Yize listened quietly to Dio’s narration, but a far more turbulent storm was churning within him than what appeared on the surface.
She actually came… for me?
This realization was like a boulder dropped into the lake of his heart, stirring up not only surprise but also a heavy, unexpected throb.
Since his transmigration, he had grown used to acting as an observer, a variable.
He was used to bearing secrets alone and reaching out to help those worth helping when necessary, but he had never imagined that someone would barge into a death trap for him, without counting the cost or asking the reason.
Beat up three Blood Pillars… Single-handedly, force back an army…
Though Dio’s description was brief, Yize could imagine the astonishing strength and explosive resolve that must have required.
What made his heart tighten even more was how Riya had managed to do all this under the watchful eyes of everyone without exposing her nature as a member of the Blood Race.
Yet, following close on the heels of his worry rose a strange irritation.
This silly woman… Even if her strength had skyrocketed, even if her bloodline was special, how could she be so reckless?
Follow those cunning, vicious Blood Pillars deep into an unknown enemy nest?
What if it was a trap?
What if they had means that specifically countered her?
Hadn’t she learned any of his caution?
Just as this irritation and worry were intertwining, the system’s voice, which had been silent for days, suddenly rang out in his mind with an almost “human” emphasis:
[Current affection level of Rhea Alside towards Host: 95 [Fluctuating within 90-100 range]]
The number “95” was highlighted by the system in a special way, as if it carried warmth and weight.
[Host, do you know what an affection level exceeding 90 typically signifies according to the Multi-dimensional Emotion Model analysis?]
The system’s voice was still calm, but Yize inexplicably sensed a hint of… teasing?
Or perhaps it was a programmed “emphasis lesson”?
[It means ‘untill death do us part.’ It means a profound devotion and absolute inclination that is willing to betray racial stance, cross life-and-death obstacles, and even defy one’s own inherent logic to a certain extent.]
[Miss Riya’s actions might appear insufficiently ‘rational’ under conventional risk assessment, but the core logic driving her behavior is not stupidity. It is a deep emotional drive born from this extremely high affection level, surpassing conventional ‘cost-benefit analysis.’ To describe it in more colloquial database terms: She is not ‘foolish,’ but ‘loves you deeply.’]
‘Don’t I know that…’
He responded silently to the system in his mind. Beneath that irritation, what surged up was actually a deeper unease and a weight akin to apprehension.
Perhaps it was because he had vaguely sensed the weight of this emotion that he was even less willing to see her take such huge risks because of him.
This loyalty was too profound, so profound that he felt he could not yet bear it, nor could he repay it.
‘But… System, you’re talking so much today?’
‘And you popped up specifically to explain this?’
Yize keenly noticed that the system’s prompt this time was unusually active.
The system was silent for a moment, then returned to its flat, mechanical tone:
[Based on analysis of Host’s recent behavior patterns and encountered events, indicating changes in core character’s emotional state helps the Host grasp the situation more comprehensively and optimize subsequent decisions. This is one of the advanced auxiliary functions.]
It sounded reasonable enough, but Yize still felt something was off.
“Silly woman? Junior Yize, who are you talking about?”
Dio’s somewhat confused voice pulled Yize back to reality from his silent conversation with the system.
It was then that Yize realized he had accidentally muttered his inner complaints out loud, and quickly covered it with a laugh.
“Ah? No, no one. Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue.”
He hastily changed the subject, putting on an appropriately surprised expression.
“Senior Dio, you just said Li En… monsterization?”
“What exactly happened? Tell me in detail!”
This was the news that truly made him feel the script had completely derailed.
‘Li En, the “Chosen One” of the original story, even if his character had flaws, even if his fate had deviated due to my interference, but directly sliding into corruption, becoming a mindless monster?’
‘That leap is too horrifying!’
‘There’s no such darkened route in the original story!’
‘Riya is at least still on the right track. How has this “male lead” already beat me to the ultimate villain form?’
‘And the main party, without their “male lead”, actually managed to survive the deadly situation, and even waited for Riya, this “heaven-sent savior”…’
‘Could it be that, under some strange worldline convergence, Riya has instead partially inherited the original male lead’s fortune and role?’
‘What is this all about!’
Dio’s expression also grew grave.
As a reincarnator, the stark contrast between Li En’s “hero” image in the previous life and his current “monster” outcome brought him shock and confusion no less than Yize’s.
He carefully recalled every detail of that day, trying to sort out the causal chain that led to this dramatic change.
After a moment of deliberation, Dio spoke slowly, his tone solemn:
“As for the specific triggers, I believe it was the result of multiple factors compounding. But the direct fuse that ignited his rationality…”
He glanced at Yize.
“I’m afraid it has a direct relation to you and Junior Luke.”
