Chapter Fifty-Eight: End of the Volume—The Present and the Future (Part Two)

“Mouyou, no!!”
Seeing Mouyou in this state, Muyou let out a cry of utter despair!
The entire pillar of light that reached the heavens suddenly froze, then collapsed entirely.
All the condemned prisoners were stunned;
The administrators of the Deadman’s Paradise, who had been poised to initiate the Purge Protocol, were struck dumb;
Zuo Canglang’s bloodless grip finally relaxed;
Mo Han’s expression of assured victory froze for the first time;
Muyou awoke!

“Without you, I truly have nothing left!”
Muyou suddenly made an embracing gesture, cradling something before him. Though no one else could see it, everyone felt something was truly there. At this moment, from within that small, lonely, fragile body—just like Muyou’s—poured out a boundless sorrow and unwillingness.

“Big brother, you still have a future. There’s no need to cry. Too much sadness isn’t good…”
As Mouyou spoke, tears spilled from her eyes before she could finish.

“I can’t even protect those beside me. I can’t shield my own little sister. I keep losing everyone who values me. What future is there to speak of? My hope was never for the past to be shrouded in despair!”

“There, there, hush now. Don’t speak, big brother. Hold Mouyou one more time, please?”
Though tears continued to fall from Mouyou’s eyes, her lips slowly curved into a gentle smile. Staring at the newly awakened Muyou, her twin braids unraveled and danced in the wind. She opened her mouth and produced a perfectly round, radiant, seven-colored orb of light. Instantly, an abundance of spiritual energy surged forth, swiftly restoring Muyou’s shattered soul to its original state.

“In my life, I have devoured fourteen thousand eight hundred and seventy-six souls. This is my life’s essence. I have long been lost, searching for the meaning of my existence. Now, I am lost no longer. Come, big brother, open your mouth. Mouyou will feed this to you. Swallow it, and strength will return. At the very least, as long as you wish to flee, not even that terrifying monster Mo Han could necessarily stop you. You must live on, big brother—take with you even Mouyou’s share…”

“No!”
Muyou’s jaw clenched, tears and snot streaming down his face as he shouted—revealing, for the first time before everyone, a childlike helplessness and confusion.

“Hurry, big brother, Mouyou is so tired. Please, just do as I say…”

“I said, no!”

“Big brother…”

“Did you forget our promise to cut away all the darkness in this world, together?”
“But…”
“No buts! You are my sister. Mouyou, from the moment you met me, your fate was to be cared for and protected by me. It’s only natural for a brother to look after his sister. No one in this world has the right to harm you—not even another ‘me’! I won’t allow you to die! I forbid it!”

Muyou collapsed fully to the ground, trembling as if enduring unspeakable pain. Suddenly, he threw back his head and howled at the sky, and within that furious roar, his old clarity of mind returned.

His left eye snapped open wide, the web-like pattern receding and coiling into the center of his pupil. At last, a perfectly round, jet-black blood pupil was fully formed, exuding an aloof dignity and an aura of inviolable majesty.

“What—you, you…”
“Damn you! Get back inside! This body is not yours to command!”
“Why? I was about to cross over, about to—” ‘Muyou’ shrieked, but his voice faded.
“Why? For all those here who have been hurt for my sake! For Mouyou! I, Muyou, will cast you into eternal hell. I am no longer alone. You harmed my sister, and you will pay—a blood price!”

The flaming wings on his shoulders shifted again, growing ever more lifelike, resplendent as if a phoenix reborn from fire.

Now, at this moment, Muyou’s eyes were edged with a faint crimson—like scarlet blades. His arms trembled violently, and pillars of scarlet fire suddenly erupted with a dazzling flash. With a whoosh, golden light blazed forth, and waves of heat surged, unfurling a magnificent wing like a lotus of fire into the sky. Noble patterns shimmered like drifting clouds and burning flame—dazzling, ethereal, breathtaking.

Jet-black pupils, blood-red light, crimson shadows at his eyes—at this moment, Muyou exuded a frenzied, kingly aura: reborn in fire, defiant and unrivaled!

“You are my sister. It is my right—it is my duty—to cherish you!”

The golden wings began to reverse, and the deadly blackness within Muyou was forced to his chest. At last, he opened his mouth, and a pitch-black orb condensed out of thin air.

This was all the negative energy left behind when the Meridian Deathworm entered Deadman’s Paradise—resentment so poisonous it had nearly consumed Muyou’s reason. But to Mouyou, the innate spirit, all soul-driven mental activity was supreme nourishment. No one knew how many had died in Deadman’s Paradise—countless!

Once the orb merged into Mouyou, the lifeless white of her eyes regained their light. Muyou gently guided the seven-colored orb back into her body, stabilizing her spirit at last.

Now, after his second awakening, Muyou realized how grievously injured his body truly was. Had he not been altered, an ordinary human would have died many times over.

His regenerative ability, already extraordinary, surged anew at the instant his wings appeared. Under their nurture, his hidden injuries began to heal, and his charred skin gradually returned to its natural color.

Everyone’s gaze was riveted on the wings at Muyou’s back, as splendid as a phoenix’s. Even An Ruxiang, usually indifferent, couldn’t hide her envy. Muyou turned around, grinning at He Jing, Xu Chen, Hu Lei, An Ruxiang, Xuan Yao, and the others present.

Seeing Muyou grinning once again, the group recoiled as if startled, keeping a wary distance, everyone on high alert.

Muyou scratched his nose awkwardly. Just what had that Meridian Deathworm done with his body to frighten everyone so badly?

The golden-red light shimmered again, enveloping He Jing and the others in warmth. To their delight, their battered bodies—on the brink of execution—began to recover. When they looked at Muyou again, their eyes held boundless envy and hope.

Meanwhile, nearly a thousand golden feathers drifted from Muyou’s back, each one flying to a condemned prisoner in the crowd, landing gently in their hands. Instinctively, these men pressed the glowing feathers to their wounds; the bleeding stopped, and new flesh began to grow.

After all this, Muyou’s exhausted body swayed once more, the wings dissolving into light behind him. Dizzy and drained, Muyou’s world spun.

Ah… Still too reckless. Even if the body recovers, the spent vitality can only be restored with time.

“Hey, long time no see,” Muyou said with a weak smile.

Hu Lei and the others, nerves finally relaxed, found their limbs weak and couldn’t keep their balance, staggering on their feet.

“Yeah, it’s been a while,” Xu Chen agreed, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Boss, when you get going, no one can stand in your way,” He Jing quipped.

“That’s right. If you hadn’t woken up, I’d have run for it,” An Ruxiang joked, dropping her usual air of aloof seduction.

“As long as you’re awake,” Hu Lei said with heartfelt sincerity, nodding at Muyou.

“Brother Muyou, you scared me half to death,” Xuan Yao added timidly, her eyes glistening with tears.

The six exchanged glances, then burst out laughing, and each collapsed in their direction.

All around, silence reigned. A thousand condemned prisoners—none spoke, none left, none dared approach.

In this game of Man Hunts Ghost, Muyou, condemned inmate of the Thirteenth Floor, had ascended to Class A, becoming the first prisoner in the history of Deadman’s Paradise to bear a double mask—an honor unmatched, a miracle!

As for the Freelancers, apart from Bai Zai, heir to the Bai family and Muyou’s sworn brother, none survived.

Dong—dong—dong—dong—
The twin clocks in the eye sockets of Deadman’s Paradise’s bat-shaped tower struck one, their thunderous chimes proclaiming the end of this Man Hunts Ghost trial.

Tomorrow, the world outside would be turned upside down…