Chapter 53: The Vanishing One

Chapter 53: The Vanishing One

Intense light illuminated the sky. Amidst the thunderous roar, the earth seemed to tremble.

Amid the swirling sand and debris, Hilmeth created a safe corner for Cang Cheng.

He gently pressed Cang Cheng's face against his chest, using the steady beat of his heart to soothe the other's distress.

The once vibrant and handsome young man now had a face streaked with dirt, his back covered in blood, with barely any part unscathed. One leg was twisted at an unnatural angle, clearly in excruciating pain.

Hilmeth hesitated to touch Cang Cheng's back, fearing it would cause more pain.

He had suffered worse injuries before; lying in a medical capsule for half a day would heal these wounds.

But seeing Cang Cheng like this, Hilmeth's heart ached more deeply than the pain from the main cannon's assault.

He had failed to protect Cang Cheng.

Cang Cheng was cradled in a strong embrace, amidst the pervasive smoke and smell of blood, a faint scent of mint lingered.

Cang Cheng did not dislike this scent, for it was the scent of someone he trusted.

It's you, Mo...

Although Cang Cheng could not hear anything now, his ear pressed against the other's chest, he could feel the vibration of the other's breathing and heartbeat.

Each beat was strong and reassuring.

His wandering thoughts were drawn back, and Cang Cheng lifted his hand, gently touching Hilmeth's clothes.

But due to his lack of strength, his small wounded hand merely limply rested on the edge of the other's clothes.

The external bombardment and conflicts could not affect this small space Cang Cheng was in; even the heat waves and aftershocks of the explosions were blocked by Hilmeth.

It was like a pure land in the world, bringing Cang Cheng a great sense of security.

It feels so much better with you here, Mo.

Cang Cheng closed his eyes, lying quietly in Hilmeth's arms.

But the next moment, the strong body holding him began to tense, warm liquid dripped onto Cang Cheng's neck, sticky and unsettling.

The arms holding him seemed to be in great pain, and even his heartbeat became erratic.

What's wrong?

Cang Cheng lifted his head from Hilmeth's arms, his vacant eyes panicking as they darted around.

He wanted to catch sight of that figure, but he could not see anything, only darkness filled his vision.

Cang Cheng wanted to say something, but his throat was filled with smoke, and he could only make a motion of opening his mouth, unable to utter a word.

Cang Cheng felt panicked.

Enduring the pain, he groped around with his hand, but this time, he could not even touch the hem of the other's clothes.

Where's Mo?

Why isn't he here?

The only ray of light in the darkness began to fade.

Cang Cheng communicated through his inner voice, his tone trembling: [Mo?]

The hint of panic in the inner voice made Xilimus feel uneasy.

He reached out to wipe away the dirt and blood on Cang Cheng's face, but he could no longer form a physical hand to touch him.

The energy spent in battling the starship and creating an energy barrier to protect Cang Cheng had drained Xilimus completely.

Time... was up.

Xilimus lowered his gaze to look at Cang Cheng, his eyes focused and tender.

He leaned down, pressing his still solid forehead against Cang Cheng's.

He soothed Cang Cheng, feeling him, and striving to memorize the sensation of his touch.

Xilimus: [I dismantled the starship's power source and sealed the cabin doors, but I didn't have time to kill the people in the control room. Be careful, Cang Cheng.]

[The pollution-free food from Sunset Star has already attracted attention. Sunset Star needs armed forces to deter restless intruders.]

[Before finding a reliable partner, the Cangshi Energy must not be discovered...]

Xilimus rambled on, saying much more than he ever had in one go, aside from his speeches and addresses, in his 27 years.

[I might not be able to teach you common sense anymore. But thinking about it now, when I was with you, I don't seem to have helped you much.]

These days by Cang Cheng's side were probably the happiest and most joyful in Xilimus' life.

He found peace and joy from Cang Cheng, witnessed the revival of a border planet with him, and left their marks together in the arena...

Cang Cheng gave him emotions he had never experienced as Admiral Xilimus.

Yet, he could not do more for Cang Cheng, and even let him get hurt so badly.

Xilimus, the strongest combatant in the galaxy and the youngest admiral, also had moments of powerlessness.

[Cang Cheng, you are the most powerful Awakened I have ever seen. I am glad to have met you.]

When he said this, Xilimus' tone was filled with a smile.

He suddenly remembered their first meeting, when the other party showed a keen interest in his tail.