He began to describe in detail the scene on the battlefield that day: how Li En had hidden his strength, selectively rescuing people to gain favor; how Luke had fallen into dire straits, begged Li En for help only to be coldly ignored; how Luke, in despair and anger, had publicly torn off Li En’s mask of hypocrisy and selfishness, each word a strike to the heart, exposing his schemes and despicability before everyone; how Li En had gone from fury to complete breakdown, and ultimately, amidst the desperation of being abandoned by all and pointed at by a thousand fingers, was devoured by the restless power of Dragon Blood within him, losing his mind and turning into a monster that only knew destruction and release…
Yize listened silently, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.
‘Li En actually hates me this much?’
He had thought it was just the protagonist’s instinctive rejection and competitive psychology towards him as a variable, but he never expected it to have fermented into such deep jealousy and venom.
What sent a chill down his spine even more was the filthy thoughts Li En had spewed after his monsterization, as relayed by Dio—targeting Sara and Emma, even wanting to rape them in front of him as revenge?
This had completely surpassed the image of the male lead in the original story, who, though somewhat arrogant, was still generally “righteous.”
This was more like a madman completely consumed by desire and jealousy.
‘Possession?’
‘Or did the Dragon Blood power itself have the effect of magnifying inner darkness?’
‘Ah well, with such a temperament, he hardly deserves to be called the “protagonist” anymore.’
Yize sighed inwardly, and the last shred of complex feeling he had for Li En due to his original identity also dissipated.
The current Li En was just a fallen one who needed his menace eliminated.
At the same time, he had to once again “admire” Luke’s mouth’s lethality—it could actually flame a “Chosen One” so hard that he broke down and turned into a villainous monster?
‘I knew Luke has a sharp tongue, but this is some kind of talent in its own way.’
‘If there were Talent Points, Luke might have put more points into his mouth than into his [Mana], [Constitution], and [Defense].’
‘But, thanks to Riya’s timely arrival…’
Yize felt fortunate once again.
‘If Riya hadn’t overwhelminly subdued the monsterized Li En and the three Blood Pillars, Betty Territory would have likely been no different from a living hell.’
‘Still, the life-saving items left for Luke and the others didn’t seem to get used?’
“Senior Dio,”
Yize suppressed the tumbling thoughts in his heart, and a note of urgency crept into his voice.
“Do you know the specific direction Riya went after leaving Betty Territory?”
“I need to find her as soon as possible!”
Dio nodded and, having anticipated this, took out a map from his bosom that was a bit rough but marked with some new notations, and spread it on the broken wall beside him.
“Yesterday morning, an urgent message came from the Westis Family Territory.”
Dio’s finger landed on another border region of the Empire on the map.
“The vampire army besieging the Westis Territory suddenly and hastily retreated en masse a day ago. According to the observations of the remaining defenders and scouts of the Westis family, a huge commotion seemed to have occurred in the vampire camp before the retreat, with faint sounds of extremely fierce fighting and energy fluctuations.”
“A bold scout saw from afar that there seemed to be a ‘man’ with short silver hair in front of the vampire camp, using incredible speed and strength to… uh, teach the leading vampire’s boss a lesson.”
“Combined with the timing and what you just said about Riya’s appearance, I think that should be her.”
Yize’s eyes closely followed Dio’s finger.
“And then? Any more specific movements?” Yize pressed.
“The news from the Westis family only said that the silver-haired powerhouse, after routing the vampires, seemed to leave with several prisoners towards the northeast.”
Dio’s finger traced a line on the map.
“In that direction… if you continue deeper, these two places are also locations recently reported to have large-scale vampire activity.”
Yize’s heart sank.
‘Riya is clearly determined to follow the vampire leads, sweeping through one stronghold after another, until she forces out the man in black who captured him!’
‘This is no different from challenging the entire invading vampire force alone!’
‘Even if she is incredibly strong, she is still alone, deep in enemy territory, fighting continuously… The danger factor is rising exponentially!’
“Time is short, Senior Dio. I won’t stay any longer.”
Yize made his decision on the spot, his gaze sharp.
“I must go to the Westis Territory immediately, then follow the trail and catch up.”
“Now? It’s already late, and the journey is not short.” Dio said with concern. “I’ll have someone prepare the fastest carriage and guards immediately.”
“A carriage is too slow.” Yize shook his head, his tone resolute. “I’ll be faster running.”
“Running? But that’s three to four hundred kilometers…”
Before Dio could finish his words, he saw Yize nod at him, and then his figure, as if merging into the night, “blurred” extremely abruptly.
The next moment, only Dio was left by the broken wall, along with a faint, almost imperceptible breeze brushing his cheek, stirred by the instantaneous acceleration.
Dio was completely stunned, frozen in a half-extended hand posture, unable to snap out of it for a long while.
‘Ran… he ran?’
‘Just… disappeared like that?’
‘He hadn’t even seen how Yize exerted force or started running!’
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.