Medeili twisted her wrist and pulled sharply to the side!
Rattle!
The right side of the Clockwork Heart was sliced open. Countless gears, bearings, and screws poured out like a metallic fountain, clattering as they spilled across the floor!
Hundreds of mechanical arms convulsed, flailing in a chaotic tangle. They collided with one another, sending showers of sparks flying before finally falling into a dead silence.
In the deathly stillness, the only sound was the light tinkling of metal components falling from above.
“We finally… won…”
Medeili’s face turned pale. She leapt down from the heights, landing amidst the pile of discarded materials.
Her eyes were wide and hollow. Desperate, she hurried toward the corner of the room, her feet sinking into and pulling out of the gritty debris with a series of sharp rustles.
Wang Yue lay there. Her limbs were twisted at angles that defied human anatomy; her small body was tattered like a torn sack. Her little head lolled to the side, her pupils dilated and filled with a deathly grey.
Despite this, she struggled to stand. Like a zombie, she began to move with stiff, jerky steps to meet Medeili.
“Yue…”
The orange-haired girl’s voice was tiny and sorrowful, sounding like a lonely bird chirping for a lost companion.
As she drew closer, Medeili faltered. She averted her gaze as if trying to escape reality, unwilling to believe this was happening, wishing she could wake from this most terrible and painful nightmare.
It wasn’t until a light, cold body crashed into her arms that she broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.
Wang Yue had finally fulfilled her last wish. Her lips, cold and bloodless like withered leaves, pressed against Medeili’s face. It was only a fleeting touch before her head slipped to the side, brushing against Medeili’s cheek.
Medeili’s heart felt as if it were being carved by a knife, the pain making it hard to breathe. She tried to hold Wang Yue close, but her own hands were so weak she could barely support even that light weight.
Her spirit was nearly shattered; she even felt the urge to follow Wang Yue into death. However, she managed to steady her mind at the last moment.
Calm down… I have to stay calm… There must be a way to save her… Don’t give up…
Medeili bit her lip hard until blood ran down her chin. The fresh sting of pain kept her mind sharp.
Her first instinct was to pump her remaining blood back into Wang Yue’s body, but that blood had been contaminated during the battle. It was no different from poison.
Wait!
Blood transfusion!
Medeili suddenly remembered that Wang Yue had asked for her blood type while they were in the car. They shared the same type—Type O. That meant…
A bolt of clarity struck Medeili’s mind!
She acted immediately. Her fingertip drew a crimson ribbon from her own neck. Hot, vivid blood stretched and flowed through the air, writhing and rolling. It was a macabre, eerie sight, yet it pulsed with a vigorous life force.
She then controlled her blood, guiding it into Wang Yue’s body.
As the blood was injected, a strange flush of pink appeared on Wang Yue’s pale, translucent face.
Medeili clung to this hope like a drowning person grasping at a straw, her eyes lighting up. It’s working!
The battle had ended quickly—it had only been a few dozen seconds. Maybe there was still time!
There has to be time!
Medeili grit her teeth, focusing every ounce of her concentration. She labored to control the blood flow, ensuring it circulated through Wang Yue’s body at a normal pace, paying special attention to the ruptured vessels and wounds to prevent the blood from leaking out.
As Wang Yue’s body gradually grew warm, Medeili began to feel colder and colder. Her face turned deathly white as the shadow of death loomed over her.
Yet, she felt no regret. As long as Wang Yue woke up, she would do anything. Even if Wang Yue didn’t wake, she was willing to pour every drop of her blood into her, if only to increase the chances of survival by a fraction.
One second… two seconds…
She didn’t know how much time passed…
Thump!
Like a thunderclap in the silence.
A faint heartbeat echoed from Wang Yue’s chest, breaking the oppressive atmosphere.
Her heart had started beating again!
The Puppet art forced her to act according to her will before she lost consciousness; beyond the desire to kiss “Plum,” she possessed a fierce will to live.
As blood reached her brain, the neural tissues—which had been reinforced and upgraded by mana—were like withered roots soaking in water. They regained their vitality.
Her consciousness slowly returned…
This is…
Someone is giving me blood…
It’s Plum…
Plum’s blood…
It’s so warm…
Wang Yue let out a trembling breath of hot air. Her whole body felt cozy.
As her vision cleared, she realized what was happening. Her broken arm snapped upward, gripping Medeili’s hand!
“Yue—!” Medeili cried out in joy, though her voice was weak and her body swayed as if she were about to collapse.
“Stop. You’re going to die. Don’t give me any more blood…”
“This isn’t enough! You need much more! I’m not afraid to die! I just want you to live!”
“Silly girl. Isn’t there plenty of ‘bread’ outside?”
“Eh?”
“One person’s blood can’t support two. The girls from the greenhouse…”
At Wang Yue’s reminder, Medeili suddenly understood. Cursing herself for being a “pig-brain,” she quickly scooped Wang Yue up and sprinted back into the Theater.
After the battle started, the girls had fled in terror, but with nowhere to go, they had huddled together in the small plaza, panicked and helpless. Now, they would serve a purpose.
Medeili picked out several girls with Type O blood and began a multi-person transfusion.
As her blood volume was restored, Wang Yue’s life was finally saved. However, her body was still a wreck. If not for the Mystic Art holding her together, she would have sprayed blood like a punctured water bag.
Medeili, whose heart had been on a roller coaster of emotions, knelt on the ground. She stared blankly at the motionless Wang Yue, a nameless emotion swirling in her chest with nowhere to go.
She was so happy she felt like she was going crazy, yet she didn’t dare make a sound, let alone touch her.
The black-haired girl looked like shattered porcelain that had been glued back together. It was a gruesome sight; she was covered in dark bruises, and broken bones protruded against her skin, threatening to burst through at any moment.
Wang Yue reached out and patted Medeili’s head, offering praise. “You were so reliable, Plum. Thanks to you, I was able to come back to life.”
“I… I should have thought of it sooner…”
Medeili’s face flushed slightly, and she squinted as she enjoyed the comforting sensation of the hand on her head.
“I’m in too much pain. We have to get out of here and get treatment,” Wang Yue said, frowning.
“Does it hurt that much?” Medeili asked with concern.
“Of course it does. I’m using a Mystic Art to control my muscles; otherwise, I’d be screaming.”
Wang Yue made a pained expression and continued, “Let’s go back. We’ll take control of the Phantasm and leave. I can perform surgery in the car.”
Medeili fashioned a makeshift stretcher and, with Lana’s help, carried Wang Yue through the heavily damaged theater, returning once more to the spiral Spire.
Wang Yue gave directions from where she lay. “The field generator for the Phantasm is that pillar—all of it. If I’m not mistaken, there should be a maintenance door at the base or middle. The keys should be on the platform where the corpse was. Find them and take control of the Phantasm.”
Under her guidance, Medeili found the key and the maintenance door. Upon opening it, the internal structure of the pillar was revealed—a massive complex made of Relic Artifacts and Transcendent Materials.
A ‘Phantasm’ was the most complex type of Relic Artifact.
If a standard Relic Artifact was a piece of furniture, a Phantasm was an entire house.
Building a stable and reliable Phantasm required high-level expertise and a vast amount of relics and materials. Of course, the task now wasn’t to build one, but to take over a finished one as spoils of war.
Medeili poured her will into the control console. Once the connection was established, she became the master of the Silver Moon Phantasm, the holder of the highest authority.
With that done, she jumped down from the mechanical arm and ran toward Wang Yue. Stopping before her, she stomped her foot firmly. A portal appeared in the air, revealing the streets of Full Moon Town on the other side!
