Chapter 24: Carpe Diem

The wind was still howling.

Elvira’s voice fell against Jiang Ming’s ear, her breath slightly cold:

“Don’t resist.”

She paused and continued:

“Otherwise—we will be separated.”

The moment the words fell, Jiang Ming felt a strange magic power being forcibly injected into his nearly exhausted body. His dried-up magic pathways were being crudely widened and filled by this external force, rapidly swelling to the point of saturation.

At the same time, another perception awakened deep within his consciousness.

He could still control the wind, but the wind now presented a completely new sensation in his perception. It was no longer just flowing air, but had become a thin blade capable of cutting into all things.

It felt as though with just a thought, these winds could slide along the gaps between objects and then slice them open.

Elvira’s experience, however, was entirely different.

This was the first time she had truly used that blessing from the Angels. There was no blurred warmth of soul-merging as she had expected; instead, she clearly felt that she hadn’t entered Jiang Ming’s body, but was like a shadow pressed tightly against his spine.

At this moment, she was observing everything through Jiang Ming’s perspective.

Jiang Ming gripped the handle of the Scissors from the ground once more. The touch was as warm as ever, but the weight in his palm was subtly resisting. The Scissors vibrated restlessly in his hand like an untamed colt, the edge of the blade emitting a faint metallic low cry.

“Elvia, don’t be naughty!” Elvira’s voice echoed in his consciousness, uncharacteristically carrying a hint of urgency.

The Scissors suddenly went quiet. That sense of resistance receded like a tide, replaced by a nearly aggrieved submission.

Immediately afterward, he faintly heard the sound of crying, tiny sobs drilling into the gaps of his consciousness, intermittent murmurs repeating things like “I’m not clean anymore… I’ve been touched…”

Jiang Ming wanted to ask something more, but Samuel clearly wouldn’t give him the chance.

The next second, sword light struck.

Samuel’s Puppet didn’t have many mechanics for Jiang Ming. Transformation was useless in battle, and as for invisibility, Jiang Ming could sense its presence through the flow of air.

Jiang Ming pulled back his body. While dodging the sword light, the gale surged again. Only this time was different; due to Elvira’s presence, his wind carried the attribute of Severance.

As the Wind Blade rushed toward Samuel’s magic shield, Jiang Ming simultaneously began to dodge the attacks of the Puppets.

The Wind Blade whistled, no longer just an impact, but carrying a sharp intent to tear through space. It slammed into the magic shield protecting Samuel, producing an ear-piercing grinding sound.

Jiang Ming’s footsteps didn’t stop, weaving and dodging through the pincer attack of the two Puppets. The Puppets’ speed was as fast as ghosts, but the current Jiang Ming was no longer his former self. Elvira’s enhancement caused his perception and reactions to skyrocket, allowing him to barely keep pace with that Holy Spear Puppet known for its speed.

Deep in his consciousness, Elvira silently felt all of this. Jiang Ming’s control over his abilities was exquisite and efficient, far exceeding her perception of a novice. He was more like a veteran who had experienced many battles.

The wind moved with his thoughts, offense and defense integrated as one, every judgment concise and decisive.

The Wind Blade wrapped in the power of Severance was continuously tearing at his magic shield, leaving behind clear cracks.

If it were pure wind pressure, he could simply ignore it, but this power that could cut through abnormalities made it impossible for him to overlook.

The pressure of fighting on three fronts came like a tide: maintaining the operation of the Void Domain, precisely controlling the Puppets’ assault, and constantly repairing and strengthening the magic shield on the verge of shattering. Every second, the consumption of mental strength was increasing sharply.

Right then—

“Crack.”

A clear, crisp sound rang out, like the first crack spreading across a mirror.

Samuel suddenly looked up, his pupils shrinking slightly. He saw several fine, black cracks spreading out of thin air at the edge of the Void Domain’s sky!

He understood instantly.

