Su Yu juga menyadari apa yang mereka rencanakan.
Mereka berencana untuk membantai para roh kematian sebelum kabur. Tatapan di matanya sedikit berubah saat ia mulai mengamati sekelilingnya. Saat itu, Jiu Xuan dan Final Armor masih berlari tanpa menyerang. Jelas sekali, mereka sedang mencari tempat persembunyian yang aman sebelum melancarkan aksi.
Menyadari hal itu, sebuah pikiran baru muncul di benak Su Yu. Mungkin... dia bisa membuat keduanya tewas jauh lebih mudah dari yang ia duga. Merampas jimat itu untuk dirinya sendiri tidak akan semudah itu.
Keduanya pasti akan mencari tempat persembunyian terlebih dahulu. Dengan begitu, mereka bisa langsung kabur ke tempat perlindungan baru begitu selesai melancarkan aksi. Salah satu karakteristik khusus dari bangunan-bangunan kuno ini adalah tidak ada penghuni baru yang bisa masuk tanpa izin jika bangunan tersebut sudah ditempati.
"Bagaimana jika... aku mengambil bangunan yang mereka pilih duluan?"
Matanya berbinar. Bangunan mana yang akan mereka pilih? Mereka pasti akan memilih bangunan kokoh yang bisa mereka temukan. Ia mulai melihat-lihat untuk mencari target yang cocok. Jika ia menempati bangunan itu tepat saat mereka hendak menerobos masuk dan membanting pintu, apa yang akan terjadi pada keduanya? Apakah mereka akan menjadi gila?
Hidup dan mati, ditentukan oleh satu pintu tunggal.
Saat itu, Jiu Xuan berkata, "Yang itu. Kau lihat bangunan itu, Komandan Final? Bangunan besar di sebelah sana itu. Itu bangunan di ring keenam. Seharusnya itu sudah cukup, kan?"
Mereka bahkan tidak repot-repot menggunakan transmisi suara. Su Yu tertegun saat menyadarinya, tetapi tak lama kemudian, ia mengerti apa yang sedang mereka pikirkan. Mereka berasumsi bahwa semua roh kematian itu bodoh. Yah... jujur saja, ia juga berpendapat begitu. Apa gunanya menyembunyikan sesuatu jika di sekitar mereka hanya ada roh kematian?
Sama sekali tidak perlu.
Su Yu mengikuti pandangan mereka dan melihat sebuah manor tidak jauh dari sana. Karena pekatnya qi kematian di sekitarnya, seluruh manor itu tampak suram. Tapi bangunan itu juga terlihat cukup kokoh. Apakah ia bahkan bisa memasuki bangunan tingkat tinggi seperti itu? Lagi pula, tidak semua bangunan kosong di kota-kota kuno ini bisa dimasuki dengan mudah. Ia tidak yakin. Tapi tidak ada salahnya mencoba.
Ia memutuskan untuk tetap berada di dekat pintu masuk terlebih dahulu. Begitu keduanya melancarkan serangan terhadap para roh kematian, mereka akan berlari menuju bangunan itu. Pada saat yang sama, roh kematian tingkat Matahari-Bulan akan muncul di belakang mereka. Saat itulah, ia bisa melangkah melewati pintu dan membantingnya hingga tertutup.
Bahkan Su Yu sendiri merasa ngeri dengan betapa kejamnya rencana itu. Ia bahkan tidak sanggup membayangkan tingkat keputusasaan yang akan dirasakan oleh kedua orang itu pada saat tersebut. Haruskah ia menunggu sampai mereka berada di ambang kematian sebelum membukakan pintu dan membiarkan mereka masuk? Lalu... ia bisa memberikan pukulan terakhir kepada mereka, bukan?
Su Yu mulai bergerak menuju manor itu secara sembunyi-sembunyi bersama beberapa roh kematian yang lebih lemah. Tak lama kemudian, ia tiba di pintu masuk manor tersebut. Di langit, keduanya sedang berbenturan dengan roh kematian yang mengepung mereka. Jimat di tangan Jiu Xuan mulai berkedip-kedip. Jelas sekali, mereka akan segera melancarkan aksi.
