Daziel's breath hitched, becoming ragged. He clenched his jaw tightly, his eyes filled with a crazed determination.
A desperate gamble! This might be the only chance to save Lord Tail!
"Hmph...!"
Daziel's voice deepened, matching the chill of the Sui Garden, carrying an undeniable resolve.
"Now is not the time to cry."
Huohuo looked up, her vision blurred by tears. Her large, watery eyes were filled with confusion, her voice thick with an inconsolable sob. "But… Tail…"
"Lord Tail was buying us time. But we still have a chance to save him."
Daziel's words tried to find a sliver of reason for Huohuo to grasp amidst her crumbling emotions.
"Then… then what should we do? You said, if there's a way to save Tail…"
Like a drowning person clutching at the last straw, Huohuo stared intently at Daziel.
Daziel took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slightly with suppressed emotion. His sharp gaze swept across the surroundings, finally locking onto Xueyi's shattered puppet.
His tone became unprecedentedly grave, each word seemingly squeezed from between his teeth.
"I have an idea. It might turn the situation around, but I need your… and Xueyi's cooperation."
"Lady Xueyi?"
Huohuo froze, her small face etched with confusion. She followed Daziel's gaze to the scattered remains of the puppet.
"Lady Xueyi's puppet is already broken, broken this badly… she can't even communicate with us…" Her words were laced with disappointment. The glimmer of hope that had just risen instantly dimmed.
"I know, but I have my own plan," Daziel explained quickly, his tone laced with unquestionable decisiveness. He didn't give her more time to wallow in sorrow; every second was crucial now. "The most important thing now is to stop Qiluo and save Lord Tail."
Although Huohuo was still worried about Lord Tail's safety, she understood the situation was critical. She hastily wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and nodded forcefully. "Daziel, then… then… what are you going to do?"
Daziel didn't answer Huohuo's question immediately. He slowly turned his head, looking at her with deep, complex eyes.
His voice dropped several notches, like a whisper only Huohuo, standing right in front of him, could hear.
"What I'm about to do… might be a little… inappropriate for children."
It can't be helped, Daziel thought. Even though she looks like a young girl, she certainly isn't mature. Better not spell it out.
"Inappropriate for children?" Huohuo grew even more confused, tilting her small head slightly, completely failing to grasp the meaning behind Daziel's words.
She couldn't imagine what Daziel's so-called "inappropriate for children" could possibly refer to at such a critical moment.
Besides, I'm not a child, am I? I'm hundreds of years old, a registered Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission with an official position…
Daziel remained silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, his voice even lower, as if revealing a profound secret.
"I need to use Judge Xueyi's puppet remains… to do something. It's the only way to save Tail."
"Use… Lady Xueyi's… remains?"
Huohuo's eyes widened, her small face filled with shock and disbelief.
Daziel didn't elaborate further. Time was pressing; every second could determine Lord Tail's fate. He couldn't afford to waste words.
He stood up and walked over to Huohuo, his expression serious, his tone a mixture of pleading and unwavering determination.
"Trust me, Huohuo. This is the only way. Our only chance."
"…"
Huohuo looked into Daziel's firm, powerful eyes. After a moment's hesitation, the unease and doubt in her heart were finally overcome by her trust in him. She bit her lip and finally nodded forcefully. "I trust you, Daziel."
"Good."
Daziel nodded slightly, a complex light flashing in his eyes.
He turned back to Xueyi's puppet remains and thought silently:
Xueyi, please forgive this trespass!
Then, Daziel said to Huohuo, "Huohuo, turn around first. Don't watch what I'm about to do."
Even though Huohuo is actually hundreds of years older than me, it's still not right for a girl to see this kind of thing.
"Oh, okay…"
Huohuo obediently turned around, covering her eyes with her small hands, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.
Daziel looked at Huohuo's obedient back, sighed softly, and turned his gaze once more to the remains of Xueyi's puppet's hip section.
He bent down, reaching his hand towards the gracefully curved component…
…
Xueyi's broken puppet lay silently.
Her consciousness remained, forced to witness everything that had just transpired.
Strangely enough, although Xueyi's body had disintegrated into pieces, her soul had not returned to the cold archives of the Hall of Karma.
Thus, the hushed conversation between Daziel and Huohuo reached Xueyi's ears with perfect clarity.