This kid… his real target was never the man himself. Those Wind Blades that seemed to be attacking him were actually each precisely scraping and cutting at the boundary of the Void Domain! He was using this omnipresent wind of Severance to simultaneously attack the magic shield and the Void Domain.

Jiang Ming was forcing him to make a choice: if he wanted to maintain the integrity of the Void Domain and his own defense, his control over the Puppets would inevitably weaken due to distraction; if he wanted to maintain the suppressive power of the Puppets, the Void Domain or the magic shield could burst at any corner at any time.

“Since it is His request… it truly isn’t simple!”

Not only was there no trace of fear on Samuel’s face, but a nearly blissful smile overflowed instead. That smile was burning and pure, as if a long-awaited gift had finally been unwrapped.

“Then, I should also offer an equivalent passion. After all, the climax of a drama requires both parties to give their all.”

Before his voice had even faded, he flipped his right hand, and a silver short sword fell into his palm. Without the slightest hesitation, the blade light sliced elegantly along his left forearm. Blood splattered, drenching his entire body.

Blessing—Carpe Diem

Pain? No, what swept through his entire body in that instant was a searing pleasure and an explosive flood of power. A flush of excitement rose to his pale cheeks, and the magic power around him boiled and roared like a carnival!

He transformed all his pain into magic power.

The cracks in the Void Domain were instantly forcibly closed and reinforced by a domineering force, becoming even more solid. Pink flames rose in the eye sockets of those two Puppets; their speed and strength suddenly surged, their offensive becoming frantic and completely irregular. Jiang Ming began to find it difficult.

Jiang Ming’s heart sank, and his expression turned completely cold.

He recognized it—this was a lunatic from the lineage of the Lilith of Lust.

The ones he least wanted to encounter were these cultists. Other heretics might still harbor some fear of death, but they were different. To them, pain was not a loss, but fuel; the closer they were to collapse, the more terrifying the power they could explode with.

Of course, this gift came with its own price. Once that twisted blessing was activated, their sanity would be rapidly incinerated, replaced by a state of complete, out-of-control madness.

Like now.

Samuel actually took the initiative to disperse his protective magic shield, pouring all of his strength without reservation into the two Puppets. He grinned, his smile wild and distorted, his eyes flashing with the pleasure of being on the brink of insanity.

Seeing this, Jiang Ming fired a Wind Blade, but before the Wind Blade could get close to Samuel, Samuel snapped his fingers, and a barrier blocked the attack.

Alchemical Armament, Guardian Ring—a defensive armament that requires the user to actively release it to block an opponent’s attack.

He laughed loudly. In his view, Jiang Ming was already out of options. His Puppets had already left several bloody marks on Jiang Ming’s body, and had even nearly sliced off Jiang Ming’s arm once.

Although his Alchemical Armament wasn’t as formidable as the automatic defense of a magic shield, it was enough to deal with the incoming Wind Blades.

He couldn’t imagine how he could lose.

However, in the next second, Samuel felt blood spray from his mouth and nose. Within his own vision, he collapsed powerlessly.

“Seriously, man, how did you dare to cut your own wound open?” Jiang Ming walked to Samuel’s fallen body and thrust a blade in.

Carpe Diem has a fatal flaw: they are unable to feel any sensation other than pleasure, even if death is approaching.

And from the moment Samuel sliced open his arm, Jiang Ming had already begun pouring air into it.

“That’s why I say, studying medicine is really useful.”

At the moment the blade submerged into the heart, Jiang Ming clearly felt a certain close connection suddenly peel away.

He turned his head.

Elvira had detached from the possession state at some unknown point, falling unconscious on the ground nearby. She was wearing almost nothing; her skin looked startingly white on the dim rooftop, rising and falling slightly with her weak breathing. Her long black hair spread across the ground like a porcelain doll that could break at any moment.

The next second, the giant Scissors in his hand flew up struggling and smashed into his head, while the voice of another girl came from beside his ear:

“There’s a pervert here!”