The Grotesque Miss’s End Story v2c89p1

Chapter 89: Complete Victory and Crushing Defeat, The Subverted Blood Refining Barrier p1

Knock, knock, knock…

A measured, polite knock echoed, indicating a courteous visitor.

“Come in.”

A frail, weary voice responded from within, as if uttering those two words had exhausted all its strength.

With a creak, the dilapidated wooden door opened, and a hunched old man stepped inside, trembling slightly.

Seeing another elderly man, his gaze cloudy, huddled on the sofa before the fireplace, the visitor opened his mouth as if to speak.

But in the end, he only sighed heavily and softly said,

“Brother.”

“Close the door, it’s drafty.”

Philosopher, practically on the verge of death, with great effort opened his eyes and looked at the uninvited guest, his expression unsurprised.

“Alright.”

The Old Man closed the door, shutting out the cold, early spring wind, only its persistent howl remaining.

“Brother, finding me… must have taken considerable effort,” Philosopher said, a playful smirk appearing on his wrinkled face as he looked at the Old Man, who had entered and taken a seat on a stool.

The two elderly men, similar in appearance, sat facing each other. They looked like they had been cast from the same mold, which was, in fact, the case.

The Old Man and Philosopher were twin brothers.

“Indeed,” the Old Man admitted frankly. “After I stopped maintaining the barrier, most of my power was dedicated to locating you.”

This was why the Old Man hadn’t appeared during the operation to disrupt the ascension ritual.

His plan was to strike directly at the source, eliminating Philosopher, the mastermind behind the scenes, to prevent future trouble.

All the Harbingers and Educator were scattered. This was Philosopher’s most vulnerable moment.

The Old Man, relying on the Company’s accumulated resources, was confident he could severely injure, even kill, his brother, removing the Harbingers’ most important leader.

“Decapitation strike,” Philosopher nodded slightly. “A simple and efficient method, your usual style. I’m not surprised.”

That’s why Philosopher had hidden himself so deeply, not leaving this special space outside the Boundaries for decades, only sending out avatars.

He knew that if he showed himself, he would face the Company’s full, unrestrained wrath.

This situation… was quite troublesome.

“But I failed, brother. You… outmaneuvered me,” the Old Man said softly.

He looked at Philosopher, who was barely clinging to life, easily killable, and sighed again.

“I never thought… brother, you would have such resolve. Just like before, always pushing all your chips in at the gambling table.”

The Old Man had expended great effort and consumed a considerable amount of the Company’s resources, finally discovering Philosopher’s hideout. He had paid a heavy price to pinpoint its location, arriving directly, ready to kill Philosopher.

But upon meeting his brother, he realized… he had been outmaneuvered, caught in a trap.

All his efforts, upon seeing Philosopher, were rendered meaningless.

A complete failure.

“How… ruthless…”

Even the ruthless Old Man, witnessing what Philosopher had done to himself, couldn’t help but admire his brother’s true ruthlessness.

Philosopher had stripped himself of everything: his Authority, power, consciousness, soul, fate… everything, scattering them to unknown locations.

The Philosopher in the cabin now was just an empty shell, capable of speech.

Even killing this shell would be pointless.

This wasn’t a simple separation. Each aspect he stripped away caused Philosopher immense pain, like being slowly tortured, with the risk of collapsing midway.

And as he stripped away more and more, the pain and risk increased exponentially.

The willpower and determination required to complete the process were unimaginable. A single failure would lead to irreversible ruin.

Fortunately, fate favored Philosopher.

This time, he had won, completely and utterly.

The Old Man, misled and lured here, was now trapped within this special space, unable to escape or return to the ascension ritual battlefield, forced to chat with the empty shell of his brother.

“We’re the same, brother,” Philosopher chuckled softly. “If not for your decades of maintaining that barrier, I wouldn’t have resorted to such drastic measures, hehe…”

Even when injured, he hadn’t dared to neglect his duty, constantly maintaining the barrier that monitored all of Victoria.

Just to be one step ahead of the Harbingers in case of an emergency.

In this level of conflict, a single misstep could be the difference between complete victory and crushing defeat.

It was this barrier that allowed the Company to suppress the Harbingers, forcing them to hide in the shadows, unable to act openly.

Unfortunately, even with the Company’s overwhelming advantage, having once pushed the Harbingers to the brink of destruction, a single misstep had reversed the situation in Victoria.

“Why not… wait here and witness the moment of ascension with me?” Philosopher said softly, a smile in his voice. “Then, you can still make your choice.

“As your brother, I will accept you no matter what. My foolish brother, there will always be a place for you on the ship to the new world. We… are both Harbingers, guiding the new world.”

Philosopher didn’t ask if the Old Man was Historian, as it no longer mattered.

Whether he was or not, sitting here now, the Old Man could only witness the Harbingers’ final victory.

“……”

The Old Man remained silent, staring intently at the flames in the fireplace, as if deep in thought, or perhaps waiting.

Whether he was contemplating his brother’s offer, abandoning the Company and joining the Harbingers, or waiting for an opportunity for a counterattack on the ascension ritual battlefield…

It was unclear.

