Bengtie, I'm really not a villain!

[A sudden surge of terrifying waves erupted from the direction of Izumo Province, and cries of alarm echoed through the sky, filled with a deep-seated fear and utter despair.]

The air on the battlefield at that moment resembled a bottomless swamp, making every breath incredibly difficult.

A deep, violent tremor resounded from afar, signaling the imminent eruption of countless slumbering demons, who would unleash a destructive fury upon the land.

The demons who were on the battlefield were almost frenzied. After Jingye's sudden death, they roared and rushed towards Raiden Mei like a surging tide.

A deafening roar echoed from afar, a sound brimming with boundless greed and violence, each screech like a heavy hammer blow.

Countless demons surged in from all directions, their twisted bodies colliding and grinding against each other with a chilling screech. Sharp claws carved deep furrows into the ground, sending shards of stone and dust flying everywhere.

The demons huddled together, forming a towering, ever-approaching black wall. Their crimson eyes flickered in the darkness like countless dancing will-o'-the-wisps, emitting a chilling, eerie glow.

The air was thick with a pungent, putrid stench, a smell of death and evil intertwined; every breath felt like swallowing a sharp blade, cutting into one's throat with excruciating pain.

[Raiden Mei stood in this desperate situation, about to be swallowed up, gripping her long sword tightly.]

The gradually cooling corpse in her arms still retained a trace of warmth, which seeped through her thin clothes onto her skin, a warmth that contrasted sharply with the surrounding deathly silence.

[She remained oblivious to the approaching wave of demons, her mind only flashing back to Jing Ye's final smile.]

Just as the suffocating tension reached its peak, the second spider lily on the long sword in her hand began to slowly unfurl its petals, its crimson, blood-red veins writhing and spreading as if alive.

A mysterious and powerful force emanated from the blade, causing the surrounding air to distort and tremble, creating an invisible wave of energy.

As the vibrant and alluring beauty of the spider lily bloomed before Raiden Mei's eyes, countless fragments of memories surged like a tidal wave, breaching the dam of her consciousness and flooding into her mind.

The first thing that catches the eye is Teacher Himeko.

[Himeko-sensei always encouraged her with a warm, sunny smile, patiently guided her on the training field, and offered unwavering support when she felt lost.]

[Himeko-sensei's face was stern, her hands firmly gripping the newly forged longsword, its tip pointed directly at her heart.]

[Her eyes showed no fear, only a resolute and unwavering determination to embark on her sacred mission, radiating a moving light.]

[The scene shifts, and Furibas's figure appears.]

Her once close companion wore a relieved smile, pure and genuine, without a trace of fear of death.

[Then, Raiden Mei saw Furibas plunge a knife into her own chest without hesitation.]

Blood instantly stained her clothes, but her eyes remained calm and serene.

Finally, Raiden Mei saw her mother.

[The familiar face of her mother came into view, but her hands were trembling violently, gripping the knife hilt tightly.]

Tears welled up in the mother's eyes, glistening with a crystalline light that conveyed boundless sorrow and helplessness.

Even so, the mother gritted her teeth and, with all her remaining strength, plunged the knife deep into her own body.

In that instant, Raiden Mei felt as if an invisible hand had clenched her heart tightly, the pain almost suffocating her.

Every scene was so vivid, so clear, etched into her soul like a brand. They weren't cruelly murdered by Jing Ye, as she had always believed.

How could they... appear to be willingly and voluntarily going to their deaths...?

[Is it exactly the same resolute manner with which Jingye stabbed himself with the knife just now?]

Raiden Mei's eyes widened in disbelief, her hair flying wildly in the wind.

At this moment, the second spider lily had fully bloomed, its petals stretched out to their maximum, like a burning flame.

The light emanating from the blade grew increasingly dazzling, its crimson aura resembling a thick, bloody mist that permeated the surrounding air, staining everything an eerie, blood-red hue.

[Amidst the surging crimson light, the figures of Jingye, Himeko, Furibas, and their mother gradually solidified, overlapping as if drawn together by threads of fate.]

Himeko stood with her arms crossed, her brows still bearing the sternness she displayed when instructing in swordsmanship, yet a gentle smile played on her lips, and her eyes shone with the unique love and expectation of a teacher.

"My student has finally grown to this point."

"Now it's your turn to protect Izumo. Do your best, Mei!"

[Furibas scratched the back of his head, revealing his signature goofy smile. His innocent and bright eyes were full of unreserved anticipation for the future, tinged with a clumsy sincerity.]

The mother's eyes were red-rimmed, her hands clasped together in front of her chest, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing together. Heartache and reluctance almost overflowed from her eyes, yet she still managed to force an encouraging smile, as if to pass on all her tender blessings to her daughter.

[A call woven from the voices of three of Raiden Mei's most cherished friends and family resonated from the depths of the blade, carrying a warmth that transcended life and death, yet also tearing her heart apart.]