Setelah melirik keduanya sekali lagi, Su Yu mendorong pintu manor itu dengan ringan. Dan pintunya pun terbuka.
Su Yu buru-buru menutup kembali pintu itu. Ia belum boleh masuk sekarang. Jika ia masuk, bangunan itu akan berubah menjadi bangunan berpenghuni. Ia harus masuk tepat saat kedua orang itu hendak masuk. Dengan begitu, mereka bahkan tidak akan sempat memilih bangunan lain.
Lagi pula, bangunan ring dalam ini ternyata cukup mudah untuk dimasuki. Kenapa ada begitu banyak rumor yang mengklaim bahwa bangunan ring dalam ini sangat rumit?
Dengan begitu, Su Yu mulai bersembunyi di samping pintu. Atau lebih tepatnya, ia berdiri di sana dengan tatapan kosong seperti roh kematian lainnya. Sebagai roh kematian yang lemah, ia seharusnya tidak bisa masuk. Jadi, kedua targetnya tidak akan mempermasalahkan keberadaannya, bukan?
Paling buruk, mereka akan melayangkan tamparan begitu saja ke arahnya untuk membunuhnya tepat sebelum melewati pintu. Tapi itu bukan hal yang perlu ia khawatirkan. Begitu mereka mencapai pintu, ia sudah berada di dalam bangunan tersebut.
Su Yu mulai merasa bersemangat. Ia tidak bisa menahan diri untuk tidak memuji betapa praktisnya menjadi seekor roh kematian. Sementara itu, kedua targetnya semakin mendekat. Tiba-tiba, Jiu Xuan turun dari langit. Final Armor berhenti menahan diri dan membunuh beberapa roh kematian yang lemah untuk membuka jalan menuju tujuan mereka.
Dengan ekspresi serius, Jiu Xuan berkata, "Begitu aku melancarkan aksi, bawa aku masuk ke dalam bangunan itu. Ini bangunan yang bisa kau masuki, kan?"
"Ya." Final Armor berkata, "Aku ingat bangunan ini. Aku pernah ke sini sebelumnya. Tempat ini sempat berpenghuni pada suatu waktu, tetapi qi kematian di dalamnya sangat pekat."
"Tidak apa-apa. Kita hanya perlu bertahan sampai kakekku tiba di sini.
"Baiklah."
Keduanya membuat keputusan. Kilatan kejam terpancar di mata Jiu Xuan saat ia menatap lautan roh kematian di sekeliling mereka. Akhirnya, ia bisa membunuh semua roh kematian yang menyebalkan ini. Lancang sekali mereka mengganggunya tanpa henti.
Ia menggigit ujung lidahnya dan meludahkannya seteguk darah ke atas jimat tersebut. Kemudian, cahaya merah menyilaukan meletus dari jimat itu.
"Bunuh!"
Atas perintahnya, niezkesan pancaran sinar melesat keluar, membanjiri dunia dengan kekuatan yang begitu suci dan agung tanpa tanding.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Satu demi satu roh kematian langsung hancur menjadi ketiadaan. Pada saat yang persis sama, patung batu di kediaman prefek membuka matanya. Di bawahnya, tiga roh kematian muncul. Qi kematian yang mereka pancarkan luar biasa kuat. Masing-masing dari mereka adalah seorang Matahari-Bulan.
Jejak cahaya samar berkedip di mata mereka. Kemudian, mereka lenyap begitu saja ke udara tipis dengan sekejap. Jimat raja abadi itu masih menyapu kota, menghancurkan satu bangunan demi bangunan. Tapi hampir seketika, bangunan-bangunan itu kembali ke keadaan semula. Sementara itu, semakin banyak roh kematian yang hancur menjadi ketiadaan.
Jumlah mereka terlalu banyak. Terlalu banyak untuk dihitung. Inilah kekuatan dari jimat seorang Tak Terkalahkan.
