Asura in Arknights

"Let's not talk about those things from too long ago. Let's take the soldiers who sacrificed their lives on the front lines as an example. Tell me, what do you have that can compare to those people?"

Shuiyue wanted to refute, but the words just wouldn't come out.

Words seemed so pale and powerless at this moment. After hearing Ling's words, even Shuiyue himself became somewhat insecure.

How exactly did he manage to retain his self-awareness in the first place?

"So, you are just another possibility that Hai Si deliberately kept hidden."

Ling gave his answer with a calm expression.

Li Ang, who was standing to the side, nodded thoughtfully after hearing this.

really……

It's more reasonable to say that Ling's argument is more plausible than that he resisted the assimilation of the hive consciousness through individual willpower.

However… is it possible that the Sea Heirs deliberately concealed it? What makes Shuiyue different from other Sea Heirs? It should be her human-like thinking…

What can human thought bring to the Haisi race?

Aside from creativity, Li Ang couldn't think of any other possibility.

"So that's how it is..."

Ling's words not only convinced Li Ang, but also Shuiyue.

The things she was so proud of were nothing more than gifts from others. Under such a heavy blow, even the light in Shuiyue's eyes dimmed considerably.

"Of course I'm not blaming you,"

Ling's tone softened slightly. "I just want you to understand your current situation. The role you're going to play is quite important. You're most likely to influence the decisions of the entire Haisi group, so you have to get rid of those pointless ideas."

Shuiyue perked up slightly and nodded silently.

"If Hai Si finds a way to leave this planet, will those terrifying fish also leave?" Jingzhe suddenly asked.

Yes... that's definitely a refreshing angle.

Even if all the nations of Terra united, they might not be able to completely eliminate something like the Sea Legion, not to mention that uniting the nations was an unrealistic endeavor in itself.

Since that's the case, we might as well give Hai Si and the others what they want and get rid of them as soon as possible. As for where they go to cause trouble after they leave, that's none of their business.

"It's not as simple as you say... but it is indeed possible."

Ling couldn't help but glance at Jingzhe again, "At least it's much more reliable than the idea of ​​eliminating Hai Si or negotiating with them."

As expected of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, his thinking is quite flexible...

"Alright, I've shown you what I needed to show you. Now it's time for us to go back." Ling emphasized repeatedly, "Be careful not to move around and don't leave the area under the light."

As she spoke, the countless stars disappeared one by one, and soon all that remained before them was a pitch-black night sky, with only a lone moon hanging in the air.

When they met Ling, it was still noon, but in Ling's ability, it felt like less than half an hour had passed, yet it was already evening in the real world... The power involving time is indeed unfathomable.

"Phew... I'm exhausted. I'll never do this again." He wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a long sigh.

"So, have you decided what to do next? My suggestion is to talk to Haisi there."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Shuiyue, who seemed somewhat dejected.

“…If you want me to communicate with them, you must first remove the seal on my body,” Shuiyue said in a hoarse voice. “I can no longer be considered one of their kind.”

Chapter 137 Releasing Shuiyue (Part 1)

"Then let them out."

Without thinking, he said that.

However, no one answered her; everyone remained silent.

Should we release the monster from the painting...? It sounds like it's necessary, but none of the people present could make that decision easily.

Seeing that no one spoke, Ling raised an eyebrow. "What, is there some other difficulty? Even if this kid can't maintain his consciousness, with so many of us here, are we afraid of a mere Hai Si?"

Before they knew it, Ling had completely integrated into their team and was playing a very important role. After all, she had lived long enough that few people could be more knowledgeable than her.

As for that guy who was hiding in the corner pretending to be mute, he had long been forgotten by everyone. If he didn't take the initiative to cause trouble, no one would care about this nobody.

“…It’s not that we’re unwilling to release him, it’s that we can’t,” Li Ang explained. “Doing so would come at a very heavy price.”

"What price?"

"It could cost hundreds of thousands of lives."

"hiss--"

Another tactician leaned back, gasping, "That... it's not that I don't believe it, but this is too outrageous! Where did you lock up this kid's main body? And it involves the lives of hundreds of thousands of people?"

No matter where you place it, hundreds of thousands is a number that cannot be ignored.

"Actually, it's like this..."

Li Ang briefly told Ling what had happened in Sagazaki City, "If we release him, the painting might collapse, and hundreds of thousands of people could die as a result."

Whether people living in the virtual world can be considered to have real lives is not up for debate at the moment, but it is indeed a difficult choice for them.

Should we sacrifice these hundreds of thousands of lives to eliminate an enemy for the continent of Terra many years from now? Or should we save these hundreds of thousands of lives, leaving the future Terra to face its destined destruction?

No one can make this decision without feeling guilty.

"Hey, I thought it was some big trouble, but it's just a small matter."

After listening, Ling slapped his thigh, his previously serious expression becoming relaxed again. "Bring me that painting to take a look. Maybe I have some ideas."

At this moment, Xi recalled that painful memory and murmured, "Yes... Sister Ling can come and go freely in my paintings, so she might indeed bring the people inside out."

"I can't guarantee that. Although it was your painting, Xi, wasn't it tampered with by other giant beasts? I'm not sure if my ability will work."

This served as a precaution for everyone, preventing them from ending up disappointed.

According to Ling's speculation, the reason why her ability had such an overwhelming effect on Xi was probably because the two siblings came from the same source and their abilities had a priority order. Now that other giant beasts had used their powers to influence the painting, Ling could not determine the final result before seeing the actual object.

"Anyway, I'll go get that painting first."

With that, Li Ang quickly walked into the house.

Although it's late, considering the potentially big events that might happen next, it's best to do everything in the courtyard if we don't want to demolish the house.

Soon, Li Ang returned to the group with the painting in his arms.