Himeko's voice was steady and powerful, carrying the unquestionable authority of someone giving instruction.

[Furibas's tone was light and cheerful, with a touch of carefree optimism.]

The mother's voice was gentle and trembling, full of worry.

The combined sound waves echoed across the desolate battlefield, like the warm winter sun dispelling the pervasive gloom.

"This knife was forged with our blood."

The voice continued to come, each word like a brand soaked in blood and tears.

"It carries our will—"

Himeko's voice rang out first, filled with unwavering determination: "The courage to never bow to darkness."

[Furibas then added with a smile, "And there's also a yearning for something beautiful!"]

The mother's voice was choked with sobs, yet exceptionally firm.

"It also carries our love for Izumo Province and for you."

"Now, this mission of protection is entrusted to you."

As the three voices slowly faded away, they only became more deafening to Raiden Mei.

[And everything that followed, the vicious culprit behind everything that Raiden Mei hated and enraged the most]

Jing Ye stood in the shadows, his eyes lowered, a hint of self-reproach in his smile.

He gently raised his hand and lightly stroked Raiden Mei's taut cheek.

"I'm sorry I made you endure all of this."

"To live up to their love and lives, and to live up to their hatred for me, go and slay the demons of Takamagahara!"

Their smiles faded, eventually dissipating in the crimson light, leaving only a stunned Raiden Mei behind.

Raiden Mei stood frozen in place, like a soulless sculpture.

The deafening roars of the demons struck her like invisible lightning bolts, yet her unfocused pupils reflected only images of Himeko, Furibas, her mother, and Jingye.

Those images, like cursed images, played endlessly in her mind, chilling even her eyelashes to the bone.

The deafening roars of the demons flooded her ears like a tidal wave, but she seemed oblivious, her mind still replaying the faces and words of Himeko, Furibas, her mother, and Kageyo.

"Mei, you must become the light that illuminates the darkness."

Himeko's voice, mingling with the clang of swords, echoed in her mind. That voice carried the sternness of her past training days, yet also held a tenderness reserved only for deep, late-night conversations.

[Furibas's laughter suddenly broke into my ears]

"Once the war is over, we'll go and eat all the sweets in Izumo Province!"

The mother's choked words followed: "My child, it's good that you're safe... It's good that you're safe..."

Jing Ye's final apology was like a thorn, deeply piercing her heart.

These sounds intertwined into an impenetrable net, trapping her in a cage of memories. Even as the roars of demons thundered against her eardrums, she felt no sense of reality.

Their smiles and their words of advice left a deep imprint on her heart, like a carving knife.

The gentler those smiles, the more painful the wounds they etched; blood gushed from the cracks in her memory, slowly drowning her last shred of sanity.

[Raiden Mei recalled the complex look that occasionally flashed in Keiya's eyes when they confronted each other]

[It turns out that all the scenes were foreshadowing, and the truth was revealed in such a cruel way.]

The truth about her loved ones' voluntary sacrifice and Jing Ye's remorseful smile were like heavy hammer blows, shattering her world and then rebuilding it.

The hammer of truth shattered the fortress of hatred she had built up over time. Amidst the flying rubble, new insights, like twisted vines, frantically coiled around her soul.

Chapter 132 The Dead Husband's Underworld

Jing Ye, the man she hated to the core, embraced all his sins with a smile in his final moments.

Under this violent impact, her already half-gray hair was turning white at a visible rate.

The silvery-white color spread from the roots of the hair like wildfire, covering every strand in an instant, dancing wildly in the wind, like the harshest frost and snow in winter.

As the last strand of her hair was dyed black, the blood droplets that had congealed in her long hair gleamed coldly in the moonlight, contrasting sharply with her snow-white hair.

That head of white hair seemed to be a testament to her inner pain and transformation, or perhaps a special armor that fate had bestowed upon her.

The moment she unconsciously raised her fingertips and touched her hair, it was as if she were touching another version of herself. Her once jet-black hair carried the innocence of a young girl, while its current snow-white color etched the marks of a heart-wrenching journey of growth.

Her white hair brushed against her cheek in the wind, bringing a touch of coolness, but also gradually clearing her muddled consciousness.

[This white hair is no longer a symbol of curse, but a mark of power, a battle armor woven together by Himeko's expectations, Furibas' trust, a mother's love, and Kageya's atonement.]

Just as she was lost in thought, the third spider lily on the longsword in her hand began to slowly unfurl its petals, the movement elegant yet carrying an unstoppable aura.

Each falling crimson petal shimmered with a mysterious glow.

The moment the first petal detached from the calyx, it stained the surrounding blood mist a magnificent crimson. Then...

The second petal, the third petal… as if guided by an invisible hand, swirled in orderly fashion towards the surging demonic tide. They seemed so light, yet ripples spread through the air wherever they passed, as if the barrier of reality was being gently touched.

