Infinite Chimera Creation

Instantly, a deep blue electric current grazed Rentaro's ear, bringing with it a foul smell of burning hair.

"Do you harbor resentment towards Lord Yuan Yuan?! Rentaro Satomi!"

Turning her head, Momiji's eyes turned a blood-red hue, radiating a terrifying killing intent as she stared intently at Rentaro, with dangerous arcs of electricity emanating from her body.

Seeing that Momiji truly intended to kill, Rentaro felt a chill; he hadn't expected Momiji's reaction to be so intense. He quickly explained...

"How could I possibly resent Mr. Yuan Yuan? It was thanks to Mr. Yuan Yuan that I learned the truth. Although I can't say I'm grateful, I would never resent Mr. Yuan Yuan."

"If I discover that you intend to retaliate against Lord Yuan Yuan or do anything detrimental to him, I will kill you immediately, even at the risk of being punished or killed by Lord Yuan Yuan. Rentaro Satomi!"

Staring intently at Rentaro, as if trying to see right through him, Momiji spoke in an extremely cold tone.

After saying that, Hongye turned and went into the kitchen to prepare the things she would need next.

"See, it really is dangerous here."

After whispering something in Enju's ear, Rentaro pulled the little girl towards the room that had been prepared for her. Enju, frightened by Momiji's murderous aura, offered no resistance and allowed Rentaro to lead her upstairs.

Although Enju had received a lot of combat training, she had not experienced much actual combat. The few times she had actually fought were against Gastrea. She had never even injured anyone, let alone killed anyone.

After all, the "trainers" who brainwash the children of the curse need to cultivate a group of weapons who will not have the thought of attacking humans even if they see their own kind being tortured and humiliated. Naturally, they will not let them attack humans.

Hongye, under Yuan Yuan's tutelage, had long forgotten what her trainers had instilled in her. Over the years, under Yuan Yuan's orders, she had killed quite a few people, and she had done countless things just to dispose of broken test subjects. Naturally, her killing intent was astonishing.

Enju, who had never even hurt a human but had killed a few Gastrea creatures, was naturally terrified when faced with Momiji's overwhelming killing intent.

After the two figures, one tall and one short, disappeared at the top of the stairs on the second floor, Hongye, who had just been brimming with murderous intent, leaned on the table, slowly squatted down, and began to sob silently.

Having just learned of the tragic fate of her kind from Yuan Yuan a couple of days ago, how could Hongye possibly recover so quickly? She was just forcing herself to continue her usual work.

Despite being a cursed child with powerful regenerative abilities, her pale complexion clearly demonstrates how poor her condition is.

Momiji, who was already putting on a brave face, nearly collapsed after seeing Enju Aihara today. Seeing the other woman's wary attitude towards everything around her and the hostility in her eyes, Momiji almost broke down.

Kureha could easily imagine what that girl had gone through to have that wary look in her eyes. It was precisely because she could imagine it that her heart ached even more, because she knew she was powerless to help those children. Perhaps she could help a few, but the number of cursed children in Tokyo was countless, not to mention the rest of the world.

The thought of those children suffering while she herself lived a happy life caused Hongye a sharp pang of guilt in her chest.

If Rentaro hadn't taken Enju away, Momiji really couldn't guarantee she wouldn't have shed tears in front of that child.

"What should I do?"

P.S. Thanks to [Masked Hero Dark Law], [Nan An, Seville], and [Xin Meng Wu Fa] for their monthly tickets. Please give me monthly tickets, donations, and automatic subscriptions.

Chapter Fifty: Choice

When Yuan Yuan came out of the laboratory, Hongye had already composed herself and returned to her usual self. Apart from being a little pale, she looked perfectly normal.

"Sir, your tea."

After handing the tea to Yuan Yuan, Hongye stood quietly to the side like a maid, waiting for Yuan Yuan's next command.

Yuan Yuan took the tea, took a small sip, and remained calm.

"I ask you, Red Leaf, do you think there's anything here that can escape my notice?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Hongye answered Yuan Yuan's question immediately.

"Of course not, there's nothing that can be hidden from you."

Although Hongye acted somewhat like a fanatic, it was understandable that she would act this way. After all, Yuan Yuan had not deliberately hidden anything from her over the years, and she had lived with Yuan Yuan for so long that she had naturally come to understand some things beyond the norm.

For example, there's the red-haired girl who suddenly emerges from the flames and has a close relationship with Yuan Yuan; there's the busty mature woman with a scorpion tail who occasionally appears in this house, claiming to be Yuan Yuan's personal maid and harboring considerable hostility towards her; and there are the people with tentacles on their backs, black eyes, and red pupils, wearing lab coats, maintaining some experimental equipment when cleaning the laboratory under Yuan Yuan's orders.

These inconceivable things, beyond the comprehension of normal human beings, instilled in Hongye a strange and fervent trust in Yuan Yuan, even a faint tendency to regard him as a god. Therefore, when Yuan Yuan asked that question, she could answer without the slightest hesitation.

