Forge a path to success.

Chapter 51 Club Inflammation (Part 1)
Maivia Club, 17th floor.

Debris piled up, dust billowed, and the banquet hall was unrecognizable from its original state. A malevolent mass of black mud hurtled towards Ji Huaisu. She raised her greatsword to defend herself, but the force of the impact forced her back several steps, barely managing to stop in front of the children. The kidnapped children, protected by the light shield, trembled incessantly. Now, no more cries could be heard; even the bravest child dared not weep in front of the monster.

"You didn't bring me a gift, you didn't even bother to say hello," a booming voice echoed from the smoke. "You're not a good visitor!"

"Monsters shouldn't try to talk like humans; it makes people want to vomit," Ji Huaisu said disdainfully.

The smoke and dust dissipated with a roar, and children screamed in terror. The thing was no longer human; it still wore a tailored tuxedo and possessed a massive, imposing body, but its familiar appearance was merely a monstrous shell. Maivia's head split open from the center, and slick, foul-smelling black blood gushed forth, forming a head resembling a slug. It hadn't fully revealed its true form as an outcast, but this single sight was enough to make anyone aware of the evil nature lurking beneath the human skin.

Ji Huaisu knew that it wasn't "Mavia," but merely a filthy illegitimate son of the new moon, just as "White Eyebrows" was nothing more than a fallen being in human skin. The real Maivia and White Eyebrows had died long ago; the black-blooded monsters had devoured their flesh and obsession, and now roam the world wrapped in their skins.

"How pathetic, you fool who has never received the love of the gods!" One of Maivia's arms exploded, transforming into a thick, deformed black claw. "As a child of God, as a father of man, I will make you pay for your folly!"

Ji Huaisu leaped to the left to dodge, the deformed giant claw slamming into her back, sending shards of rock flying and causing a slight pain. She couldn't raise her shield to defend herself, as the power of the light shield had to be reserved for protecting the children; for now, she could only rely on her sword. Ji Huaisu transformed her greatsword into a light scimitar, circling as she approached Maivia. Black light was spreading in concentric circles beneath Maivia's feet; he raised his deformed claw, from which flew clumps of filthy mud the size of cannonballs.

Ji Huaisu brandished his single-edged sword to protect himself, the cleaved mud emitting a foul and fishy stench. It was actually the flesh and blood of Shuoyue's illegitimate son, enough to corrupt life with a single touch. Maivia bought time with the mud projectiles, and began chanting ominous words.

"The darkest moon, the cradle of beginnings, the first abyss once forgotten..."

The black light beneath Maivia's feet writhed like a living thing; this illegitimate son was attempting to summon a monster from the moon. Ji Huaisu saw through the enemy's intentions. She dodged the muddy dwarf and slashed out with her blade, the sudden flash severing the deformed hand. Maivia's chanting was cut short by a scream of pain. Ignoring the pain, Ji Huaisu charged forward, drawing her sword and plunging it into Maivia's chest.

The foul blood gushed from the wound like a fountain, staining Ji Huaisu's golden hair with a dirty black. But the black light beneath Maivia's feet only intensified, his flesh falling into the light like fuel being added to a flame.

The summoning ritual of the illegitimate son of the new moon will never end once it begins. Even if Maivia is stabbed to death with a single sword, his call will still reach the Black Moon. He spewed mud bullets to repel Ji Huaisu, and his joyful voice echoed in the black light: "Bless the land of darkness with your skin, your hands, and your love!"

At this moment, a dim outline appears in the night sky, and a moon, as ethereal as an illusion, emerges, casting black moonlight upon the city!
A clear, resonant dragon's roar pierced the water curtain, and the swirling dragon swam across the sky, annihilating the interference of the dark moonlight with a long cry. However, even the swirling dragon could not outrun the moonlight; the messenger from the other side had already descended from the other side of the sky. The light smashed through the club's rooftop, transforming into three frenzied forms around Maivia.

One was a slick, oily sack-like body, split open in the middle by a slit, from which countless caterpillar-like fingers extended. Another was a giant bat with a female face, crawling on its sail-like talons, with ten human hands growing from its back to form a fleshy "lotus seat." The final monster was a shimmering mass of oil, its amorphous body constantly shifting, a dragon's head sprouting from its dough-like form.

"Master, fire..." Footsteps echoed hurriedly in the outer corridor, and a group of gray-clad thugs froze. They had come to warn the master of the siege, having noticed the fire, but instead stumbled upon the arrival of evil spirits. The leader trembled; the creatures were grotesque and nightmarish, not beings fit for humankind.

The thugs tried to escape, but saw the body-sack-like monster turn around, its finger-covered gashes magnifying before their eyes. Dozens of hands reached out and pulled the thugs into the monster's body; a momentary scream was followed by the sound of pleasurable chewing. The body-sack monster swelled up, and three new hands sprouted from its body. At the same time, the dragon-headed monster transformed into a hedgehog-like form, several black spikes erupting and piercing through the remaining thugs' bodies. Those men instantly became withered, dried corpses, the black spikes brutally draining their flesh.

Demons see no friend or foe; any living flesh and blood is their food!

The third bat-like monster was about to pounce on the child when it was forced back by a volley of water bullets. Lu Xing arrived with the rescue team, his face beneath his mask covered in cold sweat: "Captain! What are your instructions?"

Ji Huaisu swung his sword and repelled Maivia: "Take the children and retreat. Leave everything to me."

