A brave man may not live, but he cannot die

Chapter 252 Sleepwalking
When the little parrot wakes up.

A golden forest, as vibrant as a myth yet as desolate as a quagmire, came into view, shrouded in a light gray mist. A little parrot stood motionless on the frame of a rusty vehicle, staring blankly ahead.

who am I? where am I?
In an instant, it realized that it had nowhere to go and was completely unfamiliar with this place.

And so, the dragon-talking parrot's instincts began to emerge from its body—

You should go and gather some berries for today's food.

You should find a tree canopy to rest and avoid predators.

You should collect pretty branches to build a warm nest.
The little parrot took flight.

But just as she was about to wander aimlessly into the distance, she saw a man, a comical figure muttering to himself in the forest, wandering around alone.

Oh, isn't that Quinn?
He would sometimes fall silent, sometimes become serious, and sometimes laugh and say something.

"Yutong, ask me."

What kind of game gives you 100 free draws just for logging in?

"I told you to ask me."

The little parrot suddenly realized that it should land inside his hood; that was where it belonged.

The little paws landed, stomping on his head in dissatisfaction.

"What are you doing? Why didn't you wake me up?"

Her words suddenly caught in the bird's beak.

I am Amamiya Nene, not some dragon-talking parrot.

"Hey! Go find the antidote!" The little parrot stomped on his head. "It's the seventh day! I'm really going to be completely turned into a parrot by the druid's polymorph spell!"

However, Quinn did not react at all.

He continued moving around on his own, talking to himself.

"Let me see your phone." He stretched out his hand.

However, there was nothing ahead except for the drifting gray fog and a giant tree three stories high.

Amamiya Nene gave him a hard peck, but the guy's skin was so thick that you couldn't even see the red mark.

Quinn waved impatiently, shooing the little parrot away.

"Stop fooling around, we're working."

He did not use Taimurian.

Amamiya Nene also keenly realized that these words were not meant for her.

She observed Quinn in shock. His eyes were open, his expression occasionally changing, as if someone was around him, and he always wore that insincere smile that made Amamiya Nene particularly uncomfortable.

The parrot circled once in the air, confirming that the two were on the edge of the abyss's surface, in the Forbidden Forest.

Judging from the changes in the concentration of the fog, she could identify the direction of the academy's outpost, which was not far from here.

Quinn kept circling the vehicle, the trolley that had brought the two of them back on autopilot.

After Quinn fell asleep, Amamiya Nene also succumbed to sleepiness, and the two, both extremely exhausted, fell asleep one after the other.

She didn't know how the car drove off that seemingly endless highway or back into the Forbidden Forest; she woke up now.

The car, too, became a relic of the abyss, occasionally seen in the Forbidden Forest. The beautiful, glossy parrot green paint, along with the body, vanished, leaving only a rusty frame, as if abandoned for countless years. The glass, seats, steering wheel, and so on were nowhere to be found; only a vague resemblance to the SUV could be discerned from memory.

The elevator that once transported the divination team back to the Forbidden Forest will also become dilapidated once it leaves the abyss.

The Dark Evil Dragon Ichimonji Norimune also transformed back into a tree branch, which was stuck in the ground not far from the car.

A cartload of branches, a tree branch—it was as if a prison had been drawn within it. Quinn kept circling around this area, busy as if doing something in a dream.

Amamiya Nene landed on the tip of a tree branch, contemplating her current situation.

The college is at most ten kilometers away from here, so flying there to ask for help is the simplest and quickest way.

But the problem is
Quinn looked as if he had been corrupted by the abyss.

Sleepwalking, delirium, and the inability to distinguish between dreams and reality are the most common symptoms of abyssal contamination.

Amamiya Nene knew very well.

What will the Academy do when faced with the Abyss Corruptors?

The so-called treatment is nothing more than imprisonment in a different guise than a case of no cure.

Outside the religious community, if a cult or a nation possessing supernatural powers were to encounter such a person, they would invariably be 'dealt with' him.

Amamiya Nene silently rejected the option of seeking help from the academy.

I have to secretly bring him back.

The most urgent task is to find an antidote to return to human form.

But who knows where the antidote fell? It might even have fallen into the abyss with the two of them. Amamiya Nene couldn't help but smile bitterly; she was about to die herself, yet she was still thinking about him.
This broken branch stands so firmly; the little parrot shifted its claws, but the branch remained as solid as if it were planted in the ground.

She suddenly looked down at the tree branch.

The ground was covered with fallen leaves, but a glimpse of black could be faintly seen between the leaves.

She swooped down quickly, brushed aside the leaves with her wings, and saw the large box containing the antidote!
This is where the two fell from the iron cage into the abyss!
"Dad, I love you!" Amamiya Nene shouted, and began to open the box with all her might.

Pighead Quinn, what's with that huge box? Couldn't you have made a storage box that's more suitable for women and animals? (Lower-headed man)
Oh, these are all the things I need to bring. That's fine then.