Tapi... Su Yu baik-baik saja. Jiu Xuan bukan orang bodoh. Kenapa mereka harus memunculkan lebih banyak roh kematian di jalur mereka? Mereka tidak terlalu khawatir tentang beberapa roh lemah yang berkeliaran di depan bangunan tempat mereka berencana untuk bersembunyi.
Banyak roh kematian yang terbunuh. Dan tiba-tiba, tiga roh kematian tingkat Matahari-Bulan muncul di langit. Gelombang qi kematian yang luar biasa kuat berdenyut keluar dari diri mereka.
Jiu Xuan langsung pucat pasi. Tanpa repot-repot mengatakan apa pun, Final Armor menyeretnya dan bergerak dengan kecepatan penuh menuju manor di hadapan mereka. Ini adalah ring keenam. Bahkan roh kematian tingkat Matahari-Bulan tidak bisa menerobos masuk ke dalam bangunan di sini dengan begitu mudah.
Waktu yang dibeli oleh bangunan itu akan cukup bagi sang raja abadi untuk tiba. Diselimuti oleh lapisan tebal qi kematian, ketiga roh kematian tingkat Matahari-Bulan itu melesat ke arah mereka dengan kecepatan yang tak tertandingi.
Final Armor dan Jiu Xuan memusatkan seluruh perhatian mereka pada manor yang berada tepat di hadapan mereka. Tapi tepat pada saat itu, salah satu roh kematian yang lemah di area tersebut mendorong pintu manor itu.
Di bawah tatapan kkejutan dan ketidakpercayaan mereka, pintu itu pun berayun terbuka. Kemudian, roh kematian itu masuk ke dalam dan membanting pintunya hingga tertutup.
Bum!
Suara gemuruh keras bergema saat Final Armor menabrak pintu tersebut. Ia menyerang dengan seluruh kekuatannya, tetapi ini adalah pintu yang mampu menghentikan para Matahari-Bulan. Tentu saja pintu itu juga mampu menghentikannya.
Ketidakpercayaan masih memenuhi matanya.
Roh kematian? Masuk ke dalam bangunan?
Roh kematian? Menutup pintu setelah masuk?
Lalu bagaimana dengan dirinya?
Bagaimana dengan mereka?
Mereka... akan mati!
"TIDAK!"
Deruman penuh amarah menggema di seluruh penjuru kota. Selain patung batu, tidak ada seorang pun di sana yang menyaksikan apa yang sedang terjadi. Lagipula, bahkan jika orang lain ingin melihatnya, itu tidak mungkin dilakukan. Segala bentuk kehidupan dalam radius satu kilometer di sekitar ketiga roh kematian tingkat Matahari-Bulan itu langsung binasa seketika setelah kemunculan mereka.
"TIDAK!"
Raungan Final Armor dipenuhi dengan kemurkaan dan rasa benci. Ia tidak memiliki kesempatan untuk kabur. Ketiga roh kematian tingkat Matahari-Bulan itu tiba di belakangnya, dengan qi kematian yang jauh lebih pekat daripada apa pun yang pernah dirasakannya sebelumnya.
Saat mereka tiba, tubuh Final Armor mulai membusuk. Keputusasaan menyelimuti wajah Jiu Xuan saat sejumlah besar qi kematian menutupi tubuhnya. Sisa sedikit qi sumber surgawi yang dimilikinya sama sekali tidak cukup untuk menghadapi qi kematian tingkat ini.
Sebuah kesadaran menghinggapinya. Kematian telah tiba untuknya. Tidak ada cara untuk selamat dari ini. Di saat-saat terakhirnya, ia teringat sesuatu. Roh kematian itu... roh kematian yang masuk ke dalam manor itu... itu bukan roh kematian! Itu adalah makhluk hidup!
Siapa itu?
Su Yu? Su Yu!
Tentu saja!
Hanya bisa jadi dia!
"SU YU!"
Jeritan melengking yang dibumbui keputusasaan tanpa batas bergema ke seluruh kota. Tiba-tiba, pintu itu berayun terbuka dan sebuah bilah pedang yang menyilaukan melesat keluar.
Bum!