The team members threw out smoke grenades to obscure their vision, then picked up the children and ran outside. They weren't fools; anyone with eyes could see that the monsters grew stronger with each meal, and staying would only be providing free food for the enemy. Maivia directed the head-bat monster to fan away the smoke, its slug-like head gazing out the window, where the blue flames of the burning club were reflected in the glass windows of the surrounding buildings.

“You can’t keep me here,” he said evasively. “You destroyed my family… so I can only adopt new children.” The headless bat bowed respectfully, gesturing for Maivia to sit on the lotus platform on its back. Maivia took out a relic that resembled a remote control and activated the hidden mechanisms within the club building. First, a wall collapsed, dividing the battlefield, and then a freezer-like device emerged from the ground. Inside the freezer were the “blood packs” that Whitebrow had captured earlier—emergency offerings and supplies that Maivia had prepared just in case.

Maivia reached out and grabbed nothing. The freezer contained only scattered gray ashes, and a handwritten note was affixed to the door.

A parting gift—from your best friend.

"Kanin!!"

Maivia roared. Now he knew why the workshop master had come to the building, but it was too late for anger! He simply ordered the man-headed bat monster to pick up the shapeless slime and leap out of the broken window. With the fire starting, the home-field advantage would be lost. He was going outside to devour flesh and blood to summon more help, and in one fell swoop, he would bring ruin to the city.

"Don't even think about it."

Ji Huaisu slashed through the wall and gave chase, leaving the body-sack-like monster alone, blocking her path. Dozens of hands reached out from inside the body-sack, but Ji Huaisu raised a light shield to block the attacking hands, her right-hand shadow blade transforming into a needle-like rapier. The rapier pierced the body-sack monster's mouth, and it chewed with pleasure, devouring the shadow blade inch by inch, seemingly about to swallow Ji Huaisu whole as well.

Its movements suddenly stopped, and bulges appeared one after another beneath its skin, as if it had been struck. Then countless shadowy needles burst forth from its body.

The Shadow Blade transformed into a thorny, alien weapon, completely destroying the monster from the inside. Ji Huaisu showed no fear; she relentlessly pushed the heavily wounded monster forward, slamming it against the wall and smashing it into mangled flesh. Then, Ji Huaisu withdrew the Shadow Blade, leaped through the breach on the 17th floor, and as she fell, she plunged the Shadow Blade into the building, creating a trail of light and fire that sliced ​​through the skyscraper behind her!
The previous battle had only delayed them for half a second, and Maivia's figure was still far away. He turned around and let out a whistling sound. The amorphous demon leaped onto the side of the building and approached Ji Huaisu like a gravitational current of water.

This demon was also a strange beast from beyond the heavens, its strength approaching that of the "Cradle Mud" at the second level of matter. It was born immune to most physical attacks, and even a moment's contact could drain the life out of its enemy. Ji Huaisu knew the demon's true nature, and she knew how to deal with it.

Ji Huaisu's shield of light emitted a blinding glow, causing the Cradle Mud to momentarily slow its movements due to its fear of the light. Taking advantage of this, she transformed the shield into a hammer and slammed it down, the light hammer obliterating a large portion of the demon's flesh. Seeing the situation was dire, the Cradle Mud solidified, transforming into a black arc that circled around to Ji Huaisu's side. It resorted to its old trick, transforming into sharp thorns to drain the enemy's flesh, but Ji Huaisu drew her Shadow Blade, which supported her body. The black light on that blade boiled like fire, surging with her battle intent into a jet-black giant sword, crashing down on the Cradle Mud like a city wall.

The Cradle Mud trembled violently in mid-air, its constantly deforming body reverting to its original dragon head form. It stretched out its dragon head, intending to bite, when Ji Huaisu threw the light shield into the air, the intense light casting a long shadow of the Cradle Mud on the outside of the building.

Ji Huaisu swung her greatsword back and thrust it towards the side of the building. Her sword actually cut through the shadow, slicing the dragon's head in two!

The cradle of mud suddenly stopped moving, a thin, black line piercing through its surface. Its two halves smoothly separated, exploding into filthy flesh and blood in mid-air. Ji Huaisu caused the distant shield to disappear, then recreated a shield of light to block the filthy blood. She plunged her sword into the building again and slid down, landing almost simultaneously with Maivia.

A chilling, almost human-like astonishment flashed across Maivia's slug-like face. He couldn't understand how his enemy knew the characteristics of the Black Moon Beast, just as he couldn't comprehend the enemy's bizarre state. Ji Huaisu's fighting spirit soared to its peak; he couldn't even describe it with concepts like anger or hatred. His purple eyes gleamed with unwavering determination, like a burning torch forged from duty and responsibility…

Suddenly he realized the true nature of that feeling: it was a mission, a "mission" that was almost a faith!
"Let my faint light shine to protect all living beings. Let me wield my shadow to punish evil and rebellion."

Ji Huaisu whispered softly. Her light shield expanded, becoming a tower as tall as a person, and the already heavy greatsword, now as deep and iron-like, became a ferocious weapon. Her heart was pounding fiercely, awakening the burning emotions in her blood. She had never encountered the Black Moon lineage before, yet she was born knowing how to fight such monsters, just as she was born knowing how to condense light.

This is her duty, her mission. Knights possess power precisely to fight against the demons lurking beneath the abyss.

(End of this chapter)