248. The Death of Yae Sakura?
Just now in the gymnasium, Yae Sakura almost had her body taken over by Hiyokumaru. If Yun Ling hadn't arrived in time to help her recover, she probably wouldn't be Yae Sakura anymore.
Of course, even if Yae Sakura's willpower held up this time, could she guarantee she could survive next time? It's highly uncertain.
"You seem to know something about my situation?" Yae Sakura asked tentatively.
"I wouldn't say I know, but I do have some solutions." Yun Ling blinked; he liked this pink fox more and more the more he looked at her.
I wonder if she has a fluffy tail?
"Please don't hesitate to tell me!" Hope rekindled in Yae Sakura's eyes.
"The best way would have been to kill that fox, but because you've been corrupted by it so deeply, it's become inextricably linked to your soul. Even if I killed it, I can't guarantee you'd survive."
"So, we have to settle for second best. Let me try to 'dominate' her, thereby erasing her evil intentions," Yun Ling explained.
This is the power of 'dominance'.
Although Yun Ling has never used it before, and mostly uses the special product of this power, 'threads,' as his means of attack, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist; he simply can't use it.
"You can actually do something like this?" Yae Sakura asked, somewhat surprised.
"Of course, there are certain conditions for using it. After all, that fox's evil intentions are too deep; she certainly won't easily submit." Yun Ling stroked his chin, looking troubled.
"What do you need me to do?" Yae Sakura asked, pursing her lips.
"Hmm…it requires prolonged intimate contact," Yun Ling stated the condition.
This wasn't him lying to take advantage of Yae Sakura; it was a genuine necessity.
As mentioned earlier, Hiyokumaru's soul had already merged with Yae Sakura's, and the Jizo Mitama was merely a divine key reliant on the power of corruption.
Hiyokumaru's true soul didn't reside within the blade.
Otherwise, Yae Sakura could have easily thrown the Jizo Mitama into some deep mountain forest to escape Hiyokumaru's corruption.
"Prolonged...intimate contact..."
Yae Sakura seemed to recall Yun Ling's words, a hint of suspicion appearing in her eyes.
Could he have done this on purpose?
"In short, the choice is yours. I won't force you to choose, and the success rate isn't 100%. But if you need to find that person's whereabouts, you should at least consider how to survive, right?"
"Friendly reminder: if you wait until the next invasion, I can't help you anymore."
"So? Want to gamble? Or do you think you can find that person before the next invasion arrives?"
Yun Ling shrugged. Although he was very attracted to Yae Sakura's body, he was a gentleman, as his little angel Yuna could attest.
If he were less serious, he'd probably already be threatening her with nonsensical things like, 'Beautiful Yae Sakura, you don't want to never have another chance to find Kallen, do you?'
After thinking for a long time, Yae Sakura finally agreed to Yun Ling's request.
If Yun Ling really wanted to do something, he should have done it while she was unconscious, right? Why wait until now?
After all, judging from his appearance, he wasn't afraid of that corruption power...
Having obtained Yae Sakura's consent, Yun Ling didn't waste any words and directly stepped forward to take Yae Sakura's hand.
"Wait...wait a minute!"
Yae Sakura trembled all over; even such an intimate act as a handshake made her incredibly shy, and the hairs on her ears stood on end.
Yun Ling obediently released her.
"Hoo...you, what's your name?" Yae Sakura asked.
"I am Yun Ling, and this is Yuna," Yun Ling simply introduced both of them.
"My name is Yae Sakura. Nice to meet you."
After mentally preparing herself, Yae Sakura closed her eyes, looking completely at ease.
"Yuna, you should go outside first."
"Okay..." Yuna nodded sensibly.
After Yun Ling dismissed Yuna, Yae Sakura became noticeably more nervous. Her trembling eyelashes and stiff fox ears betrayed her.
Yun Ling grasped Yae Sakura's soft hand again, this time both hands together, their fingers intertwined.
Even with Kallen, she had never been so intimate; at most, they had only held hands. But now…
Yae Sakura could feel Yun Ling's hot breath on her face, and the warmth from his hands made her palms sweat involuntarily.
Yae Sakura's heart pounded uncontrollably, yet she desperately tried to control her breathing.
She silently repeated to herself that all of this was for finding Kallen, trying to convince herself otherwise.
Finally, Yun Ling's forehead pressed tightly against hers.
The tips of their noses were already touching; if Yun Ling moved forward just a little more, he could kiss her.
"I'm beginning," Yun Ling whispered a reminder.
Then, Yae Sakura felt a strange power intrude into her body.
To put it simply, it was as if countless threads had wrapped around her soul, forcibly opening her mental world.
Was this Yae Sakura's mental world?
Yun Ling's eyes scanned his surroundings.
It wasn't peaceful; instead, raging flames burned continuously.
And here, Yun Ling finally saw the true form of 'Hiyokumaru'.
It was a gigantic, fiery red fox, radiating an aura of violence and darkness.
Seemingly sensing Yun Ling's presence, Hiyokumaru roared, spewing flames to incinerate him.
But unexpectedly, her massive body was instantly bound by countless threads.
This was only the second time Yun Ling had formally used his Domination Authority; the first time was when he attempted to control Yuna's pseudo-Herrscher core, resulting in the Advent of the Tree World.
This time was different. Yuna had offered almost no resistance then, but this fox before her was struggling desperately, making domination exponentially more difficult.
The threads snapped and then reconnected, the power of domination surging within them.
A long time passed, but Hiyokumaru's struggles showed no sign of abating.
She knew that once she stopped struggling, that will would engulf her, completely dominating her.
She hated this world; she hated everything here.
If she were to forget her hatred, then...she might as well die!
As Hiyokumaru fought back with desperate ferocity, the surrounding temperature began to rise rapidly. A look of pain appeared on Yae Sakura's face, and she groaned.
This was tantamount to roasting her soul over a raging fire; such pain was unbearable for an ordinary person.
Yae Sakura's body temperature also began to rise, like a scorching furnace.
But Yun Ling had no way out at this moment; he hadn't expected Hiyokumaru to be so resolute.
Yun Ling activated his 'Domination Authority' with all his might, but he had underestimated Hiyokumaru's hatred for this world.
As everything subsided, Yae Sakura's body fell backward, her once fiery body temperature slowly cooling, her pulse weakening, and her chest ceasing to rise and fall.
All of this seemed to say that Yun Ling had failed.
And Yae Sakura... was dead.
...