Split Zone No.13

Volume 2

126 Nie Zun’s Killing Intent

“Ah—-!” I heard Rong Jin’s cries as I screamed!

Nie Zun tore Rong Jin’s shadow into two! He ran towards me, and as he was shielding me with an arm, black clouds started billowing from his other hand! Those black clouds had a macabre aura which felt deadly, and it encased that figure which Shen Qi transformed into!

Shen Qi started to shiver!

Gaoqin Jiuye looked surprise. “These are the devil’s hands themselves!”

Nie Zun’s hand pressed down on my shoulder, and he sounded merciless. “I’ve always been the devil!”

His pupils started moving like it was an eight trigram symbol!

The sky directly above me turned into a pitch black. It looked like a giant paint palette, and it started rotating with the movement of his pupils!

I spat out a mouthful of blood! The twisted, deathly and cruel darkness spread into my eyes, making me tremble. I felt like throwing up under that immense pressure which seemed to press onto our consciousness!

“Urgh—!” Gaoqin Jiuye and I both threw up mouthfuls of blood!

A horrific killing intent engulfed Nie Zun, sucking every one of us into this black hole that he created!

I felt pain on my shoulder where his hand was!

“Nie, Nie Zun…” I cried out, recalling the incident which happened half a year after my arrival here. It was something I always refused to bring up, and something which Nie Zun does not even remember being involved in.

Nie Zun was a person of few words, and I hated that he always followed me around.

Until that day…

“Ah Shen, let’s go have fun in the border forest,” Li Wen said with a cone in her hand. She sat down beside me as I was enjoying the scenery from the rooftop.

Even though there was no scenery to speak of in the Split Zone…

“Didn’t Li Qing say there has been a recent spate of deaths due to newcomers not being able to deal with the stress of living here? Let’s just stay here,” I said.

“Don’t be lazy. I know you best. Quick, let’s go, you’re about to turn moldy at this rate.” Li Qing hooked her arm onto mine as she finished the last of her cone.

I smiled weakly, but I did not reject her either. I happened to turn back as I left the rooftop, and I saw that dark figure behind me again.

I felt angry all of a sudden, but there is nothing to be done about this since he could not be more than 500 meters away from me.

Li Wen chattered non-stop as we walked. She was always this bubbly and bright, as if she had no worries at all. She learnt to manipulate her MF rather quickly, and she was like a carefree, brilliant young girl.

I saw many unfilled pits in the ground as we arrived at the border forest. I laughed. “I knew it. You wanted my help in planting trees.”

Li Wen stuck her tongue out at me cheekily. “I’m doing this for you. You just daydream on the rooftop all day and run all over the Western District at night. I’m afraid you might sink into depression if you continue like this.”

I smiled bitterly. Depression? I’m not afraid of this puny illness, I have an identity disorder.

Li Wen grabbed my arm suddenly. “Ah Shen, look at that person squatting beside the pit. Doesn’t he look a little weird?”

I looked towards the direction she was pointing, and I was startled!

There was a man squatting in the forest. He was in a weird position, with both hands around his head, and he was staring at Li Wen and I. The man had scars of various sizes on his face, and he looked terrifying.

Excitement shone in Li Wen’s eyes. She did not seem to be scared of anything. “Ah Shen, this guy’s weird, right?”

I nodded. “He is weird. Look at that cold face. Let’s not go any closer. Didn’t Li Qing say there was some upheaval recently? We better be careful…”

Li Wen waved an unconcerned hand. “Our MF is high, why should we be scared of him?”

She hopped over and reached out a hand, waving to scarface. “Hey, did you just arrive in the Western District? What’re you doing here?”

I followed in haste, as I felt there was something odd about that man.

As he saw Li Wen going over, his face twisted, and he slapped the ground with both hands! The ground then shook violently!

Li Wen and I almost fell off our feet! As I raised my head, I saw the man running towards us with splitting key in hand!

Damn it, he wants to die and drag one of us with him!

Though my MF was high, I did not yet know how to use it properly in battle!

