Wasteland Echoer.

Chapter 706: The Chapter of Hope

"Is your heart destined to become a 'monster'?" Hoshino Shota forcefully broke free from the "blood wolf's" feet, but due to the wounds on his abdomen and chest, he had to remain kneeling.

Suddenly, he abruptly raised his head, covered with messy black hair, and looked up directly at the chaotic crimson clouds in the distance of the "Red Layer," then laughed wildly:
"Hahaha, how pathetic, 'Blood Wolf'. Even now you're still deceiving yourself. You can't face the sins you've created, nor can you face your past and future. These 'aerial worms' evolved from the elite lost souls of your 'Dedication Group'... are indeed 'monsters,' but they're not aggressive, except for you, of course."

"What...what do you want to say?" Beads of sweat the size of soybeans appeared on "Blood Wolf's" face, and his whole body trembled slightly, restless and uneasy.

He took several deep breaths, then raised the pistol again, attempting to shoot Hoshino Shota in order to relieve his inner tension and anxiety.

However, it seemed that some kind of magnetic field or demonic energy existed, causing his strong arms to float in mid-air in a strange posture. He could not move them at all, and he could not even pull the trigger.

It was as if a resentful evil spirit had forcibly imprisoned his struggling, trembling arm!
"They hate you. 'Blood Wolf,' you should have already sensed the resentment of the evil spirits. The 'Airborne Worms' are merely manifestations of the evil spirits. They are not aggressive and have never launched any attacks on people. Furthermore, their floating state indicates that their souls are constantly struggling violently." Hoshino Shota's voice was extremely deep, like that of a demon who came from the underworld and was tempered by blood.

Then, he slowly supported his swaying body to stand up and came to "Blood Wolf". Under his expression of confusion and shock, he used his right arm, which was soaked in sticky blood, to tightly grip "Blood Wolf's" pistol and pointed the gun at his own chest.

“If the ‘Airborne Worms’ don’t leave the ‘Red Layer,’ you will never be able to reach the ‘Eternal Space of Creation’ where the sacred relics are stored. The ‘Airborne Worms’ and the resentment they carry will form an untouchable, unseen, and incomprehensible barrier, trapping you forever in the ‘Red Layer.’ What awaits you will be a fate far more painful than that of Asia.” Hoshino Shota stretched his mouth as wide as possible, looking at “Blood Wolf” with an almost manic smile.

At this moment, an emotion called "courage" was growing stronger in his azure semi-mechanical heart and spreading to his broken body and bones.

At the same time, a thought called "madness" was taking over his crimson brain, forcibly suppressing the weariness and exhaustion brought on by the passing of life, just to push this broken body to its limit.

However, Blood Wolf was unaware of this emotion. The "Functional Red Zone" spread by the power of the Creator would weaken the intuition of humans and the Lost, unconsciously altering their cognition. Meanwhile, the "Airborne Worms" that kept emitting low whistles and whistling sounds were also indirectly disturbing Blood Wolf's thinking.

These chaotic emotions viciously and evilly eroded his consciousness and cognition, like the enormous eye of the Creator left in the universe, looking down from the dark depths beyond the heavens, as if to tear his ugly, filthy soul apart and crush it, ultimately throwing it into the endless universe, letting darkness and loneliness completely devour "them".

In an instant, fear, anxiety and panic completely took over "Blood Wolf's" mind. He originally wanted to pull the trigger and use the "silver bullet" to completely pierce Hoshino Shota's shaky heart.

Although his arm was no longer trembling, it was also no longer numb.

His arms, along with his seemingly strong body, were completely frozen in place, as if stared at by the eyes of the "mutated snake woman," unable to move an inch, and even breathing became extremely difficult.

A clear and melodious chanting began to resonate in his ears.

At first, these sounds seemed exceptionally hidden, like a sky obscured by clouds, with only a few intriguing, subtle noises emanating from them.

Then, these melodious tunes, interspersed with clear chanting, became clearer and louder, gradually transforming from soft, sentimental music into a powerful and uplifting hymn to the Creator.

"A mere body, a withered corpse."

"Praying to nothingness begins with hoping for dust."

"If a dream is born, all things arise."

"In the name of thought, all things are created."

"Soaring into the sky, the stars return to their places."

"Time is long, and thoughts have lasted for ten thousand years."

"The shackles have crumbled, and the old ways have returned."

"Demons run rampant, and all spirits are in turmoil."

"I long for your recovery, I yearn for you to open your eyes."

"I pray that you will restore order, and temporarily fear evil spirits."