"Since you know you can't hide anything from me, why put on this false face in front of me?"

As he sipped his tea, Yuan Yuan's expression remained indifferent, seemingly unsurprised by Hongye's answer.

Bowing slightly, Hongye looked a little nervous and quickly replied.

"I just didn't want negative emotions to affect the adults' mood while drinking tea; I had no intention of hiding anything."

"Is that so? But your concealment affects my mood more than your crying."

Setting down his teacup, Yuan Yuan finally turned his gaze to Hongye, nodding almost imperceptibly.

"Come sit down and explain your situation."

Knowing that Yuan Yuan disliked people disobeying him, even if it was just a polite refusal, Hongye hesitated for a moment before responding. She quickly walked over to Yuan Yuan, sat down, and then lowered her head respectfully.

"You asked me that day why I didn't tell you about the Cursed Children sooner, right?"

Yuan Yuan's calm words made Hongye nervous. She gripped her skirt tightly with both hands, nodded silently, and dared not speak.

These past few days, the thing that has caused Hongye the most anxiety, besides the issue of the Cursed Child, is that she actually spoke to Yuan Yuan in a questioning tone. The thought that she had spoken to Yuan Yuan in such a rude manner and yet hadn't been killed on the spot fills Hongye with disbelief. After all, over the years she has witnessed not only Yuan Yuan's miraculous abilities but also his domineering nature.

Seemingly oblivious to Hongye's nervousness, Yuan Yuan asked in a calm tone,

Do you remember my answer?

Even if I told you, what could you change?

Recalling Yuan Yuan's answer, a deep sense of powerlessness overwhelmed Hongye once again. Because of her unwillingness, Hongye gripped her skirt even tighter and nodded again.

"At the time, I was trying to teach you some knowledge that would make you a leader, to train you to lead those cursed children against humanity. After all, the idea of ​​the weak ruling over the strong, or sheep putting collars on lions, really annoyed me."

Ignoring Hongye's reaction, Yuan Yuan continued speaking at a steady pace, his tone remaining indifferent.

"But you rejected me with your actions, showing that you were unwilling to learn those things. At that point, you were no longer of any use to me, and according to my personality, I should have thrown you out."

Upon hearing this, Hongye suddenly raised her head, her expression extremely tense, her eyes filled with panic like a child who couldn't find her parents, and she opened her mouth as if to say something.

However, Yuan Yuan's next words calmed Hongye down a bit.

"But the fact that you're still here means I changed my mind back then."

Reaching for the teapot and pouring himself a cup of tea, Yuan Yuan continued...

“Even when I forced you to kill someone, you still trusted me completely, and I’m very satisfied with that. Even though I know that this trust was instilled in you by those who trained you, I’m still very satisfied. Since you trust me, I don’t mind giving you a place to live. After all, an ordinary person’s lifespan is only a few hundred years, and the lifespan of a cursed child is even shorter. For this reason, I’ve kept you.”

This was the first time that Hongye felt genuinely grateful to the trainers she had once hated so much.

“Since you are unwilling to take on the responsibility of leading the children of the curse, I will not force you. According to my plan, I will let you live out your short life as a pet or servant, which is insignificant. But just a few days ago, you showed a desire to save those children. As time went by, this desire became more and more obvious, and it burst out today after seeing Aihara Enju.”

Setting down his teacup and gazing indifferently at the red leaves, Yuan Yuan's tone turned icy.

"Then let me ask you, Ogiwara Momiji, do you want to live a life like an ordinary person as my servant, or do you want to become my subordinate, learn everything a leader should learn under my tutelage, and lead the cursed children to resist the cruel rule of humanity?"

I want to save those children, I really want to help them, but can I really do it? Do I have the ability? But if I don't do it, who will? All the other cursed children besides me are monitored by the government as weapons or reserve weapons; they have no chance of resisting humanity on their own.

Hongye lowered her head, her fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly, sweat streaming down her face, dripping onto her dress and soaking it. Finally, she slowly raised her head, her eyes becoming incredibly determined, shining even brighter against the backdrop of glistening beads of sweat.

"I want to save those children!!"

The one who made the declaration was a ten-year-old girl who, no matter how you looked at her, was far too petite, but the force of the declaration was so powerful that it was unbearable.

"Very good. Take a break today. Starting tomorrow, I will provide you with special tutoring. Get ready for some tough studying."

After saying that, Yuan Yuan drank the tea in his cup in one gulp, turned around and walked into the laboratory.

Watching Yuan Yuan's retreating figure, Hongye's face broke into a bright smile, her eyes bright and determined as she clenched her fist and waved it in front of her chest to encourage herself.