Final Armor, yang menghadap ke pintu dengan membelakanginya, langsung terpotong menjadi dua. Tubuhnya yang membusuk sudah tidak sekokoh sebelumnya. Dengan susah payah, ia menolehkan kepalanya dan mengambil langkah goyah menuju pintu. Su Yu dan bilah pedang masuk ke dalam penglihatannya. Ketidakpercayaan dan penyesalan memenuhi matanya.
Ia sudah mati.
Faktanya, ia sudah mati sejak saat ketiga roh kematian tingkat Matahari-Bulan itu muncul.
Satu pintu tunggal berdiri menghalangi jalurnya menuju keselamatan.
Tapi ia belum mau mati. Ia ingin memberi tahu semua orang bahwa Su Yu adalah dalang di balik semua kekacauan yang terjadi di kota ini.
"SU—"
Sebelum ia bisa mengatakan lebih banyak, darah yang menyembur keluar dari mulutnya berubah menjadi hitam. Kemudian, pancaran cahaya menyilaukan meletus dari bilah pedang itu sekali lagi.
Wus!
Final Armor tercincang berkeping-keping. Dengan lambaian tangannya, Su Yu mengumpulkan semua potongan itu ke dalam cincin penyimpanannya sebelum mengayunkan pedangnya ke arah Jiu Xuan. Jiu Xuan juga sudah berada di ambang kematian. Ia bisa bertahan selama ini berkat qi sumber surgawinya.
Kulitnya tidak lagi putih dan lembut. Sebaliknya, ia mirip dengan mayat kering dengan kulit yang mengeriput.
Ia memelototi Su Yu. Tetes demi tetes darah menetes ke tanah.
Su Yu!
Dengan jarinya yang mengeriput, ia menulis dua karakter abadi dengan darahnya. Kemudian, kedua karakter itu menjadi hidup dan terbang menjauh.
Su Yu!
Ia membuat pernyataan bahwa orang yang telah membunuhnya adalah Su Yu. Selama hal itu diketahui, beberapa orang akan dapat mengetahui beberapa rahasianya. Sebagai contoh, fakta bahwa ia memiliki hubungan dengan para roh kematian di kota ini. Ia hanya punya cukup waktu untuk menulis kedua karakter itu.
Su Yu had also realized what they were planning.
They were going to slaughter the death spirits before fleeing. The look in his eyes changed slightly as he started scanning his surroundings. At the moment, Jiu Xuan and Final Armor were still running without attacking. Clearly, they were looking for a suitable safe house before making their move.
Noticing that, a new thought emerged in Su Yu's mind. Perhaps...he could get the two of them killed much easier than he thought. It wouldn't be so easy to snatch that talisman for himself.
The two would first look for a safe house. That way, they could flee into their new shelter right after making their move. One special characteristic of these ancient buildings was that no new occupant could enter without permission if a building was already occupied.
"What if...I take the building they picked in advance?"
His eyes flickered. Which building would they choose? They would definitely pick the sturdiest building they could find. He started looking around for a suitable target. If he occupied the building right as they were about to rush inside and shut the door, what would happen to the two? Would they go mad?
Life and death, determined by a single door.
At that moment, Jiu Xuan said, "That one. Do you see that building, Commander Final? That large building over there. It's a building in the sixth ring. It should be sufficient, right?"
They didn't even bother to use voice transmissions. Su Yu was stunned when he noticed that, but soon, he understood what they were thinking. They were assuming that all death spirits were dumb. Well...to be fair, he believed so as well. What was the point of hiding anything with only death spirits around them?
It was completely unnecessary.
Su Yu followed their gaze and saw a manor not far away. Due to the thick death qi around it, the entire manor looked dusky. But it also looked quite sturdy. Could he even enter a building of such a level? After all, not all unoccupied buildings in these ancient cities could be entered easily. He was unsure. But it wouldn't hurt to try.
He decided to stay near the entrance first. The instant the two made their move against the death spirits, they would rush toward the building. At the same time, Sunmoon death spirits would appear behind them. At that time, he could step through the door and slam it shut.
Even Su Yu himself was alarmed at how cruel that plan was. He couldn't begin to imagine the level of despair those two would feel at that moment. Should he wait until they were on the verge of dying before opening the door and letting them in? Then...he could deal the final blow to them, right?
