The Grotesque Miss’s End Story v3c76

Chapter 76: The Half-Body Miss’s Puppet

“…You’re right.”

Luo Ling nodded slightly, but the corner of her mouth still twitched.

After all, she had just felt pity for the Half-Body Miss’s suffering, and then Delusion suddenly dropped this shocking information on her.

Luo Ling’s initial reaction was disbelief, but after careful consideration, it did make sense.

For the Half-Body Miss to survive in the void, she must possess some special abilities. However, Luo Ling initially thought it was an innate affinity with Doomsday, a trait not uncommon among the Doomsday Messengers.

Moreover, Luo Ling found her on the way to Eternal Sky, and according to the information she obtained from Mao Ke, Yin Ke was planning to attack Eternal Sky…

Didn’t this match perfectly?

Thinking about how she seriously intended to warn the Speakers about Yin Ke’s attack, but might have actually brought Yin Ke home, Luo Ling couldn’t help but feel a headache.

Of course… although it was a series of coincidences, Luo Ling couldn’t be sure this was the truth.

Just as Delusion said, directly asking the Half-Body Miss was the best option.

However, there was another problem.

“How should I ask?” Luo Ling shrugged. “Even my spores can’t directly communicate with her.”

The biggest problem was that she couldn’t determine the Half-Body Miss’s, or rather Yin Ke’s, current state and situation, and didn’t know where to start.

Luo Ling previously thought it was some kind of innate defect or disease, intending to use Myriad or Transcendence to heal her.

But now, if she truly was Yin Ke…

Helping her would be like aiding and abetting an evildoer.

However, Luo Ling couldn’t confirm this yet. After confirming, she would make other arrangements. Therefore, an effective method of communication was crucial.

Yin Ke… couldn’t possibly have no way of communicating with others within the Doomsday Messengers, right?

“Don’t worry, Little Master, let me think.”

Hearing Luo Ling’s question, Delusion pondered for a moment, a flicker of recollection in her eyes.

“I remember, during the meeting, her consciousness within the mysterious tomb also couldn’t communicate. She could only communicate through Chou Ke—Chou Ke would read her thoughts and relay them to us, then convey our words to her.”

“So, only Chou Ke possessed the ability to communicate with her? Was this Yin Ke’s intention, or Chou Ke’s?” Luo Ling frowned slightly, a worried look on her face.

The former meant Yin Ke only wanted to communicate with Chou Ke, the latter meant only Chou Ke could communicate with Yin Ke. The two had completely different implications.

If it were the former, it would be troublesome for Luo Ling. The latter was easier to solve.

Since even Chou Ke could do it, Luo Ling didn’t think she was any less capable.

If all else failed, she would personally go to the front lines and target Chou Ke’s avatar, storing his power with Puppet Ballad hyphae. If she didn’t need to completely master his abilities, obtaining a portion of his power was relatively simple.

“Sorry, Little Master, I… don’t know about this,” Delusion said helplessly. “Chou Ke only relayed a few sentences. I paid more attention because Yin Ke was quite special, but actually, throughout the meeting, Yin Ke’s presence was very low-key.”

Yin Ke’s role within the Doomsday Messengers was a hidden assassin. She was arguably the most powerful member of the organization, just rarely acting.

The Xuanyuan clan attributed this to a strong person’s arrogance, but it seemed a bit far-fetched. If Yin Ke was truly in the Half-Body Miss’s state, Luo Ling could understand.

Strong as she might be, every action was like burning her life force…

Of course, with every action, Yin Ke would get closer to Doomsday, progressing further on its path, until now, becoming the closest to the grave keeper level among the Doomsday Messengers.

But… Doomsday’s erosion was also taking her life.

Yin Ke should be at her strongest just before her demise, burning like a moth to a flame, then turning into ashes within the void.

“This is a bit tricky…”

Luo Ling’s expression turned troubled.

Although Delusion seemed certain, Luo Ling still couldn’t be sure.

What if the Half-Body Miss wasn’t Yin Ke?

What if the Half-Body Miss was Yin Ke?

She couldn’t heal her, nor could she just kill her, leaving Luo Ling in a dilemma.

But just then, as if thinking of something, a cunning glint, reminiscent of her time as the Fairy, flashed in Delusion’s eyes.

But it was fleeting, and she quickly lowered her eyes, hiding this spark of intelligence, and said, “Little Master, I have a method, although it’s a bit of a long shot, I don’t know… if you’re willing to listen.”

“At this point… just tell me,” Luo Ling nodded slightly and sighed.

She could sense a playful amusement in Delusion’s tone, seemingly directed at this Half-Body Miss, Yin Ke, which piqued her curiosity.

Even a bad idea was still an idea. It didn’t hurt to listen.

“You can directly control her and turn her into a puppet!” Delusion winked. “This way, after completely controlling her, you can establish the connection between a Godchosen and a deity. Through this special connection, wouldn’t you be able to communicate?”

