Yes, I did all of this!

Just like she said to that group of strange people, she wasn't afraid of death, she was only afraid of the people she cared about getting hurt.

As long as the goal can be achieved, no matter how great the cost, it doesn't matter.

However, her own safety was not included in this purpose. Her childhood experiences made her very indifferent to her own life. Perhaps it was for this reason that she did not hesitate to break her promise to Huangyi and use this self-destructive power.

The only thing that made her hesitate was the regret of not being able to live with Duanmu Mo for a long time.

However, Yuhi was an open-minded person, and she knew that she couldn't protect him without using this power, so she was quite satisfied with the result.

—But if things go wrong and the number of strange remnant souls becomes too much for her to handle, Yuhi won't care, because it's just another misfortune in her life.

With this mindset, Xi Ri looked up at the sky.

However, no trace of the strange man could be seen in the vortex of black mist.

"Ok?"

Just as she was about to launch an attack, the vortex finally rippled, and some figures descended straight down, quickly enveloping Xi Ri.

As the sun sets, she warily observes the few remaining strange beings. Their shared characteristic makes them hard to ignore—these beings have different appearances, but their bodies are all covered in bluish-green scales, making them look extremely bizarre.

"...Let me guess, you're like the hanged ghost of that sea monster, you're also part of the monster's body, right?"

Xi Ri clenched his fist and said in a deep voice.

One of the oddballs turned his head, looked at the overwhelming negative emotions plaguing the city, and nodded:

"enough......"

"Don't even think about it!"

Before the calm words were finished, the sun suddenly erupted without warning, and black flames fiercely attacked the strange man.

Considering the previous Leviathan battles where other monsters interfered, Yuhi could easily guess what these monsters with similar characteristics wanted to do: perform some kind of ritual to reconstruct the monster's body.

The creature capable of interfering with Cangyuan and reaping the benefits is probably of similar strength to Leviathan, though its exact power is unknown.

Therefore, no matter what, Xi Ri will not allow this matter to proceed smoothly.

His life force burned even brighter, and the power of the setting sun surged once more. He unleashed a punch that slammed heavily into the strange man with a piercing whooshing sound.

The next moment, the energy of the flames erupted from the monster's body, instantly shattering into fireworks of souls.

But Xi Ri's attack was like a harbinger of a bell, stirring up fluctuations in the vortex of the sky. A large number of strange beings poured out from it, also covered in greenish-blue scales, and rushed towards Xi Ri.

"This quantity..."

Seeing this, Yuhi was not panicked at all, but instead laughed heartily. Feeling the weakness in her limbs, Yuhi clenched her fists again.

"bring it on!"

At her shout, the monsters' attacks came in droves.

Every time the sun sets and throws a punch, more attacks come from all directions.

Just as the flames of the setting sun were burning the enemy in front of her to ashes, she was struck more clearly by claws on her back, her thigh was slashed by a tail as sharp as a blade, and her shoulder was pierced by the tongue shot out by a strange man.

The battle didn't last long before deep, bone-revealing wounds covered her body, blood almost drained from her body, one of her arms was torn off at the root by the monster, and the huge wound on her waist revealed her stark white lumbar vertebrae.

The horrifying wounds were enough to make everyone shake their heads as they looked at the vortex where no more strange beings appeared.

"...It seems this is the number for now."

Scanning his empty arms, a resolute glint appeared in Yuhi's eyes: "Having dragged this out for so long, let's wipe you all out in one fell swoop!"

Just as the energy fluctuations in her body reached their peak, a flippant voice suddenly rang out from the sky not far away:

"You have two choices now. One is to hand over 'that thing' to me, and in exchange I will save her; the other is to watch her die, and after she dies I will kill you."

Upon hearing that voice, Xi Ri's pupils contracted slightly, and he turned to look into the distance.

There, Neville, clad in armor, stood in mid-air, grabbing Duanmu Mo by the neck and calmly asking him a question.

Chapter 348: Power, I command you!

“…Neville—”

Looking at him, Xi Ri's pupils contracted, his aura extinguished, but his mutilated body trembled.

"..."

Seeing that Xi Ri had stopped moving, the other strange remnant souls rushed forward, but before they could reach her, they saw a phantom flash across Neville's body, and clones appeared around them.

"I'm sorry, she can't die yet—at least not now."

Neville smiled and looked at Duanmu Mo, which he was holding in his hand.

"So? Make your choice. Hand over 'that thing,' my friend."

"Uh..." Duanmu Mo's feet were dangling in the air, his hands gripping Neville's arms. He twitched his lips, his words coming out with difficulty:

"What are you talking about? I have no idea, 'friend'."

"Stop talking nonsense. That reclusive orca didn't want to come out, but not long ago, she still gave you the power of Cangyuan. Am I right?"

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Mo remained silent.

