Yi left another crimson footprint, until at last he appeared before Tiger, Hancock, and Lucci.

Just seeing Chu Yi’s blood-soaked figure, Tiger and the others understood the madness he had unleashed.

But none spoke upon his return. Even Hancock, herself a woman, knew well that the people of this street had long been corrupted by evil, no longer worthy of survival.

Yet as she gazed at Chu Yi’s icy demeanor and felt the palpable killing intent emanating from him, Hancock could not help but ask anxiously as he returned, "Chu Yi, are you... are you alright?"

"What’s wrong?"

On his frosty face, a faint smile appeared. Chu Yi glanced down at the blood flowing behind him, smiled, and asked, "What’s wrong, Hancock? Do I look like something’s wrong?"

"Your voice sounds fine... but your appearance suggests otherwise."

"I see."

Hearing Hancock’s reply, Chu Yi’s smile grew even wider. Shaking his head at Hancock, Tiger, and the others, he said with conviction, "Honestly, I’m fine right now. In fact, I feel..."

"I’m in the best state I’ve ever been!"

Whoosh!

As Chu Yi finished speaking, something strange happened.

The blood that had followed him, purified by his hand, suddenly began to solidify, quickly enveloping his arm.

Within the crimson blood, something terrifying seemed to be brewing, radiating a flickering red glow.

The light pulsed, startling Hancock into confusion, fearing for Chu Yi’s safety.

Tiger and Lucci, however, stared at Chu Yi’s blood-drenched right arm, sensing something fearsome was about to be born from within.

Indeed...

Their suspicions were well-founded.

For just as they sensed this, the blood on Chu Yi’s arm burst forth in a dazzling light. When Hancock, Tiger, and Lucci regained their vision, they saw Chu Yi gripping a blade—gleaming and stained as if forged from blood—in his right hand.

That blood...

Had condensed into this sword?

The question echoed in Tiger’s mind, compelling him to ask.

But before he could, Chu Yi’s eyes flashed as he gripped the blade, turning to Tiger and the others and speaking in a calm tone,

"With a single thought, one can become Buddha—or demon."

"If the so-called Creator, the so-called 'God,' cannot lead the world forward, then let me—Chris D. Chu Yi—become the demon, and with the Blade of the Asura in my hand, sever the bond between 'God' and this world!"

With that, Chu Yi transformed into an Asura, holding the blade and striding forward, heading deeper into Holy Land Mary Geoise.

As Chu Yi advanced, Tiger, Hancock, and even Lucci stared in stunned silence at his retreating figure, unable to recover for a long time.

What shocked them was not Chu Yi’s words.

No, what truly astounded them was that as Chu Yi strode forward, a six-armed, blood-red Asura statue slowly materialized behind him, its gaze fixed upon his back.