Delusion wasn’t unfamiliar with Puppet Ballad’s abilities. Not to mention personally experiencing the “wonders” of Puppet Ballad during her time in Starry Victoria, she had been in deep collaboration with the Doomsday Messengers during Columbia’s fall and knew the details clearly.

“Miss Delusion, your method…”

Luo Ling’s expression turned even stranger.

It was indeed a long shot.

But thinking about it carefully… it wasn’t a bad idea.

Actually, Luo Ling had used this method long ago. When Alyssa was on the verge of losing her consciousness, Luo Ling controlled her using this method.

Moreover, Alyssa, chosen as the “Forbidden Technique Puppet” Saintess by the Church of Light, possessed certain qualifications, allowing her to retain a trace of consciousness under Luo Ling’s control, eventually reviving through her sister Stasha’s awakened Transcendence path.

The Half-Body Miss could survive in the void, her qualifications far surpassing Alyssa’s. Using complete control on her wouldn’t lead to an irreversible outcome like with ordinary people.

Even if the Half-Body Miss wasn’t Yin Ke, Luo Ling could use this method to give her a new life, a meritorious deed—even though Luo Ling didn’t seem to need such merits.

If she was Yin Ke, it would be even simpler.

With Yin Ke completely controlled, what else did Luo Ling need to worry about?

With this thought, Luo Ling quickly made up her mind and clapped her hands.

“Let’s do it!”

Hearing this, Delusion couldn’t hide the smug look on her face.

Since she was already in this state, there was no reason for Yin Ke to have it easy. If she could drag someone down with her, why not?

Moreover, Delusion had a chaotic evil personality and enjoyed seeing Yin Ke in a more miserable state than herself.

I’m already so miserable, how can I bear to see an old acquaintance living comfortably!

Currently, in Starry Victoria, Delusion was the lowest in status. Everyone else was family, while she was at most a servant.

If there was a chance to drag an old acquaintance down with her, Delusion naturally wouldn’t miss it.

However, just as she was secretly gloating, Luo Ling suddenly said faintly, “That’s a good idea, Miss Delusion. I’ll tell my sister about this method.”

Delusion froze, looked up, and saw a bright smile on the girl’s face, a seemingly sunny demeanor, but with a hint of a devilish grin.

“I…”

Delusion suddenly panicked. Leaving other things aside, she was truly afraid of Su Wan.

Although it was just a suggestion, even a beneficial one for Luo Ling, there was no guarantee what Su Wan would think!

The younger sister was just a bit dark, but the older sister was a true demon…

These sisters were truly a match made in heaven…

“Shh, if you don’t want me to tell on you,” Luo Ling put her index finger to her lips, narrowed her eyes slightly, and whispered, “you better not scheme anything.”

She knew what kind of person the Fairy was. Almost all the factions that collaborated with her were betrayed. Luo Ling didn’t doubt the Fairy’s scheming, nor was she confident in completely controlling this cunning individual.

But her sister was different.

From some subtle expressions, Luo Ling knew that Delusion was terrified of her sister, although she didn’t know what methods her sister used.

Perhaps only this way could the insidious and cunning Fairy be subdued. The Fairy still had some use, like the recent intelligence on the Doomsday Messengers.

It was mainly because Miss Luo was kind and couldn’t stand suffering, so this time, it was just a warning.

Delusion froze, then lowered her head.

“I… understand.”

For some reason, she felt a strange sense of gratitude.

Delusion wanted to curse herself for feeling grateful just because she wasn’t being tortured.

But she couldn’t help but feel some goodwill towards Luo Ling, even knowing that she was also a little devil at heart.

Sigh, she was truly being played by these sisters…

Luo Ling didn’t know the complexity of Delusion’s feelings. After sending the little maid away, she looked at the Half-Body Miss on the bed, her expression turning serious.

This body, eroded by Doomsday, was a terrifying sight. If she couldn’t sense the weak yet resilient life force within, it would be hard to imagine that this was a living person.

“Since things have come to this, let’s try.”

Luo Ling’s expression turned solemn, and she immediately transformed into the White Witch.

The Authority, Kingdom of Ember, instantly unfolded. A mixture of blood and white hyphae gradually infiltrated the Half-Body Miss’s entire being.

All her skin, flesh, internal organs… were invaded by the blood and hyphae, rapidly proliferating.

Since most of the Half-Body Miss’s limbs were lost due to Doomsday’s erosion, just like Xuanyuan Linglong’s situation, ordinary repairs wouldn’t work.

As soon as they regenerated, the curse of Doomsday would descend, bringing even more agonizing torment.

Therefore, Luo Ling wasn’t repairing the Half-Body Miss’s injuries, but using hyphae and blood to create a brand new puppet within her body.

Most of the Half-Body Miss’s organs had failed, so Luo Ling used her as a template to create new organs, not integrating them into her main body, but embedding them within the Half-Body Miss’s body.