"What--"

The massive blood loss had already blurred Xi Ri's consciousness, but upon hearing those words, she still opened her eyes wide in shock and understood their meaning.

—And this is exactly the effect Duanmu Mo wanted.

He now possessed the power, but lacked a legitimate reason to bring it forth openly, and now, that reason lay before him.

"...I told you, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't treat me like a fool, my friend, my patience is limited."

No sooner had Duanmu Mo finished speaking than Neville grabbed his neck tightly, silencing him in pain.

"Let him go!"

Seeing this, Xi Ri gritted her teeth, and flames ignited on her body.

“What if I don’t release him?” Neville looked at her and smiled, his tone teasing. “Come on, shoot me your black flames. I won’t do anything, but him…”

As he spoke, he glanced at Duanmu Mo.

"..."

Upon hearing this, a surge of intense rage welled up within Yuhi, but now she could not unleash the flames from her body as freely as before.

The self-destructive black flames could easily incinerate enemies, but this power also destined her to stay away from those she cared about.

His teeth were almost ground to powder, his anger had nowhere to go, and he was so weak that he couldn't vent it. Finally, he spat out a mouthful of blood and covered his severed arm in a sorry state.

Her body trembled violently, but Xi Ri could only lower her head and breathe deeply. Her black hair, with its reddish sheen, obscured her face, making it impossible to see her expression.

Seeing this, Neville nodded in satisfaction and looked at Duanmu Mo: "—And you, my friend, don't think I don't know what you're doing."

"..."

"After you came out of that house, you didn't leave but rushed here. Besides being willing to die or being confident you were safe, I can't think of a third possibility, unless you suddenly pull out some kind of transformation device and shout 'Transform!'"

At this critical moment, Neville continued to speak frivolously, looking at Duanmu Mo with a mocking expression.

"Who knows? Maybe I'm just a natural-born adventurer."

Duanmu Mo planned to say a few more words before handing over the energy, but the next moment, Neville also laughed: "Is that so? It seems I misunderstood, my friend, you don't have that energy at all."

"uh-huh."

"—Then let's pretend nothing happened. Alright, my soul friends, you can continue to kill the magical girl Yuhi."

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Mo's expression changed slightly: "Stop—"

"Too late~"

Pfft!

As soon as she finished speaking, claws, tail blades, and sharp knives growing from her body... a barrage of deadly attacks pierced into Yuhi's body, even piercing through her chest.

"Forehead--"

The sun swayed slightly, and the flames on its body gradually dimmed.

Seeing this, a look of satisfaction flashed in Duanmu Mo's eyes.

She could heal herself with the Black Flame Card of the Evening Sun, though the price would be high, and it might even cost her the power of a magical girl.

However, Duanmu Mo didn't care about any of that; he was no longer interested in the power of the setting sun.

This level of injury should be enough to make her faint, which also makes it easier for him to treat her with the card.

Duanmu Mo withdrew his gaze and looked at Neville before him, saying, "Enough! I'll give you that power; you must save her..."

"I...don't need it!"

But before Duanmu Mo could finish speaking, he heard Xi Ri's voice coming from the group of strange people.

Duanmu Mo hadn't expected that Xi Ri wouldn't have fainted even at this stage; it seemed he had underestimated her willpower.

This was the closest she had ever come to death. The pain of losing limbs, a broken heart, and the burning of life force was enough to break any strong person, leaving only the most primal instinct for survival.

However, Yuhi herself was not afraid of death and had a weak will to live. At this moment, she did not think about any other nonsense. Only one thing became clearer and clearer in her mind.

"Neville..."

—Neville might not be a monster, but rather another kind of mysterious creature that resembles a monster. This was the conclusion reached by the magical girls during their discussion in Kazekawa City.

But for Yuhi, she didn't care about weirdos or not. The moment Neville tricked her into piercing Duanmu Mo's chest, Yuhi listed him as someone who deserved to be killed even more than a weirdo.

This hatred could not be erased, so when she saw Neville choking Duanmu Mo again that evening, she felt a string snap in her mind.

His body was mangled beyond recognition, with hardly any intact parts. Every piece of flesh was trembling, and he couldn't muster any strength. The only thing left in this mutilated body was that crazy obsession.

Even if I die... even if I die—I'll drag you to hell!

Even though she was riddled with holes by the monster, Yuhi, who was so engrossed in her own world, could no longer utilize her power. Her body was completely exhausted, and cracks began to appear on her skin.

Even with all this madness, her condition remained unchanged. Neville spoke, revealing the voices of both Neville and Duanmu Mo:

"It's no use. No matter how much you use it, your body has reached its limit and can no longer maintain the power of a magical girl."

"Shut up! You dog, just you wait—come out here!"

As the sun roared, the shattering of her body began to spread, her legs first turning into fragments that scattered and gradually pulverized her lower body.