Initially, a trace of confusion lingered in Xueyi's mind. What exactly did Daziel intend to do with this pile of her broken puppet body?
Did he truly have some ingenious plan?
If it could really resolve the current crisis, then this ally from the Luofu Xianzhou, this partner she had just fought alongside… no matter how bizarre his actions seemed…
Shouldn't… I… perhaps choose to accept it?
For atonement, for the Xianzhou, for the duty of the Ten-Lords Commission…
Xueyi silently reasoned with herself, trying to steel herself for whatever might happen next.
However, when Xueyi watched helplessly as Daziel bent down and picked up the puppet component corresponding to her own puppet's hip section, sheer astonishment seized the soul residing within the puppet's head!
The feeling struck like a bolt from the blue, sending shivers through her very soul.
He wouldn't… he wouldn't possibly be planning to…
An utterly absurd, yet insistent thought began to grow wildly in Xueyi's mind, overwhelming her usual calm composure.
Aaaah!
Are you kidding me?!
Is this person serious?!
The 'solution' he mentioned… is it really… this?!
Xueyi felt as if her soul was about to shatter.
Yet, at this moment, she was merely a powerless wisp of a soul.
She could do nothing, change nothing.
She could only watch helplessly as Daziel held up her puppet component, his expression turning strangely sacred and solemn…
…
This was the second time Daziel had been this fast.
The last time was when facing the mara-struck Jingliu…
It was also only the second time, aside from Herta's puppet, that he had used a puppet in this particular way.
Other light novel protagonists had mid-battle epiphanies, sudden breakthroughs.
He, on the other hand… cough cough.
But this world has turned into an 'inner world' now, so maybe doing something like this is actually reasonable?
Though Daziel felt somewhat awkward, he resolved to see it through.
He even tried using the Sensitivity Modifier on the component.
The modifier clearly indicated that value adjustments were possible.
Daziel found it strange. This is just a puppet part. Without Xueyi's control, it's just scrap metal... Will modifying these values actually do anything?
But he couldn't worry about that now. It was easy enough to do, anyway!
Max out the values directly! Enhance everything possible first!
Compared to Herta's puppet, it definitely has its own merits…
Truly worthy of the Ten-Lords Commission's craftsmanship. This Xueyi puppet is practically indistinguishable from the real person.
What a completely new experience…
The one not having a good experience was Xueyi.
This was absolutely the most emotionally turbulent day Xueyi had experienced since becoming a judge.
If a soul could show expressions, hers would undoubtedly be flushed crimson, burning hot like a sunset cloud.
As someone already deceased, changing puppet bodies had become routine for Xueyi.
Initially, she hadn't noticed anything wrong with these body swaps. However, over time, Xueyi realized she was gradually becoming… alienated.
Once, Xueyi had made a pact with the Ten-Lords: for every criminal apprehended, she could return to the living for half a day.
But this meager half-day of leisure left Xueyi feeling lost and unsure of what to do.
She seemed to have had many hobbies in life: visiting markets, reading novels, watching illusion plays…
But these former joys had become utterly tasteless after her death. Once she returned to her cold coffin, they would be completely forgotten…
Gradually, Xueyi felt she had lost her passion for life.
However, whenever this sense of despondency welled up, Xueyi would forcefully remind herself that she was atoning. In life, it seemed she had strayed, fallen into the mara-struck state, and committed terrible wrongs.
Now, blessed by the Ten-Lords Commission's magnanimity, she had this chance to redeem herself through meritorious service. Therefore, while performing her duties, no matter the circumstances, she should grit her teeth and endure silently.
For instance, the pain accompanying the shattering and reconstruction of her puppet body was likely unbearable for an ordinary person even once.
Yet Xueyi had already experienced it countless times, becoming numb, even losing the ability to express emotions.
She had thought she would remain this way forever.
Until what just happened completely shattered her millennia-old perception, allowing her to experience a strange sensation she had never known, not even in life…
"OJ!"
[Target Xueyi's Corruption Value Increased by 6%]
[Current Corruption Value: 50%]
[Task Complete, "Mental Sprint" reward received. Please check.]
[Mental Sprint: Allows attacks on the opponent's mental plane, with extra special effects against non-corporeal enemies.]
[Please continue your efforts, Host. Hint: This reward combined with the Sensitivity Modifier has wondrous effects!]
