"Mm, the status panel doesn't display everything you have. For example, your auras and titles—those all require you to investigate them yourself. Of course, if you want to know, I can add them in. Next time, you'll be able to see everything at a glance." Ayase's slightly languid voice sounded out. It seemed she had gone back to catch up on sleep again.
According to the new calendar, it was still late spring. There was still a month before summer arrived, so feeling drowsy was perfectly normal. Though, over this past year of knowing Ayase, it felt like she was sleepy every single day—but that was something only she knew. If she said it out loud, she would probably die. She definitely would!
"Then I'll trouble you to add all abilities and attributes next time, Ayase." Even though she knew this might make her somewhat reliant on the status panel, Chu Lian did not mind. Attributes were only tools—how they were used still depended on the individual.
She wanted to know her exact stats merely to understand herself better, so that in battle she could utilize everything at her disposal with precision.
"S-Rank Title—'c': The moment you say this line, you have become a traitor to humanity, you beast-eared girl! Still, isn't it nice to occasionally be another race? Humans are far too boring—aside from cute girls, of course."
"Effect: When equipped, humanoid races maintain S-level favorability toward you. As long as you do not commit acts that damage this friendship, they will not become hostile. At the same time, you deal 15% increased damage to the human race and have a 10% chance to intimidate humans weaker than yourself. The lower their strength, the higher the chance—up to a maximum of 90%. Humans also deal 15% increased damage to you. However, in daily life, as long as you do not engage in dangerous actions, humans will maintain at least A-level favorability toward you. Note: Girl, boldly become a nonhuman maiden. Surely those perverts will be thrilled."
"S-Rank Aura—'Skeleton Slayer': Increases damage dealt to skeletal undead by 20%, and reduces damage taken from them by 20%. Nearby allies gain half of this bonus. Note: Once activated, you will become the primary kill target of all skeletal undead. Note: Are you planning to become a brother-slayer? Let's observe a second of silence for Ainz Ooal Gown, who dotes on you endlessly~"
"I never said I wanted to become a nonhuman girl or a brother-slayer or anything like that. Shiroha, that's enough." It was the first time Chu Lian had taken the time to carefully examine these two S-Rank title and aura. Seeing that their effects were similar to her previous ones, her interest immediately diminished.
The title "I Am Nonhuman" was hardly suitable in worlds dominated by humans. One careless move and she could easily become the target of public hostility.
Besides, she already possessed the state of the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox. She understood clearly what that felt like—the mindset of looking upon humans as though they were inferior beings. If she had not forcefully suppressed it, she likely would have been unable to resist going on a killing spree many times.
Racial superiority granted nonhuman races an innate arrogance. Unless facing a true chosen genius among humans, they would rarely treat them with courtesy. Perhaps this was a common flaw shared by all nonhuman races.
Even among humans, differences in skin color and ethnicity still bred disdain, disgust, and contempt for one another. If humans themselves behaved this way, how could one blame other races for doing the same?
As for "Skeleton Slayer," Chu Lian felt it made little difference whether she had it or not. She already possessed the aura "Depart, O Dead." Adding "Skeleton Slayer" on top of it would create overlapping effects. While it would certainly be stronger, in battles that were not large-scale, it would rarely matter.
Skeletal creatures were fragile by nature—the typical cannon fodder race. Even those that were not brittle were mostly meat shields, posing little threat. And though some fragile skeletons dealt high damage, against her Undying Body, the thought of harming her was pure fantasy.
As for anomalies like bone dragons or skeletal giants—she simply had not encountered particularly strong ones yet. That could wait for the future.
Of course, the aura's effect was still excellent. With it, she was confident that if she faced the graveyard battle again, it would not be nearly as exhausting. But only that—if she truly wanted to win, she would still have to cheat.
"Never underestimate any aura or title," Ayase said. "Most of the time, they may not seem useful. But in certain specific situations, they can be far more valuable than so-called super-tier magic or forbidden spells. You'll understand in the future."
Ayase knew the girl before her had never experienced a true war. All of Chu Lian's battles had been one against many—sometimes even one against a thousand. Titles and auras rarely had the chance to shine.
But Ayase was different. Her past experiences made her understand that Chu Lian was sitting atop a mountain of treasure without realizing its worth. When the time came that she truly needed them, she would understand just how enviable these abilities were—powerful enough to change the course of any war.
"Then I'll wait until I need them to talk about it." Chu Lian put away her slight contempt. Ayase never spoke without reason. If she said something would not happen now but would happen in the future, then it surely would. She needed to be prepared.
"Alright, think it through yourself. I'm going to rest. We'll be making a move again tonight. Sigh, with this old body of mine, I really hate moving around~" Ayase's voice grew softer and softer until it became little more than a murmur. Chu Lian knew she had likely already drifted off on the sofa in a hazy daze.