The box was opened, and Amamiya Nene quickly found the antidote in the pure gold bottle. She clawed at the bottle and used her beak to forcefully pull out the stopper. Without thinking twice, she used a telekinetic spell to levitate the bottle, and the foul-smelling liquid poured out.

The little parrot opened its mouth to catch it.

A moment later, the world spun around.

It's a feeling that's hard to put into words.

The parrot-like membrane wrapped around her, shrinking tighter and tighter until she became tiny.
As she transformed back into a human, she gradually forgot the feeling of flying, forgot that she had wings and a pair of keen eyes. Her feet began to firmly plant themselves on the ground; she regained her limbs, her breathing grew longer and stronger, and her arcane circuits were activated one by one.
Amamiya Nene blinked, looked at her slender and long hands, and let out a long sigh of relief.

It's back to normal.

She was actually a little bit uneasy—Amamiya Nene admitted. After all, watching time pass by day by day was more unbearable than death; forgetting everything from the past, the human self was erased, turning into a kind of ambiguous animal.
"Phew, I'll have to study Druid Arcane later. Hey!!"

Amamiya Nene suddenly clutched her chest, squatted down, and said unhappily, "You deadbeat virgin, never seen a woman before, huh."

Quinn was no longer moving.

He sat there blankly. He should be sitting, but there was nothing beneath him. He maintained his posture entirely with his powerful core strength, his head slightly tilted back, as if he were watching something.

Although Amamiya Nene knew he wasn't looking at her, she couldn't help feeling a little awkward since his eyes were in her direction and she was naked in front of a man for the first time.

So, with some covering and some concealment, Amamiya Nene put on the clothes she had prepared in her suitcase one by one, glancing at Quinn every now and then, wondering if he had been peeking.

After getting dressed, she paused for a moment, then shook her head helplessly.

"What are you doing? Just go away."

This was said to myself.

After regaining her human form, the arcane circuits reconnected with her brain, and her mental energy and mana quickly replenished. This area wasn't even on the surface of the abyss, and the interference from the gray fog was negligible for a mage, let alone someone like Amamiya Nene with Earth blood. She decided to take matters into her own hands and solve Quinn's problem herself.

First, wake him up.

As long as the soul can rekindle its humanity and the mind can take control of the body, it means that the degree of pollution is still within a controllable range.

The tip of the wand touched the center of Quinn's forehead.

Amamiya Nene softly uttered "Ennervate".

A blinding flash of light streaked across the sky; the mere touch of that light would instantly rouse a drowsy person, but Quinn remained head tilted back, staring blankly at something.

This is one of the spells from the "Huanggang Secret Scroll" that Merlin left for Grindelwald, named "Quick Resurrection". Although it is only a third-order spell, among general spells with the effect of "awakening", Quick Resurrection is the strongest, with extremely strong resistance to charm, paralysis, possession and even curses.

Amamiya Nene frowned slightly. It wasn't working?
If a quick recovery doesn't work, then the only option is lip-syncing spells, which are specialized in this area. However, she is not an arcanist who studies the mental realm, so she doesn't know where to start.

Theological prayer should be very helpful in the current situation.

But Amamiya Nene isn't a pure believer. Although she has a mother who's a cardinal in the White Church, she also has an atheist father. Besides the goddess of order and the Holy Spirit, Amamiya Nene also worships Guan Yu, the God of Wealth, and Lee Sang-hyeok—earth gods whose functions are unclear.
Amamiya Nene paced back and forth, and when she saw Quinn muttering to himself again with his head down, she gritted her teeth and stomped her foot, no longer caring about anything else.

The wand was aimed at his forehead again.

An ancient, incantation began to be chanted! "Thunder stor!"

Lightning Spell!
Forcibly activating consciousness with electric current is a very dangerous method. If not controlled properly, it can lead to cerebral palsy or even death. However, the powerful physical stimulation effect is unmatched by ordinary spells. Even a half-dead person can be instantly brought back to life by electric shock.

Nene Amamiya carefully controlled the mana output of her Lightning Bolt spell, the chilling crackling sound echoing on Quinn's forehead. "This guy's a superhuman, a little lightning shouldn't be a big deal. Wake up!"
"Uh"

Quinn finally responded.

Noticing the violent tremor in his eyes, Amamiya Nene immediately stopped and waited anxiously.

You're pregnant.

"Don't go crazy, Mi Yutong!!"

"Wake up. Damn it—"

It's in Chinese.

Amamiya Nene still couldn't understand, but she had heard the name 'Mi Yutong' before.
Quinn's expression became conflicted.

Not only his facial expressions, but his body as well—his arm muscles were bulging, and his veins looked so menacing they seemed about to burst out. Despite exerting so much effort, his movements were so small, as if he were being held down by someone, showing how difficult it was for him.

Amamiya Nene was a little anxious, thinking that the electric shock had caused Quinn to become like this.

She immediately turned to look at the box, where Quinn's things were all, including the Undying Totem.