…
It was done.
Daziel clearly hadn't expected the process to go so incredibly smoothly.
It was also, by far, the fastest he had ever farmed Corruption Value.
That time with the mara-struck Jingliu, he hadn't needed to farm any Corruption Value; just getting out was enough.
But this time, there was a Corruption Value requirement, making the situation completely different.
Daziel had even been prepared to just cut his losses and run if the task failed.
After all, saving Lord Tail was just a temporary measure, something to try his best at. As long as he survived, he could always gather more resources later—as long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood.
However, every action he had just taken had increased Xueyi's Corruption Value by several percentage points.
Of course, if Daziel had taken a moment to reflect, he might have realized he was dealing with a woman who had guarded an empty coffin alone for centuries, and whose sensitivity had just been adjusted by a modifier…
Then, perhaps, the baffling smoothness of it all wouldn't seem quite so incomprehensible.
Naturally, Daziel wasn't thinking that deeply right now.
He just roughly wiped the puppet component he had just… infused… with a piece of Xueyi's torn clothing and tossed it aside.
There was still some indescribable residue on it. Although it might be difficult to explain later when the Ten-Lords Commission came to collect the puppet remains, he couldn't worry about that now.
Now, he had to end this quickly.
"Huohuo, it's done."
Daziel's deep, steady voice rang out, signaling his entry into 'Sage Mode'.
Hearing him, Huohuo obediently lowered the small hands covering her eyes and looked up, her clear eyes full of anticipation.
"Can we go save Tail now, Daziel?"
Seeing Huohuo blinking curiously, her eyes pure and innocent with no hint of having peeked, Daziel let out a long sigh of relief internally.
If it had been March 7th or Bronya, those two definitely wouldn't have behaved. They would have peeked through their fingers to see what I was doing.
Daziel nodded at Huohuo. "I'm going now."
He gripped his bat tightly and charged unhesitatingly towards the center of the battle.
Tail's emerald figure, besieged by countless Golden Hourglass Soul Reapers, was already in dire straits, his green light dimming like a candle flickering in the wind.
"Kid, why are you back!" Tail's voice held anger, but also a hint of anxiety. "Didn't I tell you and Huohuo to run? Great, all my effort wasted!"
Clearly, Lord Tail was struggling so hard against the overwhelming attacks that he hadn't noticed what had just happened.
Besides, Daziel's actions had been swift as a gunslinger, taking less than a minute in total. It was perfectly normal for Lord Tail not to have noticed.
"Hahahahaha, back to die, are you?" Qiluo's sharp laughter echoed through the Sui Garden, dripping with chilling glee. "I learned from the memories of some Netherworld Officers that you even defeated Phantylia. So strong and powerful… I can hardly imagine how delicious your emotions will be!"
Daziel had no time for Qiluo's taunts. He looked at Tail, his tone firm.
"It's okay, Lord Tail. Things are different now."
Before the words even faded, Daziel was already swinging his bat, fearlessly joining the fray. The bat whistled through the air like wind, clashing fiercely with the Golden Hourglass Soul Reapers, the sound of metal on metal deafening.
The power of Mental Sprint was quietly unleashed. Each time Daziel swung, it seemed to strike the hard bodies of the golden figures, but an invisible force pierced through the physical barrier like paper, ruthlessly slashing at Qiluo's mental plane.
Tail's anxious expression instantly turned to delighted surprise. He spared a glance at Daziel fighting beside him, a note of admiration in his voice.
"Yo, kid, not bad! But if you had this trick up your sleeve, why didn't you use it earlier?"
Daziel, while swinging his bat to knock back a golden figure, mumbled indistinctly, "This… uh… I just figured it out on the spot!"
"Ouch! Kid, how… how are you hurting me directly?!" Qiluo's voice suddenly became shrill and panicked, filled with disbelief. "This… this is impossible! How come I didn't know there was a way to attack the Heliobus core through controlled beings?!"
A small smirk touched Daziel's lips. "There's a lot you don't know!" he said coldly.
He and Tail stood back-to-back, coordinating perfectly. Bat swung, green light flashed, their attacks relentless as a tide.
Though the Golden Hourglass Soul Reapers were automatons, fearless and unyielding, Qiluo's control over them began to falter under the assault of Mental Sprint.
