Chapter 71 Zizi
Zizi
Zizi shivered the moment he stepped in. Yinqi was rife in the air. It felt like shades of the underworld were present here.
The skylight above was shattered. So was the glass platform in the middle. A broken hunk of metal with wires sprouting on
it lay on the ground. Was it the control panel? And if it was broken, how could he shut down the machine as Yiran instructed?
What was the machine? Zizi didn’t see anything in here that resembled one.
He stepped to the edge of the broken platform. Down below, a figure was striking the metal cuffs around an unconscious Surin’s
wrists.
“Rui!” he cried.
She looked up. Her pale face was bruised, her hair matted with blood. He could tell by how she was holding her sword that
her shoulder was busted too. But she was alive.
“We need to get them out of here!” she shouted, pointing to the other unconscious Exorcists and cadets shackled to the pillars.
She froze suddenly, staring wide-eyed at a shadowy corner. Even from above, Zizi could sense her fear.
A rumbling growl grew louder and a monstrous shape appeared from the darkness. The creature’s eyes glowed red like molten
fire, its fangs gleaming, its vicious claws and spiked tentacles writhing like snakes. It reared up, ready to pounce.
The creature was quick. But Zizi was faster.
He leaped down, landing in front of the monster, shielding Rui. As he swung his sword, one of the creature’s tentacles dug
into his mortal flesh, scorching it with yinqi. Blood dripped from his chest, and he could smell the sear on his own skin,
but he kept swinging his blade as he muttered an incantation.
Whining in pain, the creature retreated to the shadows.
But it did not die.
Zizi staggered when he realized why. His mortal magic, his attacks—they were no longer effective against this new form of
Revenant because his spirit core was breaking.
He could feel it now. It was happening too quickly and too powerfully to deny. Small fractures lining up, meeting at points,
his core splintering, pressure building at the heart of it. How long did he have before it shattered?
But he only gripped his sword tighter. He had to stay strong for Rui.
“They keep spawning,” she said from behind him. “And they’re much stronger than any Revenant I’ve fought.”
“The yinqi is changing them. Where’s the machine?”
“What machine?”
She didn’t know what it was either, and there was no time to go back up to ask Yiran what he’d meant. Already, Zizi could
see nebulous shapes shifting in the shadows. He eyed the dim corners of the room warily, readying his sword.
“Keep working on those cuffs,” he said. “I’ll cover you.”
“No—” He felt Rui’s back pressed against his—“We’ll take the bastards down together.”
Despite his pain, Zizi grinned. “Bossy.”
“You obviously need my help.” He could hear her smile.
“Together, then.”
But as he swung his sword again, a shooting pain ripped through his spine and all the strength went out of him. His mortal
body had given out. He couldn’t control it anymore.
“Zizi!” Rui cried, catching him before he hit the ground, cradling him in her arms.
The wretched talisman was in his pocket. He had to bring it to the underworld to destroy it, but he could feel the tether
this body had to that realm fading.
He didn’t know if he could make his way home.
Unable to move, he stared at the skylight above them, feeling the yinqi in the air. It’s all around me. . . . All around—? That was it. This structure they were in—it was the machine.
If he couldn’t return to the underworld, he could still destroy the talisman here. And the impact would dismantle the machine.
Rui was still clinging to him. “What’s happening to you?”
She was so beautiful. He had so much to say to her.
“No, please no,” she whispered.
Don’t cry. He worked his throat, but no words came out.
Rui had dropped her swords to catch him, and she made no move to retrieve them. She was utterly defenseless. He could hear
the creatures’ growls, feel their anticipation.
Words spoken so long ago echoed in his ears. . . .
I have pledged to protect her with my life. What do you say to that?
Yes, Young Master Nikai.
It was a promise the Fourth King had made. A deal he never fulfilled. The reason why the cycle repeated. It was so clear now.
Will you do the same—a life for a life?
Yes, I will.
Using the last ounce of his mortal strength, Zizi reached for the watch on his wrist. Then he closed his eyes, felt the power
of the underworld flowing into him—
And tore himself apart.