"This is the painting, take a look."

Li Ang handed the scroll to Ling.

As they unfurled the scroll, the first thing that caught their eye was the image of 'Water Moon' roaring to the sky after being controlled by the God of the Sea.

"Is this the kid's true form? Unlike those slimy sea creatures, this one looks quite imposing, though his upper body is a bit thin, making him look underdeveloped."

After taking a quick look, he gave a fairly fair assessment of the final form of Mizuki.

"Can we get him out of there without damaging the original structure of the scroll?" Li Ang asked.

"no problem."

Ling patted his chest and guaranteed, "Although many parts have been changed, and it is dozens of times better than the original, it is still Xi's painting at its core."

"I can't solve the problem with this painting, but if it's just about getting this kid out of there... I can manage that."

Hearing this, Xi felt quite upset. She glared at Ling fiercely and went to a corner to sulk.

What she just said was practically implying that her artwork was inferior to something that someone else had modified... although that's certainly true.

"However... before that, there are some preparations to be made... Although the big guy in this painting has basically lost consciousness, his instinctive reactions are still a bit troublesome. If we pull out the real thing directly, this painting will probably be ruined."

Big guy? Are you talking about the Great Ming God...?

Indeed, back then, the Great Ming God risked mutual destruction to prevent Shuiyue from escaping. Who would have thought that they would now be willing to release Shuiyue on their own initiative?

"Nian! Come and help! There's something I need you to do," Ling called out to Nian.

"Huh? Do you still need me?"

Hearing Ling's greeting, Nian paused for a moment before walking over, somewhat confused. "What do you need me to do?"

Since Ling appeared, the sisters Nian and Xi have been playing a minor role. Nian never expected to be mentioned at this time, and she couldn't think of anything that needed her, the blacksmith, to do.

“Create a life-size replica of this thing. It doesn’t need to be too detailed, just make sure it looks the same,” Ling said, pointing to the silhouette of Shuiyue on the scroll.

"...Okay then,"

Without asking Ling what he needed the thing for, Nian nodded and agreed, "Is there anything else you want?"

"Hey kid, come here."

Ling then waved to Shuiyue.

After hesitating for a moment, Shuiyue finally walked over reluctantly and asked, "What do you want me to do?"

He really didn't want to deal with this wicked man, but due to the circumstances, he had no choice but to do so.

"bloodletting."

Ling uttered those two words, concisely saying, "Then when you're forging it, add his blood as well, and remember to preserve his essence."

"Oh, so you're planning to switch him out, sister?"

Hearing this, Nian completely understood what Ling wanted to do.

"Yes."

Ling nodded. "The current state of that giant beast is also an opportunity. The mercenary created using this brat's blood can deceive its senses."

Chapter 138 Releasing Shuiyue (Part 2)

Ling, Nian, and Xi—the three sisters all possess abilities related to 'creation'.

Xi can draw 'Ink Beast', Ling can create 'Weapon Servant', and Nian can also create 'Soldier Mercenary'.

In a sense, mercenary soldiers are also 'living' things, except that they do not have self-awareness and can only carry out some simple orders. When working in the Ministry of Works, Nian's daily work was either repairing and building houses or creating mercenary soldiers to be dragged by the Great Yan to the border fortresses as cannon fodder.

If someone else's blood is added during the creation process, the mercenary will naturally carry the unique aura of that blood.

Mixing blood into ink and having Xi paint it would achieve a similar effect, but that painting was originally done by Xi. If we were to replace Shuiyue's original body with the ink spirit painted by Xi, something unexpected might happen. It would be safer to have Nian do it.

"I see... But if it's just a disguise, then it's okay if I just make an empty shell, right?" Nian asked after thinking for a moment.

“No problem,” Ling nodded. “You just need to make sure the aura is the same, since you don’t need to make it fight anyway.”

"In that case, please wait for me for about ten minutes."

The more powerful the mercenary, the longer it takes to create.

The most powerful among them are even stronger than Nian himself, but they also require Nian to spend decades honing them little by little.

If it's just a hollow shell to fool people, a few minutes will suffice.

"By the way, just put the blood in here. That thing is a bit big, so it needs a lot of blood... But since you're going to return to your original form anyway, it doesn't matter if you put in a lot more blood, right?"

Nian casually pinched out a large bowl and handed it to Shuiyue, who was standing next to him. He also thoughtfully included a small knife so that Shuiyue would have the necessary tools to draw blood.

Shuiyue silently accepted the two items, and without saying a word, used a small knife to make a deep wound on her wrist.

The blood flowing from the wound was not simply red, but mixed with a cold blue tinge, which looked very strange.

"As expected..."

Shuiyue sighed softly to herself. Even in this magical place, they didn't completely treat him as a human being...

No matter how much he denies or tries to cover it up, he has taken an irreversible step toward Hai Si's side.

Until the large bowl was filled with clearly distinct red and blue blood, Shuiyue gently wiped her wrist, and the wound miraculously disappeared.

"This should be enough, right?" Shuiyue handed the bowl to Nian.

“That’s enough.” Nian glanced at Shuiyue with a slightly surprised look, nodded, and accepted the bowl of blood.

The ground trembled slightly, and Nian used his abilities to extract enough minerals from the underground veins.

Countless black particles churned up the soil and surged from the ground, gradually coalescing into the shape of a torso and limbs, barely resembling Shuiyue's true form.

Then, the blood that Shuiyue had prepared was poured on top. As the red and blue blood was absorbed by the nascent soldier-merchant, the soldier-merchant began to look somewhat sinister.

“You all step back a little. Even if it’s just to create a replica, my abilities are still quite dangerous.”

At Nian's warning, everyone stepped back a distance, leaving Nian a large enough space.

After making all the preparations, Nian took a deep breath and then activated his ability.