Chapter 17
“An enemy of one’s ‘friend of life,’ the desperate counterattack at the brink of death, and the flames that purify the old body, burning everything away, reborn in the fire.”
“In simple terms, the ideal scenario for gathering these elements is to complete your revenge against your enemy in the heat of battle, at the moment of death, and then consume the potion in the flames.”
“This is a dynamic scene, not one that everyone encounters, which is why there are so few people in the tribunal, and ordinary people rarely find themselves in a position suitable for taking the potion.”
“If you don’t mind, I can take you back to the Ansu Church, where they will guide you step by step in constructing the resurrection ritual…”
“Wait a second?”
“Wait, what’s a ‘friend of life’?”
Xia Er interrupted Yulisi, who was trying to persuade her to return to the church.
The more she listened, the more she felt something was off.
Killing an enemy at the brink of death…
Wasn’t that what she had done in her last simulation?
Now, she just needed to confirm what a friend of life was.
“It’s a term that refers to the most important person or thing in your life, the one you have the strongest emotional attachment to. It could be a family member or a friend, or even an object you hold dear,” Yulisi explained.
She was puzzled as to why Xia Er had interrupted her.
“What if, I mean, what if I’ve already done everything in the ritual?” Xia Er looked at Yulisi, her expression serious.
Yulisi replied, “Huh?”
What Yulisi didn’t know was that among Xia Er’s half-truths, there was one lie she would never suspect.
That it wasn’t Yulisi who had arrived late to kill Thomas and Solari.
It was Xia Er herself.
In a life-or-death situation, she had slain her enemies and the mastermind behind it all.
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**Chapter Sixteen: The Avenger Xia Er’s... Character Archive?**
“Strictly speaking, as long as you’ve experienced any part of the resurrection ritual in your life, it counts as completing a part of that ritual.”
Yulisi shook her head and continued, “But generally, most people will rearrange the resurrection ritual; it’s usually more reliable…”
Rearranging it?
Xia Er couldn’t wait that long; she could only stay in the simulation for 24 hours.
Since she had inadvertently completed the revenge ritual process, she couldn’t miss the opportunity to drink the potion in the simulation and become an extraordinary being.
That way, even if she didn’t gain any significant rewards, she could still gather some experience for her real-life ascension.
“I think the current state is just fine,” Xia Er said, glancing at the potion floating behind Yulisi. “I’m quite sure I’ve completed all the conditions except for lighting the fire.”
She wasn’t lying…
Yulisi felt a chill run down her spine.
This girl was saying some outrageous things, yet she couldn’t sense any deceit in her words.
Had she really gone through the content of the avenger’s resurrection ritual? How old was she? Had she already killed her enemies while hanging by a thread?
Yulisi didn’t understand, but she was deeply shocked.
Perhaps this was what it meant to be a near-saint…
“Just to be safe, let me ask,” Yulisi said, “Are those two people inside your enemies?”
Yulisi was naturally referring to the two men kneeling on the ground, their eyes wide with terror as they stared at Xia Er, unable to move or even scream.
“Yes,” Xia Er nodded.
“Alright…” Yulisi nodded.
The dark, mist-like potion slowly floated to Xia Er’s side, while Yulisi retreated outside the tavern.
Xia Er turned to look in Yulisi’s direction, only to see the black stone floor behind her being dragged into deep grooves, quickly forming a semicircular shape, like a church seal, enclosing the tavern.
“When you’re about to lose consciousness in the fire, drink the potion and kill them,” Yulisi instructed from outside.
She didn’t want to see the near-saint fail her ascension right after the baptism; she would do her best to ensure the ritual proceeded smoothly and isolate it from affecting ordinary people.
Xia Er nodded and turned to face the two men kneeling before her, watching as the oil lamps inside the tavern began to float, surrounding her.
“Whoosh—”
The oil lamp exploded, and the scattered flames formed a ring of fire around Xia Er.
This ring of fire also encompassed the two men on their knees.
The flames ignited the wooden floor, and soon the fire spread rapidly along the oil, igniting the bar and all the wooden furniture in the tavern.
Thick smoke and heat enveloped Xia Er, her hair curling and warping under the intense heat.
As she inhaled the thick smoke, she couldn’t help but cough; her skirt was already on fire, and her cloak was sticking to her from the flames.
In a moment, she would faint in there…
She stepped forward slowly, her right hand gripping the now-searing revolver, raising it slowly to aim at the two figures kneeling before her.
“Bang—Bang—”
Two bullets accurately pierced their foreheads, and the two figures collapsed, lifeless, consumed by the flames.
Xia Er reached for the translucent vial containing the potion, slowly pulling out the distinctive cork, bringing the vial to her lips.
The black mist in the potion quickly surged out, like a swirling black spirit, rushing directly toward Xia Er’s feet.
Where was the potion?
“Thud—”
The wooden beams of the old house finally couldn’t withstand the heat of the flames, breaking apart and crashing down, but just as it was about to hit Xia Er, it shattered into two pieces and rolled aside.
In that moment, the flames, the corpses, everything seemed to fade away, and in her mind, several images flashed by like a slideshow.
The scene of Li Qi dying at her doorstep, the cake on the ground mixed with dirty water, white cream intermingling with the black stone floor;
The gun pressed against her forehead, the first time she actively chose to abandon her life, refusing to let the other’s ritual succeed;
The dimly lit tavern, Solari dead beside her, a distorted illusion, an indescribable figure in a black robe slowly approaching her…
The sound of gunfire echoed in her ears, and the resurrected Xia Er, like a walking corpse, chopped off Thomas’s head, blow by blow.
Evil flames and malice began to spread in Xia Er’s chest, an uncontrollable sense of exhilaration tearing apart the images before her, like the satisfaction of avenging a great wrong.
The fire in her heart ignited alongside the flames outside, setting Xia Er ablaze.
The roaring flames burned within her, fueled by what seemed like an endless hatred and fury, and under the illumination of this fire, Xia Er’s shadow, flickering with the flames, began to convulse.
The black shadow broke free from its restraints, its edges dissipating like mist, as if ignited by black flames.
It propped itself up from the floor, slowly rising behind Xia Er, its long hair billowing like black smoke.
It slowly opened its eyes, white light swirling within them as it moved, like a silhouette of a burning Xia Er, gazing at everyone before her with piercing eyes.
“Thud—”
A wave of intense dizziness hit Xia Er, and she fell backward, crashing onto the burning charcoal behind her.
“Ha…”
The shadow burning in the flames panted heavily, slowly turning to look at Xia Er, then bent down, grabbing her burning red hair and dragging her step by step toward the tavern’s exit.
Yulisi, who had been observing from behind the door, felt her heart race the moment she caught sight of that shadow in her hazy vision.
It was do or die.
Once the shadow began to attack the host, Yulisi would act instantly to destroy the ritual.
Fortunately, she saw the shadow dragging something out of the sea of flames, slowly emerging, then dissipating into nothingness.
She quickly stepped forward, removing her white robe and covering Xia Er, wrapping her body, which was nearly burned to charcoal, to extinguish the remaining flames.
“She’s definitely a saint…”
Yulisi faced Xia Er in her arms, bowing her head to rest her forehead against Xia Er’s.
Smoke began to rise slowly from Yulisi’s neck, and the exposed skin on her right hand was gradually being scorched to charcoal.
“Don’t be afraid… it won’t hurt anymore… I’ll take you back to the church right now…”
Yulisi quickly vanished into the night with Xia Er in her arms, a white phantom swirling around her, leaving behind the burning tavern.
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