“Bai Cha, you… you’re here to kill me?”
Freya’s face turned pale. She hid her small hands behind her back, and a small golden key quietly appeared. However, before she could make any further moves, Freya felt a gust of wind brush past her face. A hand was placed on her shoulder.
The hand’s weight was not heavy. It was slender, small, clean, and beautiful, yet Freya found herself utterly unable to break free. She was turned around without any resistance, and the key in her hand dropped to the ground, only to be crushed under Bai Cha’s foot.
“Don’t play games with me, Freya. You’re Freya’s sister, and you’ve seen me many times with her. You should know my patience is not great.”
The hand pressing on Freya’s shoulder tightened. Freya immediately fell to her knees uncontrollably. The collision of her knees with the floor made her gasp in pain.
“You, how can you be so strong?” Freya was shocked.
She felt that every time she saw Bai Cha, she discovered a qualitative leap in Bai Cha’s strength. Each time it seemed to be a breakthrough. What kind of talent was this?
“Don’t look at me like that, Freya. As the secret weapon of the Balance Beam, someone who surpasses Freya, there’s no need to be so surprised by strength. It’s not like only you have secrets.” A hint of pain flashed in Bai Cha’s eyes, but she continued to speak coldly.
She had lied.
Or rather, she had used linguistic skill to cover up the real reason.
This was not hoarding power; in the end, her strength was bought with the sacrifices of others, with the lives of her friends and those who loved her. If she had a choice, Bai Cha would have preferred to be an ordinary person, trading all her power for them to live well in this world.
Even if it meant becoming ordinary, perhaps impoverished, or never seeing them again, she only wished for everyone to live well.
“How did you know I was the secret weapon of the Balance Beam? You… you’ve been watching me?” Freya stopped struggling. Her shoulders softened, and she gave up all resistance.
“Of course, I pay attention to all the unstable factors around Freya.”
It was just that despite her meticulous planning, a slip-up was unavoidable, and she hadn’t expected anyone to actually make a move.
Upon hearing this, Freya’s body stiffened, and she clutched her clothes resentfully.
“So, you’re still going to kill me,” Freya said softly.
Bai Cha raised an eyebrow, finding Freya’s reaction a little strange. But she had always been direct and disliked beating around the bush, so she truthfully replied, “Otherwise? A life for a life, isn’t that natural justice?”
“Or I can give you time to argue. For example, like your previous subordinates who argued that she didn’t resist or that she wouldn’t want me to seek revenge.”
“Isn’t that true? She is the goddess of love, loving everyone, and especially you. Seeing you go mad for revenge, how would she feel?” Freya tilted her head to look at Bai Cha behind her. Bai Cha’s strength wasn’t great; the pressure on her shoulder didn’t hurt, but she couldn’t move at all.
The person behind her had a calm expression, with killing intent and ferocity in her eyes. The suppressed killing intent seemed to coalesce into a faint, ink-colored wind. In Freya’s eyes, Bai Cha appeared completely chaotic.
“And then?” Bai Cha’s expression was peculiar.
“What I said is the truth. You should know how much effort she put into suppressing your ferocity and wildness. If you’re like this, all her efforts will be in vain,” Freya pursed her lips and continued, “Moreover, her not resisting means she tacitly approved of our actions. If she knew you were interfering in our affairs, what would happen? You wouldn’t want her to die with regrets, would you?”
Bai Cha: “Mm… does it matter?”
Freya: “What?”
“Whether she dies with regrets or not doesn’t matter anymore. She’s already dead. I thought you’d say something fresh.” Bai Cha pouted, then laughed again. “Besides, it seems everyone misunderstands me.”
“Never mind. Considering you’re Freya’s sister, I can spare some patience to waste my breath on you.” Bai Cha leaned close to Freya’s ear, her light voice like a devil’s whisper, giving Freya goosebumps. “You killed my people, so I’m unhappy. I’m here for revenge, not to follow anyone’s will.”
With that, Bai Cha shoved Freya’s shoulder down onto the ground with force. Despite Freya’s numerous abilities, she was thrown to the ground like an ordinary person. Supporting herself against the cracked floor, she cried out in pain.
“Fine, I admit I’m just venting. I’m angry.” Bai Cha stomped hard on Freya’s stomach, her voice rising slightly. “How dare you talk to me about her being the goddess of love? She loved everything and never intended to harm anyone. She stayed within her own small territory, meticulously remembering everyone’s preferences. Every year-end, every meal, every meeting, you were always presented with your most desired gift, your favorite food and drink, and your most comfortable chair and table.”
The Balance Beam was set up by Freya, and as her second-in-command, she volunteered for logistics, remembering everyone’s hobbies and always greeting them with a smile.
Why was she killed by those who loved her?
Just like herself, betrayed by the one she protected.
Bai Cha didn’t understand.
“Venting? Bai Cha, you are the leader of the Z-country Shadow. You’re being biased.”
Freya stared blankly at Bai Cha, but another forceful kick from Bai Cha silenced her. She felt as if her internal organs had shifted.
“I don’t care what leader. Damn it.” Rarely cursing, Bai Cha seemed unused to it. She lowered her head, her voice very low, “Why do only I have to endure constantly? Why don’t you all just die!”
“Bai Cha!”