Li Wen smiled, and with a slight wave, a ray of light from her arm flew towards the man! The man looked sturdy and well-built, but he was extremely agile. He dodged Li Wen’s attack easily and charged straight at me!

I was simply rooted to the ground! As the man was about to reach me, a dark figure appeared beside me!

It was Nie Zun!

A black fire crackled around Nie Zun as he stared at the man angrily. That fire surrounded both the man and Nie Zun!

I was dumbstruck. I had never seen fire in the Split Zone before this!

Great waves of killing intent surged in Nie Zun’s eyes. It was as if such killing intent materialized into that black fire, scorching that man!

This memory pained me. Nie Zun went berserk with killing intent that time, and when he woke up, he could not remember what happened. After that, he seemed to become more audacious and less inhibited, though there are times when he was quiet like before.

I remember Li Qing telling me not to talk about the incident to Nie Zun, because he would struggle with knowing it. I used to think that it was because of my other personality that made him this way, so I never brought it up. Because I did not want to fight others, afraid that I might go crazy and become just like Nie Zun one day, I was reluctant to take on the mantle of District Commander!

I had to admit that I viewed Nie Zun as a devil at the time. He was like a ticking time bomb, usually quiet and harmless, but all hell breaks loose once it explodes. I was scared of him, just like how I was scared of my other personality.

Maybe Nie Zun was right, maybe she broke away from me because I had not accepted her!

Although I initially wanted to hate Nie Zun for being such a devil, my impression of him changed as we spent the days together. Even though I knew that Nie Zun was a devil, that the explosive anger and coldness of his surpasses even that of Gaoqin Jiuye, I started to accept him subconsciously!

Sometimes I wonder if I had any right to not accept him? Am I not a devil, am I not a monster myself? I hated myself, I hated her, and because of this, I hated him!

These memories still pained me as I recalled them.

Now that I think of it, Li Wen could have stopped scarface with her abilities at the time, but why didn’t she do so?

Yes, I remember it now. She just stood there, doing nothing!

Why…

Li Wen…

You Ji…

Why?

My trip down memory lane was stopped short as I felt Nie Zun’s malicious killing intent invading our consciousness!

Already unsteady on his feet, Gaoqin Jiuye stared at Nie Zun. “Pupil technique! The realm of the eye?! You can actually use the same ability as soul splitters!”

This black hole seemed to be what Gaoqin Jiuye referred to as the realm of the eye. This space was created through Nie Zun’s pupils, and everything he sees will be sucked into this space!

More importantly, this space invades the consciousness, and it felt twisted, cold and cruel. It was as if a horrifying scene was being created in your head, and there was no way you can escape it. You could only throw up!

If you happened to meet Nie Zun’s gaze, those rotating pupils of his would make you feel like your five senses were crumbling!

Though Rong Jin’s shadow already healed, it seemed to be immobilized by this mental pressure, and the shadow could only attempt to creep slowly away from Nie Zun!

Gaoqin Jiuye looked like he was suffering as well, and that dark figure which Shen Qi transformed into was also struggling! Since I was in this space, I too was in misery!

His left hand, the one with the skull ring, held my hand tightly. I did not feel any chill from the hand of the devil which was supposed to bring misery to others. Instead, I felt a calming strength!

Although the pressure in this space increased, smudging our consciousness, I felt warmth coming from his hand. This warmth was like liquid air, forming a layer around me, as if it was protecting me!

I could not bear the bloody taste in my throat, and even though I felt like my consciousness was about to crumble, I still looked Nie Zun in the eye.

I saw pain in his eyes! The pain he feels when he hurts others!

But Nie Zun, can people like us really be redeemed? Are we worthy of sympathy? Whether we like it or not, both of us carry evil killing aura in our hearts, we have devilish hearts!

I looked at him with teary eyes, and he met my gaze with a look of deep sorrow.

Nie Zun, don’t turn into a monster… Even if it’s for me… Even though I already knew it was all for me that time…

Please don’t. I’ll hate you more like this, because you are adding to my sin! I already killed Gao Qi, I can’t continue sinning!