I said you are all war criminals

The monster was stunned by the sudden attack, its massive body forced back repeatedly by the seemingly weak girl. A flicker of panic flashed in its scarlet eyes, as if it had not expected that the prey it had cursed and tortured would actually launch such a frenzied counterattack.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

A dull thud echoed through the heavy rain. Li Xi's fist landed on the monster, sending up a black mist, yet it felt like hitting cotton, soft and unreal. Even so, she showed no sign of stopping, swinging her fist again and again, like a perpetual machine.

"Damn it! What the hell is this!"

Li Xi gritted her teeth and cursed inwardly. She could feel her strength being rapidly depleted, and the fire in her body was burning more and more fiercely, as if it was going to devour her completely.

The monster seemed to have noticed Lixi's weakness. It let out a low roar, waved its huge arms, and after knocking Lixi away, it planned to turn around and run away.

“Aine!”

Li Xi roared with a throat that was about to be burned.

"I know!"

Aine, who had been observing the battle situation from the closest distance, cast the curse again without hesitation.

【Abandonment Channel】

Anyone who leaves Shiina Riki will drown!

The monster's movements slowed noticeably, its massive body feeling heavy as if filled with lead, and each step was a stagger. It trembled in agony, and black mist continuously emanated from it, as if something was being pulled out.

The body that had just recovered turned into a curse that led to its death.

"It's now!"

Li Xi endured the burning pain in his body as if thousands of ants were biting his bones, gritted his teeth, and rushed forward again.

She jumped high, adjusted her posture in the air, and kicked the monster's torso hard with her shoes, which were covered with shimmering water patterns and made a sound of breaking wind.

"boom!"

The water armor collided violently with the black fog, making a sharp hissing sound, like the wailing of a ghost.

Lixi passed through the monster's body and fell to her knees due to exhaustion, gasping for breath. The rain washed away the blood and sweat on her face, making her look even more miserable. The flames on her body gradually extinguished, revealing her charred skin, which was shocking.

The monster let out a shrill scream, and its huge body fell to the ground with a bang, splashing water all over the sky. Dirty black liquid splashed everywhere, emitting a disgusting stench.

It rained harder.

Bean-sized raindrops fell densely, and the rain gathered into streams, flowing freely on the ground, gradually diluting the smell of blood and foul air in the air.

"Lixi!"

Aiyin, who was watching from the side, anxiously ran to Riki and took off her coat to cover Riki's naked body, "How are you?"

Li Xi waved his hands, trying to endure the pain and said: "It's... it's okay..."

She struggled to raise her head and looked at the monster lying on the ground.

The monster's body began to melt, like ice and snow, transforming into a pool of black liquid that emitted a nauseating stench. In the center of the black liquid lay a man.

The man was in tattered clothes and his face was haggard. His eyes were wide open, filled with fear and despair, as if he had experienced unimaginable pain before his death.

"This is……"

Aiyin, who was supporting Riki, covered her nose and tried hard to suppress her nausea. "Backlash of the curse?"

"look like,"

Li Xi exhaled, "It seems that this guy is not a good person. He actually uses such a disgusting method to harm people."

"Then what do we do now?"

Aine asked.

"Let's collect the Mantra Beads first... I can already sense the increase in the Dregs of Soul, but if I get more Mantra Beads, I'll have more diverse methods."

Li Xi said absentmindedly.

Her eyes were still fixed on the man.

Killed him... I killed him with my own hands.

"Okay, then let's go..."

Just as Aiyin was about to support Li Xi and walk over, she suddenly stopped.

the reason is simple.

It wasn't because Riki finally passed out from overexertion, Aine had anticipated this. After all, no matter how you looked at it, Riki's condition wasn't too good.

What surprised Aine was something else.

——A new monster appeared in front of them.

"You actually killed the Curse Master. Well done."

It was a monster completely different from the previous monsters, giving people the feeling of "precision machinery".

Its body structure was complex and intricate, each joint appearing meticulously designed, unlike any previous monster. Furthermore, unlike the bloated flame monster, its body was sleek and well-proportioned, like a meticulously crafted work of art. However, the most striking feature was its head—a hideous, serpentine head. Its flat, cobra-like head rose high, its snout wide open, revealing a dense mass of fangs within, a terrifying sight.

Looking more closely, in the wide-open snake mouth, among the densely packed teeth, there was a helmet covered with snake scales and a pair of huge blue crystal eyes.

"However, I will be the one to retrieve the mantra beads."

The monster bent down and stabbed its snake-like fingers into the man's chest, digging out a curse bead from it. "A farewell clapper?... In that case, there are still five left."

"...The guy who collects curse beads, are you also a curse master?!"

Replacing the exhausted Riki, Aine loudly asked, "What is your purpose?"

The steel monster didn't answer, but suddenly jumped up and disappeared in the heavy rain.

A shrill siren blared from the distance, drawing ever closer, cutting through the clamor of the rain. Aine cursed, "Damn it!" and looked down at the unconscious Riki. Riki's breathing was shallow, his face pale, and his entire body burning.

Aiyin no longer supported Li Xi, but carried her on her back. Li Xi's body was unexpectedly light, as if it had no weight, which made Aiyin feel even more uneasy.

The rain washed over them mercilessly. Aiyin's clothes were already soaked, clinging to her body tightly, freezing her to the bone. Riki was in even worse shape. The transformation just now had torn her clothes apart, and now Riki was naked.

There was no other way, Aiyin gritted her teeth and struggled forward in the pouring rain.

The sirens were getting closer, and Aiyin was getting more and more anxious. She didn't want to be arrested and questioned by the police. The curse beads were too difficult to explain, not to mention Li Xi's current state. What would she do if the police saw her?