"Fools rule, the weak are overthrown." "The Creator returns, the old days are restored."

"The stars are shining brightly, and the flames are spreading like wildfire."

"In the name of the sovereign, I instill fear in my subject."

"The Earth's core abyss, the vast universe."

"The pendulum of misfortune, the sound of hope."

"Give ruin, and extinguish greed."

"Give death, and extinguish fear."

"Give us setbacks, and we'll extinguish our arrogance."

"Give me the gift of toil, and banish laziness."

"To give destruction is to give birth."

These melodious voices caused "Blood Wolf's" thoughts and consciousness to freeze in place, just like his body. He briefly lost the ability to think and the basic function of activating the magical energy within his body.

At this moment, he is gradually becoming a broken machine. Under the combined effect of Hoshino Shota's "blasphemous sound" and "voice binding pattern", he is trapped in an ethereal feeling that is extremely dangerous but extremely advantageous to Hoshino Shota.

Gradually, in the "red layer" of the "functional red zone," the piercing sounds of mechanical operation no longer permeated the air, but quickly dissipated, becoming an acceptable, subtle background noise.

The terrifying, demonic crimson light gradually softened and was quickly absorbed by the black walls and pale blue pool water.

Soon, as blood gushed from Hoshino Shota's throat, the "Heartless Virus" within his body, which had been suppressed by the "Silver Bullet," began to slowly regain its original activity. Guided by the Lost Ones' Energy and Dark Magic Source within his body, it began to concentrate its power to repair the various wounds on his chest, abdomen, and arms.

Thanks to the hymn that Hoshino Shota had chanted, expending his life force to praise the Creator and pray to the ancient gods, the accumulated engine oil around them began to rapidly transform into clear water. The iconic steel buildings of the industrial age that were once clearly visible in the distance collapsed and toppled, only to turn back into rocks and stand upright again at the same moment.

The deep red hue was gradually replaced by a more realistic sense of twilight, but at the top edge of the field of vision, there was a touch of clean, azure light that seemed to shine down from the ground.

"...Ugh, the power of the Creator, suppressed by mechanical energy, is reviving. It's beginning to dispel these evil, dangerous energies and instead inject the true power that should rightfully belong to them into this place." Hoshino Shouta gazed at the "Blood Wolf's" rapidly stiffening body, let out a long sigh, and muttered to himself:
"This is the power of nature, the most fundamental power of this planet, this world, and the entire universe. It is untainted by the seven deadly sins of humanity, and devoid of extreme greed and folly. The chanting of the 'Chapter of Hope' is like waging a life-or-death gamble. If the gods are asleep, I will be shot through the chest and die a miserable death; if the gods oppose me, I will be instantly annihilated and reduced to nothingness."

"Fortunately, the gods... no, to be precise, the Creator, accepted my prayers and answered my call. As a result, His true power was fully restored, destroying this mechanical realm that should never have existed in the first place."

As he muttered to himself, Hoshino Shota pulled a pocket watch from his pocket and examined it carefully.

The watch was plated with a thick layer of gold, but due to long-term wear, most of it began to rust and become mottled. In addition, the blood and filth that had been "watering" it over time made it look pitted and uneven, but the "Pramini" totem engraved on the surface could not be erased.

After taking a few more deep breaths, Hoshino Shota opened his pocket watch, inside which was a very rare small color photograph, depicting Nebrius and himself!
The photo shows Nabrius looking much younger than before his death, while Hoshino Shota looks exactly the same as he does now. In the photo, Nabrius is laughing and gently stroking Hoshino Shota's forehead, while Hoshino Shota smiles and leans close to his tall and imposing body like his child.

After carefully examining the photo for a full quarter of an hour, Hoshino Shota finally closed the pocket watch and put it back on his chest.

Immediately afterwards, he forcefully pried open "Blood Wolf's" rock-hard right arm, forcibly pried open his fingers, and pulled out the pistol whose design was extremely similar to that of the Cruz officer's sidearm.

With a low murmur, Hoshino Shota pointed the gun at "Blood Wolf's" forehead and pulled the trigger!

boom!
The bullet pierced Blood Wolf's skull precisely, then vanished into thin air in an instant. Unlike Crusad [Warrior], Blood Wolf's body did not fall straight down; instead, it slumped to the ground like rotting mud, and began to decompose rapidly.

Then, the dark blood flowed outwards, and countless maggots and carrion-eating creatures began to breed, completely devouring his stiff body and bones in an instant, leaving only some indistinguishable internal organs and some dirty sludge.