There were also several arcane scrolls she had prepared in the alley, all high-level attack spells, enough to kill Quinn, who would not be able to resist.

But who knows what will happen when he gets back to his room at the academy? He'll have to cross an unknown distance through the Forbidden Forest to get back.
Quinn's expression became increasingly strained, like a wild dog with a knife held to its neck.

The sound of his heartbeat, his heavy breathing, and the sweat seeping from his reddened skin all indicated that his condition was quite dire.

Never mind, I succeeded with the Undying Totem on Celia before, so this time...
Suddenly, a hand grabbed at it.

Amamiya Nene was pulled into his arms, and his lips pressed against hers in a passionate kiss.
Her mind went blank for a moment, as if she herself had been electrocuted.

Until a kneading pain came from my chest, and my skin felt so tight it felt like it was about to tear.

She bit her pale lips, her eyes red, and tried to push him away—

"Let go!!"

But how can you push it away?

This is an extraordinary body capable of slicing through steel with a single stroke. Even after Amamiya Nene reverts to her original form, she is still no different from a little parrot in his presence.

All I could do was endure it, the most naked and frenzied outburst.

Tears streamed down his face, dripping onto his wildly abusive arm.

Quinn's movements suddenly paused, trembling as if stuck, and he actually released Amamiya Nene.

She staggered and fell to the ground. Trying to escape, she saw a trickle of bright red blood flowing from Quinn's mouth; he had bitten his own tongue.

The pain brought him a moment of clarity. He raised his head, his eyes fixed on the empty gray mist ahead, muttering something like a madman.

Amamiya Nene's trembling eyes slowly regained their composure.

On Quinn's forehead.

The lines of lust are slowly emerging, like ants crawling out of their nest, the light of original sin illuminating the gray fog.

Amamiya Nene gritted her teeth; she knew the immortal totem was useless now.

The academy's secret arts can repair the body, bring back the soul, and even mend the soul's defects.

But it cannot expel the original sin of the abyss.

She couldn't figure out when the seed of lust had been planted in Quinn's body. Was it when Lana grabbed his head? Or with the police? Or even earlier?
The lines of lust on his forehead were exactly the same as those on the seduced police officers, like patches of color being added to a canvas. The moment the light of lust filled his eyes, the contamination of the abyss of original sin would become inevitable.

Quinn's eyes gradually became unfocused, and more and more blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, but the pain was no longer of much help to his mind.

Amamiya Nene didn't know how to save him.

She had to find a way.

No method of divination can interfere with the abyss.

Unless one seeks help from a higher being.

She bit her finger, enduring the pain in her fingertip, and drew a crooked symbol on the ground.

She knew it was wrong, but she had no other choice.

"I fear I must invoke Your Majesty's command, King of the Last Days—"

"Bathed in the flames of fire, blessed by God's grace"

"I am deeply terrified, deeply terrified"

"This body and this soul, I return to you."

At this very moment, in Lakeside Restaurant, Ashwell City.

With a 'bang!', that was the sound of the knife and fork falling to the ground.

The diners stared in awe at the lakeside view outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, their eyes bulging out of their sockets.

The person sitting opposite him looked back and saw that everything at Mirror Lake was as usual, with bright sunshine, no clouds, and no waves.

"what happened?"

"A castle!" the diner stammered. "I saw a castle suddenly appear in the sky above Mirror Lake! It's fucking huge!!"

"Where did this castle come from?" The friend on the other side looked back again, but there was nothing there.

"No, it disappeared in an instant. But really! By the Dragon Lord, I swear, I saw the castle floating in the sky!"

"Ha," my friend chuckled strangely, "You saw Grindelwald?"

"Maybe?"

"Even the Demon King can't see it, but you can. You're even more powerful than the Demon King."

He wasn't the only one who saw the castle suddenly appear.

But because it disappeared so quickly, it was all treated as a joke, and it seems that only the light and dust that shone in can prove it all.

Inside the forbidden forest, the gray fog dispersed and then gathered again.

Amamiya Nene stood there, stunned. Her soul had been marked with a 'mark'—the 'price' of divination.

However, what stunned her had nothing to do with the cost.

Rather, it's the result of divination.

She seemed to know how to break Quinn's lust curse.

But
She watched Quinn gradually lose control, gritted her teeth, and turned away.

No.

She couldn't do that for her friend.

What do you want to do?

'Run back.'

For some reason, the figure that looked as tired as a dead dog, yet still moved forward, trying to reassure the little parrot, appeared before my eyes.

'We're friends.'

Amamiya Nene lowered her head, her long, black hair obscuring her face.

She glanced back, and no one knew what the little witch was thinking at that moment.

Or perhaps, just like the day she chose to search for her father, she didn't think about anything.

She eventually walked back slowly, closing her eyes as if resigned to her fate.

Rustling.

That was the sound of black stockings sliding down her thighs and falling to the ground.

(End of this chapter)