Su Yu started moving toward the manor stealthily with a few of the weaker death spirits. Shortly after, he arrived at the entrance of the manor. Up in the sky, the two were colliding against the death spirits surrounding them. The talisman in Jiu Xuan's hand was starting to flicker. Clearly, they were going to make their move soon.
After taking another glance at the two, Su Yu lightly pushed the door of the manor. And it opened.
Su Yu hurriedly shut the door again. He could not enter yet. If he entered, it would turn into an occupied building. He had to enter right as those two were about to enter. That way, they wouldn't even get the chance to pick a different building.
These inner ring buildings were quite easy to enter, after all. Why were there so many rumors claiming that these inner ring buildings were very complicated?
With that Su Yu started hiding beside the door. Or to be precise, he was standing there blankly like any other death spirit. As a weak death spirit, he wasn't supposed to be able to enter. Thus, his two targets wouldn't mind his presence, right?
At worst, they would throw a casual slap his way to kill him right before going through the door. But that was not a worry for him. By the time they reached the door, he would be inside the building already.
Su Yu was starting to get excited. He couldn't help but praise the convenience of being a death spirit. Meanwhile, his two targets were moving nearer and nearer. Abruptly, Jiu Xuan dropped down from the sky. Final Armor stopped holding back and killed a few weak death spirits to open a path toward their destination.
With a solemn expression, Jiu Xuan said, "The moment I make my move, take me into the building. This is a building you can enter, right?"
"Yes." Final Armor said, "I remember this building. I was here before. It was occupied at one point, but the death qi inside is very dense."
"It's fine. We only need to last until my grandpa is here."
"Alright."
The two made their decision. A ruthless gleam flickered in Jiu Xuan's eyes as she looked at the sea of death spirits around them. Finally, she could kill all these annoying death spirits. How dare they pester her endlessly.
She bit the tip of her tongue and spat a mouthful of blood on the talisman. Then, a dazzling crimson light erupted from the talisman.
"Kill!"
With her command, countless beams shot out, flooding the world in a power that was incomparably holy and majestic.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
One death spirit after another was instantly reduced into nothingness. At the exact moment, the stone statue in the mayor's residence opened his eyes. Beneath him, three death spirits appeared. The death qi they emitted was incomparably powerful. Every one of them was a Sunmoon.
Faint traces of light flickered in their eyes. Then, they vanished into thin air with a flicker. The immortal king talisman was still sweeping past the city, destroying one building after another. But almost immediately, those buildings reverted to their previous state. Meanwhile, more and more death spirits were reduced to nothingness.
There were too many of them. Too many to count. This was the power of an Invincible talisman.
But...Su Yu was completely fine. Jiu Xuan was no fool. Why would they spawn more death spirits in their way? They weren't too worried about the few weak spirits lingering in front of the building they were planning to hide in.
Numerous death spirits were killed. And abruptly, three Sunmoon death spirits flickered into existence in the sky. Waves of incomparably powerful death qi rippled out of them.
Jiu Xuan instantly paled. Without bothering to say anything, Final Armor dragged her and moved at his top speed toward the manor ahead of them. This was the sixth ring. Not even Sunmoon death spirits could break into the buildings here so easily.
The time the building bought them would be enough for the immortal king to arrive. Shrouded in a thick layer of death qi, the three Sunmoon death spirits shot toward them at an incomparably fast speed.
Final Armor and Jiu Xuan had all their attention on the manor that was right ahead of them. But right at that moment, one of the weak death spirits in the area pushed the door of the manor.
Under their gazes of shock and disbelief, the door swung open. Then, the death spirit went through it and slammed the door shut.
Boom!
A loud rumble rang out as Final Armor rammed into the door. He attacked with all his strength, but this was a door capable of stopping Sunmoons. It was naturally capable of stopping him as well.
Disbelief still filled his eyes.
A death spirit? Entering the building?
A death spirit? Shutting the door after entering?
What about him?
What about them?
They...were going to die!
"NO!"