This alien feature that Xilimus despised always brought a delighted expression to Cang Cheng’s face, his dark eyes sparkling, smiling warmly, as if viewing a treasure, yearning for his tail.

Anyway... it’s time to go.

With this thought, Xilimus placed the tip of his ethereal tail in Cang Cheng's palm.

Unfortunately, he could not feel Cang Cheng, nor could Cang Cheng feel him.

[I'm sorry, Cang Cheng. It's time for me to leave.]

Cang Cheng panicked: [No, no. Mo, don't go!]

Xilimus looked up and lightly kissed Cang Cheng's forehead: [I'll be waiting for you on the home planet.]

Soft words whispered like a gentle breeze, brushing past Cang Cheng’s ear, then fading into nothingness, leaving no trace.

Cang Cheng felt the warmth of Mo’s presence slip away, the reliable chest under his hand turning into an empty void, and even the bloodstains that had fallen on his neck from Mo had vanished along with them.

No trace was left behind.

It was as if it had all been a dream, without a single mark.

His heart felt like a piece had been dug out, hollow and impossible to fill.

Mo... left?

Mo, how could you just... leave?

Even though Cang Cheng had understood long ago that Mo would have to return sooner or later, he didn’t want to accept this reality.

How could Mo leave?!

Did Mo disappear to save him?

If only he were strong enough to protect himself, would Mo still be here?

He didn’t want Mo to leave...

Just yesterday, they were still playing together in ranked matches. Every day before that, he had eaten the breakfast Mo made for him. Mo was the person he trusted most in this world.

Could it be...

Could you not leave?

Intense emotions surged within him, pushing against the boundary he had long struggled to break.

Swish, the boundary broke through.

Cang Cheng's awakening level rose from B to A, his vision, hearing, and wounds healing to some extent due to the breakthrough.

He had always wanted this, longing for it for so long, and now that Cang Cheng had finally achieved his wish, he wasn’t happy at all.

Because it came at the cost of losing Mo.

He didn’t want Mo to leave—not now, not ever.

Cang Cheng’s gaze landed on the battered starship, its once mighty hull now reduced to twisted metal, like a forgotten wreck.

It was all because of this; if not for it, he wouldn’t have been so badly injured, and Mo wouldn’t have had to leave to save him.

Cang Cheng's eyes were dark, like an eternal night.

His mouth was a straight line, the usual easy smile gone without a trace.

Calm, composed, but simmering with rage.

Like an angry deity.

Massive waves of magic swirled around him, and he clearly outlined a spirit rune.

In an instant, red flames, blue water, invisible winds, and yellow earth converged around the starship.

They compressed, interacted with each other, and then burst into intense flames.

With a few deafening booms, the starship, which had only been partially destroyed by Hilmeth's earlier attack, was now split into two halves by this devastating blow.

But it didn't end there; the elements continued to gather, continued to explode.

The severed starship was twisted, crushed, and crumpled into scrap metal.

The thunderous explosion echoed through the sky, like a summer thunderstorm, shaking the heavens and earth.

It was only when the starship had completely turned into metal garbage, leaving only a house-sized control room, that Cang Cheng stopped inputting magic.

Advanced Elemental Magic——Elemental Storm.

It harnesses multiple elements to unleash devastating, multi-phase damage on a target. The more elements you control, the more powerful the attack.

Cang Cheng walked over with a cold expression.

He waved his hand, and a blade of wind over a meter long cut the control room in half.

As if struck by divine retribution.

Even the same spell could have vastly different effects depending on the skill level of the mage casting it.

And the blade of wind used by Cang Cheng, who had just advanced to high-level mage in his rage, had far greater destructive power than before.

Another explosion went off, destroying half of the control room.

The blast of air rushed toward Cang Cheng, but it swirled harmlessly around him, as if he were untouchable.

Elemental Mastery——a capability automatically gained upon advancing to high-level mage, allowing the gathering of nearby elements for one's use.

Jera, in the control room, had his legs blown off in the successive explosions and now lay paralyzed on the ground.

He trembled all over, his pupils constricted in terror.

"Don't... don't kill me, don't kill me...

I can give you money, give you weapons! Our space pirates have tons of money and weapons, over 200 million. I can also be your spy, do your dirty work for you.

Please, don't kill me..."

"If I spare you, what justice will there be for Mo?"

With that, more blades of wind slashed down, and the screams of agony echoed through the room.

"Freeze."