The Enforcer automatons slowed down. Qiluo's screams grew more piercing with each cry. The pink, ghostly hand trembled uncontrollably, no longer able to maintain its previous arrogance.
"I surrender, I surrender! Stop hitting me! Any more and I'll cough up the Fire Essence I worked so hard to absorb from other Heliobi!"
Daziel eased the momentum of his bat, pausing his attack, and coldly watched the pink entity wailing in agony mid-air.
"Then release your control over those Golden Hourglass figures and Netherworld Officers."
Hearing this, Qiluo's body stiffened abruptly, the screaming cut short. Its voice held a trace of hesitation.
"If… if I release them, will you let me go?"
"Dream on." Daziel bluntly shattered Qiluo's fantasy, his tone icy and hard. "I have the upper hand now. Right now, you either surrender properly, or you take a beating and then surrender. Make your choice."
Qiluo's voice sounded desperate. "Don't I even get a chance to negotiate?"
"None!" Daziel's reply was sharp and absolute, leaving no room for doubt.
"I… I understand!" Qiluo's voice was thick with resentment and hatred. "You… you're worse than those bastards from the Ten-Lords Commission."
Muttering curses, it reluctantly relinquished control.
The pink glow rapidly faded. The Golden Hourglass Soul Reapers and Netherworld Officers, previously moving like mindless puppets, collapsed to the ground as if their strings had been cut, falling silent once more.
Seeing the control released, a small figure rushed forward.
She tried to hug the emerald wolf spirit's leg, burying her small face in Lord Tail's tail flames, tears finally bursting forth uncontrollably.
"Tail...!"
Her voice was heavy with sobs, a flood of relief and lingering fear washing over her.
Lord Tail's body stiffened slightly, seemingly unaccustomed to the sudden hug. But then, a helpless sigh escaped the emerald wolf spirit, carrying an almost imperceptible softness.
Its tail flames flickered slightly, a silent response to Huohuo's call.
"Alright, alright, what are you crying for?" Tail's voice still held a note of impatience, but the earlier anger was gone, replaced by a kind of weary indulgence. "Aren't I perfectly fine? A little scene like this isn't enough to scare your Lord Tail."
Huohuo looked up, teary-eyed, at Tail. Her face was streaked with tears as she sobbed intermittently, "I… I thought you were gone…" Her voice was choked, each word heavy with boundless fear and the joy of having him back.
Daziel walked over to Huohuo's side, gently reaching out to pat her shoulder. The warmth of his palm seeped through her clothes, offering silent comfort.
"Okay, okay, stop crying for now, Huohuo. There's still work to do."
Daziel's gaze shifted to the trembling pink mist on the ground. Qiluo, like a defanged tiger, was curled into a ball, stripped of all its previous arrogance.
"Help me seal this thing up completely."
Lord Tail also shook his furry wolf-spirit head, his emerald eyes looking at Huohuo, his tone urging, the earlier gentleness fleeting.
"Daziel's right, business first. Hurry up and get out those little paper charms, little Judge. Still remember the incantation?"
Huohuo sniffed, hastily wiped the tears from her face, and pulled out folded paper figures from the small pouch at her waist.
Her small hands trembled slightly as she unfolded them, chanting rapidly under her breath.
"Snip, snip, snip, paper cut into soldiers, heed my command! One spirit talisman, all troubles pacified!"
Her young voice, carrying a resolve that belied her age, seemed to dispel the creeping chill in the depths of the Sui Garden.
As Huohuo chanted, the ordinary paper figures seemed to spring to life, dancing without wind, transforming into streaks of light that flew with unerring accuracy onto the pink mist.
"AKO! AKO! AKO! AKO…!"
Qiluo let out bloodcurdling screams. The pink mist writhed violently, trying to break free from the talismans' hold, but it was as futile as a moth drawn to a flame.
"Let me go! Let me go! You damned judges!"
The talismans emitted a faint golden light, like invisible chains firmly suppressing Qiluo's power.
The pink mist dissipated rapidly, like snow scorched by a harsh sun.
Finally, a pink phantom was forcibly ripped from Guinaifen's body. It twisted painfully in the air, letting out despairing wails.