When these petals touched the oncoming wave of demons, it was as if a red-hot iron had touched snow; the hideous demons instantly turned into wisps of smoke and vanished into the air upon contact with the petals.

The once surging and unstoppable tide of demons, faced with these falling petals, was like a flood held back by a dam, unable to advance any further.

The front ranks of the demonic wave had vanished, but the demons in the rear continued to surge forward relentlessly. However, no matter how they charged, they could not break through the defensive line formed by the petals.

[They could only roar and rage wildly from afar, unable to break through the defenses constructed of flower petals. They could only watch helplessly as the petals surrounded Raiden Mei, creating a peaceful space for her.]

"Impossible... This is absolutely impossible..."

She murmured to herself, her voice hoarse and broken, like torn paper, carrying endless pain and confusion.

For a long time, she had poured all her hatred into Jing Ye, believing him to be the culprit who had taken everything from her and dragged her life into an endless abyss of darkness.

But now, the truth revealed by these memories is like a powerful bomb exploding in her heart, completely overturning the world she had built.

She felt the ground beneath her feet collapse, the whole world crumble, and all the beliefs and convictions she had once held dear became precarious and on the verge of vanishing.

[It was precisely as Raiden Mei's worldview was completely shattered and rebuilt that the spider lilies on the longsword, which Raiden Mei was unaware of, fully bloomed.]

As the last petal of the third spider lily slowly unfurled, the entire longsword surged with a crimson light that billowed like a raging sea.

The mist twisted and swirled wildly in the air. Countless phantom images of spider lilies, like demonic flowers breaking free from the deepest hell, materialized out of thin air.

The petals trembled slightly in the darkness, and with each gentle tremor, tiny beads of blood seeped from the petals' veins, as if the flower were shedding tears of blood.

In the blink of an eye, wherever these spider lilies passed, the air seemed to be sliced ​​by invisible blades, emitting a sharp, piercing "sizzle" sound like flesh being torn apart. The entire space seemed to be slowly sifted through a scarlet filter, gradually being digested by this mysterious power, its originally normal colors and textures gradually distorting and dissolving.

Suddenly, the entire battlefield trembled violently, as if shaken by a giant hand. The ground beneath their feet seemed unable to bear the weight, cracking open with deep, bottomless fissures. Thick, scarlet liquid, like molten lava from the earth's core, surged forth with an aura of utter destruction.

Wherever the crimson spread, every inch of land and every crumbling wall it touched was quickly stained an eerie dark red. The pungent stench of blood intensified in the air, like thousands of rotting corpses baking in the sun, nauseating and making each breath feel like swallowing rusty blades.

The demons were instantly engulfed in a cacophony of piercing screams, which were quickly filled with a surging crimson light.

Almost simultaneously, the tendrils of the spider lily, like demonic hands reaching out from the darkness, rapidly grew from the crimson, their sharp barbs gleaming coldly as they precisely pierced the demon's body.

Then, eerie flowers bloomed on the demons' bodies, their petals enveloping their forms and slowly but steadily devouring their flesh, leaving only a blurry residue of blood and gore in their wake.

The mist, woven from scarlet and red spider lilies, spread and expanded like a surging tsunami, unstoppable.

In the blink of an eye, the entire battlefield was completely covered. The land, which had been scorched black by the flames of war, was now completely dyed a sticky dark red, like a giant blood pudding.

The remaining bloodstains and broken weapons, swept away by this power, were tightly bound by the roots of the spider lily. After a slight wriggling, they transformed into nutrients that nourished this mysterious power, merging into the crimson expanse.

The once overwhelming and raging tide of demons, under the impact of this powerful force, became as fragile as snowflakes thrown into boiling oil. Before they could even utter a complete roar, they were utterly annihilated and vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The entire world seemed to have been muted, falling into a deathly silence. Raiden Mei stood silently in place, still surrounded by crimson mist and the lingering shadows of spider lilies.

She stared slowly at the long sword in her hand; beads of blood, as if alive, slowly seeped out and gathered together.

The remaining demons, unwilling to accept defeat, roared in despair and gathered once more from the edge of the battlefield.

Raiden Mei remained cold, indifferent, and ruthless as she slowly raised the long sword in her hand, her long, silver-white hair dancing wildly in the wind.

The longsword sliced ​​through the void, seemingly tearing space apart, leaving a scarlet streak of light in its wake.

The spider lilies clinging to the demons' bodies began to disintegrate, emitting painful cries. Under the onslaught of the petals, the remaining demons, like flickering candles in the wind, quickly dissipated, turning into wisps of smoke and vanishing into the air.

The crimson mist gradually dissipated as the petals scattered, revealing the battlefield ravaged by war. Raiden Mei stood rooted to the spot, her white hair still fluttering in the wind.