A furious bellow resounded throughout the city. Apart from the stone statue, nobody was there to witness what was happening. Then again, even if someone else wanted to take a look, it wouldn't be possible. All life within a one-kilometer radius around the three Sunmoon death spirits had instantly perished right after their appearance.
"NO!"
Final Armor's roar was filled with fury and indignation. He did not have the chance to flee. The three Sunmoon death spirits arrived behind him, with death qi that was far more potent than anything he had ever felt before.
The moment they arrived, Final Armor's body started rotting away. Despair covered Jiu Xuan's face as a large amount of death qi covered her body. The little heavenly source qi she had left was completely insufficient to deal with death qi of this level.
A realization dawned on her. Death had arrived for her. There was no surviving this. In her final moments, she recalled something. That death spirit...the death spirit who had entered the manor...that was no death spirit! That was a living being!
Who was that?
Su Yu? Su Yu!
Definitely!
It could only be him!
"SU YU!"
A shrill howl laced with boundless despair resounded throughout the city. Abruptly, the door swung open and a dazzling saber shot out.
Boom!
Final Armor, who was facing the door with his back, was instantly cut into two. His rotting body was no longer as sturdy as before. With great difficulty, he turned his head and took an unstable step toward the door. Su Yu and a blade entered his vision. Disbelief and regret filled his eyes.
He was dead.
In fact, he was already dead the moment the three Sunmoon death spirits appeared.
A single door stood in his path toward salvation.
But he did not want to die yet. He wanted to tell everyone that Su Yu was the culprit for all the chaos unfolding in the city.
"SU—"
Before he could say more, the blood spurting out of his mouth turned black. Then, a blinding radiance erupted from the saber yet again.
Whoosh!
Final Armor was cut into pieces. With a wave of his hand, Su Yu gathered all the pieces into his storage ring before swinging his saber at Jiu Xuan. Jiu Xuan was already near death as well. She had only lasted this long thanks to her heavenly source qi.
Her skin was no longer fair and tender. Rather, she was akin to a dried corpse with her withered skin.
She glared at Su Yu. Drop after drop of blood dripped onto the ground.
Su Yu!
With her withered finger, she wrote two immortal characters with her blood. Then, the two characters came to life and flew away.
Su Yu!
She was making a declaration that the person who had killed her was Su Yu. As long as that was known, some people would be able to figure out some of his secrets. For example, the fact that he was related to the death spirits in the city. She only had enough time to write the two characters.
"Idiot." Su Yu said, "You must be dumb. After killing Final Armor, even if I only dealt the final blow, my rank must have changed. Everyone will know I'm the killer. What's the point of writing my name? What an idiot."
Jiu Xuan's eyes widened.
At her final moment, she was filled with regret, despair, indignation...and unwillingness.
Her? An idiot? That...seemed to be true. Su Yu was right. What was the point of writing his name down? Everyone would know he was the killer even without her reminder.
Boom!
Her final bit of consciousness faded away as her sea of willpower collapsed completely. Su Yu reached out his arm which was completely identical to the arm of a death spirit and grabbed the withered corpse. It looked nothing like the corpse of an immortal fairy.
He pulled the corpse through the entrance and kept it in his storage ring. All along, he had been standing inside the building. The three Sunmoon death spirits gazed at him outside the building. Their eyes flickered with tiny traces of wisdom. What was this?
One of them?
The little bit of intelligence they had was being insulted. The three Sunmoon death spirits were completely stunned. Just what was this? Meanwhile, Su Yu merely shot the three death spirits a fearful look before slamming his door shut.
Boom!
The three Sunmoon death spirits were left outside. Lingering fear filled his heart. Suddenly, a massive cloud appeared above him. This was the combined reward for killing Final Armor and Jiu Xuan.
It was a massive golden clump. And the reward seemed to be...heavenearth profound light!
***
At the same time.
Heavenly Hunt Pavilion.
Somewhere inside was an incomparably large stele. Numerous flickering names could be seen on the surface of the stele. A certain name started flickering abruptly before moving to the very top. But then, it seemed to start hesitating. It thus dropped one rank, and another rank...
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