That was Ayase. Strong-willed and captivating, yet in certain aspects, innocent like a young girl. It was her unique charm—and something Chu Lian liked very much.
"I'll rest for a bit too... and wait for Chu Chu and the others to come back." Chu Lian glanced at Cold Beauty, intending to store it in her space. Unexpectedly, a faint sense of resistance arose, as though it were telling her it did not wish to go inside.
"Not going in? Then what should I do?" Cold Beauty could not possibly turn into a key like the Key of Seven Illusions once had, or transform into a pattern imprinted on her hand, could it?
The moment the thought finished forming, as if to prove her wrong, Cold Beauty shimmered in a burst of deep blue light. It transformed into a small white jade dagger-shaped pendant strung on a red cord, automatically tying itself around her right wrist. It echoed beautifully with the Key of Seven Illusions mark on her left hand.
"It really loves to slap me in the face..." Chu Lian muttered speechlessly. Why did nearly everything she thought lately develop in the exact opposite direction? Couldn't things go her way just once?
Still, being able to shrink was a good thing. It meant that whenever she wished to use it in the future, she could draw it instantly without worrying about delay.
"Forget it. Right now, all I want to do is sleep. Sleep. Sleep." Falling back onto the bed, Chu Lian's gaze grew hazy. Beside her ears was the soft breathing of the girl, along with her faint fragrance. In her mind, a voice told her—it was time to sleep.
Slowly, she closed her eyes.
My dream floats among the clouds, sinks into the deep sea.
"Do you remember what I once said? When you can begin to bear negative emotions on your own, that will be when I gradually disappear."
"Originally, I thought that time would be far away. I thought I could accompany you for a very, very long time. But unexpectedly, in just over half a month, you've already reached this point. This kind of growth truly astonishes me."
"Still, since you can do this, I'm relieved. When you are able to shoulder even heavier negative emotions step by step, I will slowly return to you the portion of pain you once couldn't endure. And then, I will disappear."
"The meaning of my existence was to bear those dark, negative emotions for you, so that they would not taint your heart. Now that I think about it, the time has come."
"Although it will still take you some time to grow to that stage, I imagine it won't be far off."
"Strangely enough, when I think about disappearing, what rises in my heart isn't fear—but worry about what will happen to you after I'm gone."
"You're so foolish. So fond of obsessing over dead ends. So sensitive and fragile. So easily attracting girls. So fond of pretending to be strong. So determined to force yourself to do things you cannot do. So eager to exhaust yourself until you're covered in wounds. So stubborn in clinging to a single belief from beginning to end... How could anyone possibly feel at ease about someone like you?"
"Once I leave, all the darkness, all the negativity, will belong to you. Will you truly be able to bear it? Without me, when you're bullied, who will help you?"
"White Chu Lian? She has even more restrictions than I do. Her intervention last time was already rare. If she interferes again, her outcome will be no different from mine. You certainly wouldn't want that. So in the end, only you can help yourself."
"But your growth in strength is far too slow. Your enemies will only grow stronger and stronger. I'm worried. So very worried about you."
"If I could choose, I would actually want to accompany you for a lifetime. Ridiculous, isn't it? A negative personality born from dark emotions saying something like that. But I truly want to stay by your side."
"You don't want others to become your weapon. Yet I am willing to become yours—the weapon with which you slaughter all your enemies."
"I am a very, very pure villain. And yet, only when facing you am I the most gentle. Perhaps because I gave you all the goodness I could offer, so much ugliness was left behind within me."
"That blood moon. That bloody night. The two memories you refuse to recall—they are precisely the reason I became so complete."
"Thank you for letting me appear. Thank you for not forgetting me. Thank you for never rejecting me..."
"I really want to be selfish—selfishly continue bearing all your negative emotions so that I won't have to disappear. But then, you would never grow. I can't do that. I can't..."
"When you wake up, you'll forget these words as well. So don't trouble yourself over them..."
In the dark space, violet eyes were the only source of light. Two lines of transparent tears shimmered like moonlight, painfully beautiful within her gaze.
She reached out, wanting to embrace her—but the mere three steps between them felt like an uncrossable chasm, separating them completely.
She knew who she was.
The one who, on Mount Tai, had appeared in her dream when she fell asleep—appeared again in the dream where she sank to the bottom of the lake.
"Don't go..."
Her eyes snapped open. She reached out instinctively, tears sliding down her cheeks. She didn't even know why she was doing this.
But she knew that before long, she would lose someone very important.
And yet, she had no idea who that person was.
She hated this feeling. Hated it deeply. But there was nothing she could do about it—not even bury it.
That aching pain felt both familiar and unreal, like a dream, like reality. She could no longer tell the difference.
"Lian..." A pair of hands reached out and grasped the hand she had lifted. Inori's eyes looked at her, filled with tenderness.
"Inori..." Chu Lian didn't know what to say. At times like this, a smile was enough, wasn't it?
So she smiled through her tears.