"We need to find a place to hide..."

Aine looked around and her eyes fell on a lighted shop. It was a clothing store, with a variety of clothes displayed in the window, looking particularly warm in the dim rainy night.

Aiyin no longer hesitated and rushed into the clothing store with Lixi on her back. Fortunately, the store was empty except for an old-fashioned radio on the cash register, which was playing noisy news.

She gently placed Lixi on the ground and quickly searched the store. She needed to dress Lixi. If she continued like this, even if she didn't get caught by the police, she would catch a cold and have a fever.

Aine quickly found a suitable outfit—just a simple white T-shirt and a pair of black jeans. She placed the outfit next to Riki and began to remove his soaked clothes.

Li Xi's skin was abnormally flushed due to the high temperature, and there were many burn marks on her body, which looked shocking. Ai Yin frowned distressedly and gently helped her change into clean clothes.

As for underwear… Aine glanced at the pouring rain outside and the approaching sirens, and finally gave up. Now was not the time to dwell on such matters; saving her life was the most important thing.

Aiyin took out a wad of bills from her pocket, thought for a moment, added a few more, and placed them on the cash register. She wasn't sure if the money was enough, but she couldn't care less now.

"Okay... Next, take Lixi back to my house."

Love the idea of music.

Fortunately, my parents went abroad for a trip, otherwise I don’t know what they would say to me if they saw me bringing Lixi home.

36

Chapter 36: Hachiman Kailing.

The mechanical monster landed lightly in the suburbs.

This is an abandoned factory.

The rusty steel skeleton looked particularly eerie in the night rain. The interior of the factory was empty and silent. Only the sound of rain hitting the broken glass and metal roof echoed in the empty space. The air was filled with the smell of dampness and decay, which was chilling.

It pushed open the door and placed the newly dug mantra beads into a special container, allowing them to suspend in the liquid. After doing all this, the armor on its body flowed like liquid, and finally turned into a cobra coiled on the ground.

Its scales weren't purely biological, but rather composed of countless tiny metal flakes, tightly packed together and gleaming with a cold, metallic sheen. Its body was crisscrossed with fine lines, like blood vessels, running through its body. From time to time, weak electric currents flickered through them, emitting a subtle "sizzling" sound. Its eyes were two red, electronic eyes, flashing with a cold light, and the depths of its pupils hinted at a complex mechanical structure.

And where the monster was originally, there was a young girl left.

The girl's long black hair was straight all the way to the ends, and it looked even smoother and shinier in the dim factory.

...If Shiina Riki were here, she would definitely scream in surprise. After all, this girl was none other than her friend, Yawata Kairin.

Hachiman Kairin stood in the middle of the abandoned factory, gazing at the mantra beads suspended in a special container.

Rainwater dripped through the holes in the factory, forming small puddles on the ground.

The mechanical snake silently climbed onto Hachiman Kailing's shoulder, its cold metal scales pressing against her skin, causing her to shiver slightly. As if sensing the trembling, the snake raised its head, its red electronic eyes flashing as it gazed at the mantra beads before it. In a hoarse electronic voice, it asked, "What do you think of this thing?"

"I don't believe curses can resurrect people."

Hachiman Kailing reached out and gently touched the outer wall of the container, and felt a cold touch at her fingertips.

"But it does have great power, doesn't it?"

The mechanical snake's voice was tinged with doubt. "Do you feel the energy it radiates? If used properly, it's enough to destroy a city."

"A nuclear bomb can also destroy a city. Can it be used to resurrect people?"

Hai Ling asked back.

Cobra remained noncommittal.

Hai Ling continued, "Didn't your master, Kita, also say this? This kind of curse sets an impossible goal... After all, whoever casts this curse never thought anyone would complete it."

"It's just a mere ten thousand people, just kill them casually."

The mechanical snake hissed.

Hearing the snake's words, Hai Ling pursed her lips.

Sure enough, this snake is not a human... How could a human being say "kill ten thousand people" so easily?

Hai Ling looked at the mechanical snake's cold electronic eyes and felt a chill in her heart.

This snake, or rather the thing that controlled it, had absolutely no human emotions, and the indifference in its eyes made her shudder.

"Do you really think this thing can resurrect people?"

Hai Ling tried her best to keep her tone calm.

The metal scales of the mechanical snake rubbed against Hai Ling's shoulders, making a slight "hissing" sound, as if mocking her naivety.

"My mission is not to think, but to execute. You must verify this secret technique and prove its authenticity."

"Do you really want me to kill ten thousand people?"

Hai Ling's voice became lower.

"Of course,"

The mechanical snake put its snake kiss to Hai Ling's throat, "Or would you rather die?"

"Ten thousand people..."

Hai Ling murmured to herself, "How could I possibly... kill ten thousand people?"

On the rusty walls, the rain gathered into small streams, like hideous scars.

The mechanical snake stared at her with its cold electronic eyes, its tone unchanged: "That's your problem, not mine. If you don't complete it, you will die."

It spit out its snake tongue, and the scarlet tongue swayed in front of Hailing's eyes.

Disgusting.

Hai Ling took a deep breath, trying to suppress the fear and disgust in her heart. She had to calm down and find a solution. Suicide? Of course she didn't want to. Killing innocent people? She couldn't do that either. So what else could she do?

"...The night will soon be over, and by then I won't be able to curse anyone. I'll hide the curse beads here for now, and you will guard them."

After thinking about it, Hai Ling said this to the mechanical snake.

"Don't even think about escaping. I've created nanorobots inside your body to monitor you."

The mechanical snake twisted its body. "If I can't find you, you will die."

"Maybe I was captured by the enemy."

Hailing smiled bitterly.

"That's your business,"