Not just that, even her lost limbs and five senses were repaired by Luo Ling through various methods.

After all this was done, it was like creating a custom-made flesh and blood armor for the Half-Body Miss, completely embedding her half-body within, inside and out.

This outer shell was entirely formed from Luo Ling’s power, completely under her control. With layers of infiltration, even the Half-Body Miss’s original body was under Luo Ling’s control.

But as the power of flesh and blood and hyphae spread, Luo Ling could sense the Half-Body Miss’s consciousness being slightly stirred, as if struggling, or perhaps just an instinctive resistance.

However, these weren’t obstacles to Luo Ling. The resistance was so weak that Luo Ling even doubted if she was truly Yin Ke.

Judging from Yin Ke’s past achievements, she shouldn’t be this weak…

Despite her doubts, Luo Ling’s actions didn’t slow down.

Soon, relying on her imagination, Luo Ling gradually restored the Half-Body Miss to a normal human appearance.

Messy gray hair scattered on the bed, the peaceful girl sitting there with her eyes closed, her young yet cold and aloof face presumably her original appearance, her morbidly pale skin almost identical to Luo Ling’s White Witch form, but with crimson eyeshadow at the corners of her eyes.

This was just the preliminary work. Luo Ling was ready to completely control the Half-Body Miss through this puppet, whether she was Yin Ke or not, Luo Ling had corresponding measures.

“Alright, let’s begin.”

Luo Ling sat before the Half-Body Miss, her consciousness dividing.

The Half-Body Miss’s eyes opened, gray eyes almost identical to Luo Ling’s, staring at her, but with Luo Ling’s will.

The puppet embedded within the Half-Body Miss was essentially the same as the puppets Luo Ling casually created before.

But now, Luo Ling would use this puppet to delve into the Half-Body Miss’s consciousness.

After a moment, the two girls sitting opposite each other slowly closed their eyes, their consciousnesses sinking deeper.

…….

Yin Ke calmed down.

She knew that she had encountered an unprecedented being.

Not terrifyingly powerful, but completely beyond her previous understanding.

Long ago, Yin Ke had chosen to completely devote herself to the void, paying the price of being eroded by Doomsday in exchange for unparalleled power.

But this power, obtained at such a heavy price, was completely insignificant before this being.

She had never seen everything in nothingness so… obedient.

It wasn’t that the being adapted to the nothingness, but that the nothingness was embracing her.

Yin Ke wondered who this being was.

Or rather… was it a being?

The voice from the depths of her soul hadn’t sounded again since leaving the void. Even after sensing the seal on her being released, the emptiness around her felt strange and unfamiliar.

Without nothingness as a medium, her consciousness was truly trapped within her body. Unless someone possessed an ability like Chou Ke’s, there was no way to communicate with her directly.

Since devoting herself to the void, Yin Ke had almost never left it, or rather, she didn’t dare leave.

Because nothingness was the source of her power.

The reason she was so powerful was because she could manipulate existences within the void, using it to achieve her terrifying achievements.

In other words, outside the void, where there was no nothingness, she was incredibly weak, even an ordinary person could easily kill her.

This should have been Yin Ke’s most terrifying moment, because her life was hanging by a thread. A small knife, gently slicing her throat, piercing her heart, could end her life.

The price of controlling nothingness was too heavy, making Yin Ke, outside the void, a paper tiger.

After a long period of thought, Yin Ke reached a chilling conclusion.

This being was a Doomsday Godchosen.

A true Doomsday Godchosen, perhaps even Doomsday’s God’s Favored.

Although the Doomsday Messengers claimed to be Doomsday Godchosen, able to utilize Doomsday’s power, actually, only the three original Messengers understood that even they were still far from being true Doomsday Godchosen.

Only by reaching the level of a Doomsday Godchosen could one survive Doomsday’s arrival, using their existence to continue the legacy of the destroyed star civilizations.

Unfortunately, among the three of them, only Yin Ke was closest to this level.

It was precisely because of this that Yin Ke deeply understood the terrifying compatibility between this being who brought her out of the void and Doomsday.

Calling her Doomsday’s God’s Favored wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Realizing this, Yin Ke quickly calmed down.

And she couldn’t help but smile wryly.

The brief exchange in the void, although terrifying to her at the time, now seemed… more like a naive young girl’s words.

Her tone even carried a hint of cuteness.

The ultimate goal pursued by the Doomsday Messengers appeared so easily in this mysterious girl. How… ironic.

“Life or death…”

Yin Ke sighed softly and thought, “I only have three chances left to act. I’m probably unable to bear this great mission anymore.”

If she could have this girl join the Doomsday Messengers, become a grave keeper of civilization, perhaps it would be a good ending.

Unfortunately, she could only think about it now. Even if she wanted to communicate with this being, Yin Ke had no way of doing so.

Just as Yin Ke thought this, she suddenly heard a familiar yet childish, light voice in her consciousness.

“Miss Half-Body, can you… hear me?”