Daziel reacted instantly, stepping forward to steady the swaying Guinaifen just as she was about to collapse. He gently gathered her into his arms, keeping her off the cold ground. Guinaifen was pale, her brow tightly furrowed, clearly still unconscious.
Huohuo carefully brought out a small gourd. It was a dark yellow color, its surface intricately carved with complex talisman patterns, emitting a faint, eerie glow.
Daziel recognized it instantly – it was a Ten-Lords Commission artifact, the Moon-Concealing Gourd, specifically designed to seal Heliobi.
Huohuo took a deep breath, her small chest rising slightly. With trembling hands, she raised the Moon-Concealing Gourd and aimed it at the struggling Qiluo in mid-air.
A powerful suction force surged from the gourd's mouth. The pink phantom shrieked in despair as it was helplessly drawn into the Moon-Concealing Gourd, like being sucked into a whirlpool.
The gourd vibrated slightly, then settled, as if nothing had happened.
Huohuo clutched the Moon-Concealing Gourd tightly, finally letting out a long, relieved sigh.
Daziel glanced down at the unconscious Guinaifen in his arms. Confirming she was merely exhausted and unconscious, not seriously harmed, he looked up.
His gaze fell on the Moon-Concealing Gourd in Huohuo's hands. His tone held a hint of probing, "Huohuo, can you give that to me…?"
After all, he thought, I still have a Phantylia to feed. I really need to get my hands on this thing.
Hearing his request, Huohuo's small body tensed slightly, her arms tightening around the gourd.
She looked up at Daziel, troubled, her clear eyes filled with hesitation and internal conflict.
"Daziel, this… I'm afraid I can't…"
Her voice was apologetic, yet held a thread of firmness.
"Heliobi… are very dangerous. Even though you defeated Qiluo, Daziel… if you want this Moon-Concealing Gourd… as a Judge of the Ten-Lords Commission, I need to request permission from my superiors first…"
Hearing Huohuo's words, Tail's emerald eyes instantly widened. His tail flames slapped against the ground in annoyance, making distinct "thwack, thwack" sounds.
"Huohuo, I swear, why are you so stubborn!" Lord Tail's voice dripped with exasperation. "He saved you, he saved me! What's the big deal about giving him this stupid gourd?"
Reprimanded by Lord Tail, Huohuo looked even more troubled. She bit her lip and whispered defensively, "But… those are the rules…"
She wanted to agree with Daziel, but the responsibilities of a Judge and the rules instilled in her by Xueyi and Hanya were like brands seared into her bones, preventing her from easily granting Daziel's request.
Just as Huohuo was caught in this dilemma, unsure what to do, a clear, slightly anxious female voice suddenly called out from the distance—
"Are you alright?"
The voice was crisp and pleasant, yet carried a hint of exhaustion from a long journey and perhaps working overtime.
The group turned towards the sound. A squad of Netherworld Officers and Golden Hourglass Soul Reapers were rapidly approaching.
Leading them was Hanya, dressed in her Judge uniform.
Hanya strode quickly towards them. Her gaze swept over the devastated Sui Garden and Guinaifen cradled in Daziel's arms. Confirming that everyone was safe, her tense expression relaxed slightly, and the tight frown on her brow eased.
"Lady Hanya!"
Seeing Hanya, Huohuo seemed to find her anchor. She hurried over, her voice tinged with grievance
"We're alright, Lady Hanya. Daziel already resolved the situation."
She pointed towards the puppet remains on the ground, her voice tinged with sadness and apology. "It's just… Lady Xueyi will need a new puppet body again."
Hanya let out a long sigh upon hearing this, her tense body finally relaxing completely.
"As long as you're okay. At least nothing major went wrong, otherwise it would be hard to report to the higher-ups."
Her gaze swept over the scattered puppet components on the ground, and her brow furrowed slightly once more.
The extent of the damage to Xueyi's puppet made her unsure whether Xueyi's soul had successfully returned to the archives in the Hall of Karma.
However, when Hanya's gaze accidentally fell upon the section of remains corresponding to Xueyi's hip section, she suddenly froze. Her cool eyes instantly took on a peculiar expression.
She noticed that something strange seemed to be stuck to the broken puppet component, looking conspicuously out of place.
Hanya walked over, picked up the puppet part, and even curiously prodded it for a moment, examining the slightly slippery residue on it…
She asked, slightly puzzled, "What… is this?"
__
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