He simply watched silently.

Only the crackling of the fire echoed within the dilapidated cabin.

…………

Meanwhile, in the real-world Victoria, at the site of the ascension ritual.

“I’m sorry, Educator, I don’t understand what you’re saying,” the Woman said calmly, her expression and tone unchanged.

She responded to Educator’s pointed question with ambiguity, her true intentions unclear.

Educator simply chuckled and snapped his fingers.

“It doesn’t matter whether you understand or not. This game… has reached its end. If you refuse to board the ship to the new world, you will be left behind in this doomed old era.”

Like Philosopher’s attitude towards the Old Man, Educator no longer cared about Historian’s true identity.

From the moment victory was assured, even if Historian was the Boy, even if the Boy had died in the previous battle, it no longer mattered.

Because every ticket to the new world… was a gift.

Within the pervasive blood mist, a surge of inspiration emanated from behind Educator, instantly attracting the attention of the Woman and Li Shaoheng.

“This is…”

Li Shaoheng’s pupils constricted. Having participated in the previous operation against Artist, he immediately recognized the core barrier of the ascension ritual.

Within the barrier, Religious, an unremarkable Harbinger, stood with his arms outstretched, his face filled with ecstasy as countless strands of inspiration surged towards him, resonating with some unknown existence.

With each breath, a terrifying Grotesquery aura emerged, flowing into Religious, pushing him towards the steps of godhood.

“The ascension ritual seems to be reaching a critical point…”

Li Shaoheng glanced at Educator, who was still locked in a stalemate with the Woman, a thought flashing through his mind, quickly solidifying into a decision.

“Now!”

Li Shaoheng’s figure vanished, Length Contraction activating, his target the ascension ritual.

He couldn’t simply stand by and watch the ritual proceed.

Even if he made a mistake, it was better than doing nothing.

Every Order Path Awakened One was incredibly tenacious, and Li Shaoheng was no exception. His Length Contraction possessed immense potential.

Even though he hadn’t fully realized this potential yet, it still allowed him to play a significant role in battles far beyond his level.

For example, just now, Li Shaoheng had used Length Contraction to bypass the Harbingers’ defenses, bringing the Woman directly into the core area of the Blood Refining Barrier, confronting Educator.

Of course, with Li Shaoheng’s current strength, he could only bring one or two people at most. The Blood Refining Barrier was ultimately Educator’s domain. He couldn’t bring an entire team into its core.

And now, Li Shaoheng once again demonstrated the power of Length Contraction, approaching the ascension ritual before even Educator could react.

Sensing someone approaching, Religious’s ecstatic expression faltered, replaced by unconcealed panic.

W-what’s going on?

Didn’t… Educator stop him?

Religious remembered Li Shaoheng clearly. It was he who had brought the Boy into the Harbingers’ ranks last time, allowing the Boy to wreak havoc.

This time… would it be a repeat of the past?

“This is as close as I can get.”

Any closer, and he would be within the ascension ritual’s range, where the intense inspiration fluctuations would disrupt and disable all abilities.

Li Shaoheng raised his left hand, a familiar ring on his ring finger, a ring familiar to all Harbingers.

It was the Taboo Ring he had obtained from the Harbingers during his attack on Artist. Modified by Fiona, the former Grand Constellation of the Fate Society, it had lost its token properties and the Taboo’s price, becoming a single-use Authority Sacred Tool.

It could amplify his abilities to Authority level for a short time, but it would put a strain on his body.

The specific burden varied depending on the individual and the extent of the Authority’s usage. Overexertion could even lead to death. It was a powerful double-edged sword.

Li Shaoheng hadn’t used this ring during his confrontation with the White Witch in Jiangcheng County, but now, if his sacrifice could stop the Harbingers’ scheme, he was willing to pay the price.

The ring shattered, a surge of power coursing through Li Shaoheng, his space-related abilities amplified to their limits, briefly touching the realm of Authority.

“Hyperspatial… ‘Severance’!”

Countless wounds appeared on Li Shaoheng’s body as the burden took its toll, blood spraying out and turning into mist, becoming a part of the Blood Refining Barrier.

But the effect was undeniable.

A silver light flashed, and a spatial rift slowly opened within the ascension ritual, a terrifying glimpse of the Realm of Nothingness within.

As Religious’s face contorted in terror, the ascension ritual emitted an intense light, its inspiration fluctuations intensifying, even emitting a low hum, as if it was about to collapse.

But then…

Nothing happened. The ascension ritual continued as before.

“W-what…”

Li Shaoheng’s raspy voice echoed, his body covered in blood, staring at the scene in disbelief.

He was certain his Hyperspatial Severance had hit the ascension ritual. There was no mistake.

The ascension ritual’s barrier wasn’t primarily defensive. It shouldn’t have remained completely unscathed.

Religious, who had been terrified just moments ago, seeing Li Shaoheng’s all-out attack having no effect, breathed a sigh of relief.

A mocking smile appeared on his lips as he looked at the battered Li Shaoheng.

“Li Shaoheng, it seems you’re not so impressive after all. Where’s that flair you had when you attacked Artist?”