Her stomach ached terribly from being stepped on, but Freya still desperately shouted, making Bai Cha pause.
Freya cried. Her tears were golden, somewhat like mercury, crystal clear and sliding down her temples, momentarily making Bai Cha dazed.
She seemed to have never seen Freya cry. Did Freya feel sad at the prospect of not seeing her again, anticipating her own death? She was so sad.
Since Freya’s tears were golden, perhaps Freya’s tears would be pink crystals? They would be beautiful.
“Bai Cha, why can you only see her? Did you really fall in love with her?”
Freya’s voice pulled Bai Cha out of her daze, but it also made Bai Cha hesitate.
Did she really fall in love?
But what was love?
Bai Cha gently touched her chest. She was very slow to understand emotions. Perhaps, as Freya’s little theatre had said, the source of evil had made her indifferent.
Yet, the feelings, though not clear, were intensely strong at this moment, like scorching water poured into a glass cup, the heat palpable even through the glass.
Sorrow, heartbreak, longing, pain, anger…
Freya was dead, and she had gone mad.
Freya was no longer in this world, and she had lost her reason.
So, was this love?
Bai Cha didn’t know. Even at this moment, all her emotions seemed to be veiled in mist. Even the anger that almost filled her heart felt wrapped in kraft paper, real yet unreal.
“Bai Cha, why can you only see her? I love you too. Am I going to be with her to see you? It’s clearly because I want to see you too!”
“Why do you only eat her pastries every time? Why do you only accept her gifts? I painstakingly approved the proposal for the Balance Beam members to go to Z-country, but you only showed her special care!”
“Why, even though I was always nearby when she was there, you didn’t even glance at me? I look exactly like her, and I’m stronger than her, so why… ah!”
Freya’s world became blurry and clear, hot tears streaming down her face. Perhaps it was the recklessness of giving up as death approached, she confessed everything.
But Bai Cha’s attack became even more ruthless. This time, she directly broke Freya’s right arm.
“So you killed her because of this trivial competition between females? It’s ridiculous. While others were driven by vested interests, you did it for such a trivial reason?” Bai Cha laughed angrily and then stomped, breaking Freya’s left arm.
“Because you painstakingly approved the proposal for the Balance Beam members to go to Z-country, you illegally bypassed customs. I was heavily injured and fled from City C to the capital. If I hadn’t handled it promptly, due to the Winter Olympics, Z-country would have become a huge joke.”
“You say I only eat her pastries? Your pastries are sickeningly sweet, and one bite can make me lose my appetite for the whole day. My senses are sensitive due to training, and all flavors are amplified in my mouth. If I take a bite, even if I say nothing, she can tell whether I like it or if the flavor is too strong. How can you compare?”
“You say you love me, cause me trouble, disregard my country, and even ignore my preferences. Freya, your self-dramatic displays are very similar to a young man I knew.”
Perhaps because Freya was Freya’s sister, Bai Cha held back, not tormenting Freya like the previous individuals. Instead, she gave Freya a complete body without much suffering.
The Muramasa was very sharp; when beheading, it felt as if there was no resistance. Bai Cha did not close Freya’s eyes. This was the limit of her leniency.
Is it over?
Bai Cha felt very tired. In this operation, she had lost her reason. She could already anticipate what kind of difficulties awaited her upon her return to Z-country.
But she was tired, so very tired. Nothing had meaning anymore. She just wanted to make a scene, her first act of willfulness in her life.
Actually, Bai Cha had already guessed why those who had died sacrificed themselves to make her stronger. It was nothing more than because of her personality, her responsibilities, and her stance.
And they wanted to save her, or rather, to salvage her future. Then there was only one path: to make her stronger, thus extending the process indefinitely, until a solution was found.
To postpone all crises and make her strong enough, so strong that no one could match her, strong enough that nothing could restrain her.
Thus, Ye Feng sacrificed himself to alleviate the survival space of the Shadow and buy time. Samael secretly gave her his power and soul before dying. Cang Liu sacrificed himself to delay internal conflicts in Z-country. Mammon and Leviathan left their core powers, and Freya left her source of good to her.
They succeeded.
Bai Cha had to admit their success. She had become strong, almost unrivaled. Especially Freya’s source of good, which brought Bai Cha infinitely close to godhood. Bai Cha could feel that if she continued to work hard, she could even become like the Dragon Mother, gradually becoming a demiplane detached from Earth.
But she had lost everything. The living were more pained. They sacrificed for her original intentions, but in the end, they sacrificed, and Bai Cha no longer wanted to pursue any original intentions. Perhaps everything was contradictory from the beginning.
On the arena, the overtime match was in full swing.
Athena appeared to be at ease. Everyone speculated that Asteria, after her previous desperate struggle, might now be struggling to keep up.
But his expression remained calm. His peach blossom eyes, seven parts similar to Bai Cha’s, were shadowed with dusk, revealing no joy or sorrow.
They stopped. Athena stood on the stage, still so gentle. “Libra, you lost. Surrender. Your body can no longer support you burning your life again.”
Asteria did not move. He just glanced at the person slowly walking towards them from the entrance, his voice softening. “Is she truly stronger than you?”
“What?” Athena didn’t understand.
“Bai Cha, was defeating you easy?” Asteria rephrased, then sighed. “Time should be almost up.”