Chapter 129: The Curse (Part 2)

Wu Qingsong preferred not to linger on the subject, “What just happened? What did you all see?”

Ling vigorously shook her head, “I saw my uncle and those slave traders.”

“I saw many elves coming to capture me, leading the charge,” Sacker added. “But it wasn’t just that. There was a force that made me feel agitated and angry, with an urge to kill everyone before me.”

“It must be a curse,” Wu Qingsong concluded.

He had to admire the Batiz clan’s ancestors. Though they were utter failures against the elves, the enduring power of their curse for nearly a thousand years was beyond comprehension.

“Whatever it is, we should head back,” Nina said. “If Xeila cuts off our escape route…”

“I fear she already has,” Sacker noted.

Their gear had been discarded during the fight, and now, water was everywhere. Xeila had slashed all their water bags at some point.

“Quick,” Wu Qingsong urged.

As they passed through the stone doorway again, this time, the cold breeze was no longer.

Throughout their cautious advance, they stayed vigilant for Xeila, who didn’t show up at all. Upon returning to the location of the rope, they found it lying on the ground, cut into unusable fragments.

Picking up a piece, Wu Qingsong discarded it with a sigh of frustration. 

“Sacker, based on what you know about her, where is she now? Above us? Or lurking somewhere close by?” he asked.

Sacker shook his head. “Nobody truly knows what goes through her mind. She rarely shares her thoughts with others.”

“The people outside,” Nina’s fists were clenched tight. One of her subordinates had already died, she couldn’t bear witnessing any more deaths for such reasons. If Xeila were to escape and go on a killing spree, how many would manage to survive?

“Those mummies!” Wu Qingsong abruptly realized, but, to his dismay, found that the once sturdy linen wrappings were now too decayed to be of any use.

“Xeila!” Sacker called out her name loudly. “It’s me. Come to your senses. It’s all an illusion.”

The darkness remained silent in response. Even if she did hear him, in her cursed state, would she hear his words as intended? Given Ling and Sacker’s earlier behavior, under the curse’s influence, her perceptions might be entirely detached from reality.

“Throw me up,” Wu Qingsong suddenly proposed. “I’ll serve as the bait. We need to find whether she’s above us or below.”

The height was nearly thirty meters, too high for anyone to jump.

Nina had the strength to lift all three of them, but aside from Wu Qingsong, it was uncertain if the others could land without injury. Moreover, even if they were thrown up, without Nina’s presence, both Wu Qingsong and Sacker would be no match for Xeila, except for Ling, nor could bring her back to her senses.

This indeed seemed like their best option.

Thus, Nina lifted him. Boosted by the Moonlight’s power, her strength became impressively great. With minimal effort on her part, Wu Qingsong was sent soaring.

The experience was far from pleasant, yet he strived to keep himself balanced. Nina used a bit too much force, causing him to crash against the temple’s dome with a thud so forceful it felt like his head might split. Nevertheless, he desperately reached out, managing to grasp a protruding ornament just in time to prevent a fall from the platform’s edge.

“I’m–” 

He was about to signal his safety when a sharp pain surged through his arm. Xeila appeared before him, ruthlessly driving her short sword into his hand. Unable to hold on to the stone any longer, Wu Qingsong plummeted down.

Fortunately, Nina was there to catch him.

“She’s up there,” Wu Qingsong managed to say as soon as he regained his bearings from the disorienting tumble.

“What should we do?” Sacker inquired, facing the dire situation.

“Nina, try throwing me up from a different spot,” Wu Qingsong gritted his teeth as he spoke. “Look around for anything we can use. I refuse to believe we can’t outlast her if we can’t beat her.”

Thus, they repeated the attempt several times. In the initial tries, Wu Qingsong barely managed to cling to the decorative columns and sculptures before Xeila, who was already waiting, stabbed him down. But as Nina became more adept at judging the landing point and exerting the right amount of force, Wu Qingsong was finally able to land on the platform more comfortably. Then, after a few minutes of struggle and entanglement, Xeila, lurking from the shadows, would inevitably stab or kick him down.

“I can’t keep this up much longer,” Nina said after the ordeal went on for nearly two hours. Her current state couldn’t be sustained indefinitely.

“I understand,” Wu Qingsong responded. “Trust me, this time it’ll work.”

He landed on the platform once more and quickly moved from the edge to the inner side, firmly grasping a column. The anticipated pain arrived on schedule, but this time, Wu Qingsong didn’t fight back or attempt to grab her. Instead, he clenched his teeth and clung to the column, determined not to let go even if it killed him.

Xeila’s tactics painfully reminded Wu Qingsong of Kleine’s actions, the half-elf he had encountered upon his arrival in this world. Yet, as an assassin, she evidently possessed a profound grasp of how to inflict maximal harm with minimal effort, making Wu Qingsong’s pain almost unbearable.

However, she could not make Wu Qingsong fall once more.

“Come on then! Try to kill me!” Wu Qingsong shouted defiantly.

He could hear Xeila’s breath becoming labored, her stamina waning. Wu Qingsong had learned from his encounter with Kleine that an attacker, when faced with someone as unyielding as him, would also consume a significant amount of physical and mental energy. This was his opportunity.

Indeed, Xeila’s breaths grew heavier and her movements noticeably slower. As she attempted yet again to stab her short sword into Wu Qingsong’s armpit for maximum pain and to force him to let go, he abruptly let go of the column he had clung to for nearly ten minutes and grabbed her.

The abrupt shift caught Xeila completely off guard. 

She quickly backed away, but Wu Qingsong, having already familiarized himself with the platform’s layout through numerous falls, was driven by nearly ten minutes of intense, unrelenting pain that had flooded his system with adrenaline. This surge empowered him with speed and strength surpassing his normal capabilities. 

After an initial failed attempt, he lunged forward in a frenzied effort and finally managed to grasp one of her legs tightly. Then, in a struggle for control, they both lost their balance and tumbled from the narrow ledge together.

“Xeila!” Sacker shouted in alarm.

He was aware that Wu Qingsong was some sort of demon immune to injury, but Xeila was not. To fall from such a height and in such a way?

In mid-air, the two continued their scuffle. Wu Qingsong, with great effort, managed to maneuver himself beneath her, and then… crash!