Cang Cheng said, and a blood-red ice encased Jera, sealing him in an ice sculpture.

Cang Cheng didn't kill Jera but left him alive.

After all, death is a kind of release, and letting him die like that would be too merciful.

After all this, Cang Cheng should have been happy, for he had avenged Mo.

But Cang Cheng felt no joy. His emotions, like the world around him, had turned gray and hollow after Mo's death.

The most beautiful exotic with a magnificent tail disappeared from his world.

The once bright world became covered in a layer of fog, and the colorful landscape turned gray.

Was it really impossible for Mo to return?

That's right... the Gate of Truth!

Cang Cheng remembered that Mo had come through the Gate of Truth. Could he now use his blood as a medium to summon Mo again?

Without hesitation, Cang Cheng used the Blade of Wind to cut open his forearm.

His blood dripped down, and under Cang Cheng's control, it quickly formed a magic circle.

Cang Cheng gathered magic at his fingertips and injected it into the magic circle.

"All-knowing and all-powerful god of truth, your wisest student has lost his companion. I beg you to bring back that companion—he is a wise scholar of this world, a strong protector, and a friend of the human race.

Your student needs him."

No one on the Siaxi Continent had ever summoned the same spirit twice, but Cang Cheng refused to accept this fact. Even if the odds were a billion to one, he had to try.

As soon as he finished speaking, the red circle emitted a burst of light.

The Gate of Truth had responded to him.

Cang Cheng saw hope.

He heard a distant voice, speaking in cryptic words that echoed in his mind.

——Oie No——

Cang Cheng answered, "Mo, his name is Mo."

——En Eiki (he does not exist)——

The red light from the array faded, and Cang Cheng's blood turned into red light particles, returning to his body.

The cut on his arm had healed, and the Gate of Truth had also granted him some knowledge as a bonus, but... Cang Cheng had no mood to understand the Gate's gift right now.

He felt as though his entire body had been drenched in cold, heavy rain, sapping all warmth and energy from him.

Mo... he doesn't exist?

Ah... now he remembered—Mo's name was probably just a fabrication.

Cang Cheng felt a sharp pain in his chest, so unbearable that he could hardly breathe.

He tried to distance himself from the pain, hoping to find some semblance of peace.

But tears were now streaming down his face.

Liar.

A big liar.

His world had begun to rain.

At that moment, the modified human, whose body had been blown apart on one side, clapped his hands on the ground and flew straight toward Cang Cheng.

The modified human was in agony, so he wanted others to suffer as well.

Another modified human, whose scales had peeled away to reveal human skin, followed closely behind.

The latter grabbed the former's tail with both hands and slammed him into the ground like a hammer, not letting go until the other stopped breathing.

Cang Cheng watched this scene with cold indifference.

He raised his hand, and in an instant, dozens of fireballs formed behind him, illuminating his surroundings brightly and intensely.

The modified human, whose scales had peeled away to expose human skin, sensed the danger.

He turned to face Cang Cheng, his single black eye lingering on him. Upon seeing Cang Cheng's face, he tilted his head, his eye narrowing and widening.

Cang Cheng waved his hand, and the fireballs shot towards the modified human.

The modified human did not dodge but instead spoke two words in a confused tone: “Cang... Cheng?”

Cang Cheng waved his hand once more, and the fireballs extinguished.

“Do you know me?”

The modified human's voice sounded like rusted gears: “Don’t cry, Cang... Cheng...”

Cang Cheng lowered his head.

Tears fell from his face to the ground, blooming into a dark flower on the dry earth.

The modified human panicked as he circled around Cang Cheng, stammering: “Brother, I’ll... avenge you, don’t cry, Cang Cheng.”

But Cang Cheng continued to sob.

How could he not cry?

The dawn's light rose from the horizon, and the bright sunlight chased away the night, dispelling its dangers and chill.

Ming Bai, who had woken up first, took control of the patrol robots to send the wounded to hospitals according to the severity of their injuries.

Cang Cheng's injuries had healed during his advancement. If not for the bloodstains on his once-white clothes, no one would have known how badly he had been hurt.

Cang Cheng's gaze fell on a relatively clean patch of land amidst the wreckage.

That was the spot where the one who had protected him had stood.

His slightly swollen eyes gradually turned cold.

His black eye was still as dark as obsidian, but dimmer, like a shattered galaxy disappearing into the eternal night.

He left the last bit of his longing here.

Tomorrow would be a new day.