Unbeknownst to Koyo, a small figure was hiding at the top of the stairs on the second floor, its bright red eyes fixed on her, filled with excitement. Meanwhile, Satomi Rentaro had already collapsed on the floor of Enju's room. Judging from the small red footprint on his face, it wasn't hard to imagine that he had been careless and kicked unconscious by Enju.

P.S., thanks to [Qin En·i·Fantasy Land] and the friend whose name is a number for the monthly tickets, and thanks to [Erya] for the monthly ticket and reward. Please give me more monthly tickets and rewards! By the way, let me complain about those damned Europeans!! Today I played 18 matches in the Onmyoji Arena, and the opponents had SSRs in 15 of them, and their levels were all higher than mine. The worst time was when the opponent had Shuten-dōji, Sugata no Kisame, and Aoandon. Can you imagine the misery of a Fox Spirit, Yuki-onna, and Hotaru facing Shuten-dōji, Sugata no Kisame, and Aoandon?!

Chapter 51 Innocent Child

"Alright, that concludes the first day's lesson. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. If not, go back and review what I taught you today."

Setting down his book, Yuan Yuan looked at Hongye with a serious expression, his expressionless face giving the impression of a strict teacher.

"……there is none left."

After hesitating for a moment, Hongye gently shook her head.

Seeing Hongye's reaction, Yuan Yuan frowned immediately, his expression turning colder.

"First of all, I don't like people hiding things from me. Secondly, I hope you understand that this is the first time I've ever taught a student in all my years of life, and you are my first apprentice. If you are afraid to ask questions because of some unfounded concerns, resulting in poor skills and embarrassing me in the future, I guarantee you will regret it so much that you will want to travel back in time and kill your present self."

Hearing Yuan Yuan's increasingly dangerous tone, cold sweat immediately streamed down Hongye's cheeks. She quickly raised her hand, like a primary school student about to ask a question.

"Sir, I have a problem!"

Nodding in satisfaction, Yuan Yuan's expression softened somewhat.

"Ask away."

Hongye cleared her throat, then looked at Yuan Yuan with a solemn expression and asked,

"My lord, you said you want me to lead those children in rebellion against humanity, and I have no objection to that. I am ready for battle. But you said this when we first met, didn't you? Every battle and every injury a cursed child suffers will increase the rate of viral invasion within their body, eventually turning them into Gastrea in battle."

The more Hongye spoke, the more excited she became, and her speech quickened. Fortunately, she quickly realized something was wrong, took several deep breaths to calm herself down, and then continued.

"I think this is why humans dare to use the Cursed Children with confidence, give them weapons, and teach them combat experience."

Looking intently at Yuan Yuan, Hongye's expression became incredibly solemn.

“I’m thinking, if we can’t solve the problem of the increasing erosion rate, even if I lead everyone into battle, we won’t have any chance of winning, right? Humans don’t need to fight desperately. As long as we stall for time, we will turn into Gastrea one by one as the number of battles increases. No, we don’t even need to wait until we all turn into Gastrea. As long as there are a few such examples, we’re finished. No one would want to fight alongside someone who could turn into a monster at any time and take their life.”

As she finished speaking, Hongye's expression turned somber, because she herself was now at risk of turning into a monster at any moment. When she was given to Yuan Yuan, the rate of erosion within her body was already over forty percent, and she had less than ten percent left before turning into a Gastrea.

Moreover, although she hadn't been injured many times or experienced any life-or-death battles due to Yuan Yuan's protection over the years, her erosion rate was bound to increase with time. Although she hadn't measured her erosion rate in a long time, Hongye estimated it was already over 45%. If she were to engage in a full-blown battle, she might transform into one of those hideous monsters.

Hongye slapped her face hard, shook her head, and her expression became serious again, as if she had shaken away all the disappointment from before.

"My question is, sir, do you have a solution to this problem?"

"Oh? You actually thought of this kind of question? Did you suddenly become smarter overnight? Or did you finally start using your brain after gaining a sense of responsibility?"

Yuan Yuan raised an eyebrow, revealing a rather interested expression, and his tone became slightly lighter.

"I originally planned to talk about this later, but since you asked, I'll tell you now."

"Let me ask you a question first: what do you think was the process by which humans evolved into Gastrea?"

Hongye knew this was Yuan Yuan's habit. When answering other people's questions, he always liked to use the questions he had raised to guide the questioner to think. If the result of the thinking was correct, he would not say anything, but if the result was wrong, he would, depending on his mood, either mock the other person heavily or slightly. In short, there was no option of "not mocking" with Yuan Yuan.

Not wanting to end up like Yuan Yuan's former collaborator, Ms. Nanjo Ai, who was ridiculed to the point of losing the will to live, Hongye could only desperately rack her brains, trying to recall what she had learned, hoping to come up with an answer that would at least satisfy Yuan Yuan.

Hongye rubbed her forehead, deep in thought. Yuan Yuan wasn't in a hurry. He casually took out a cup of hot tea from the underworld and slowly sipped it while waiting for Hongye's answer.