149: The Truth of Depravity

Beside a pile of rubble, Shen Xiaochuan leaned against a broken wall, his mouth full of blood.

His eyes were unfocused, and his mind kept replaying the scene of the battle with the demon just now.

His body was in great pain and very tired, but he did not want to lose consciousness.

The light of the Remnant Armor of the Thunder Emperor suddenly went out, like a burnt-out light bulb.

He braced himself on the ground with his left hand, his right shoulder collapsed, and he didn't know how many bones were broken.

Every breath hurt; his ribs felt like they were being scraped by a knife.

He looked at the center of the battlefield, where the fifty-thousand-strong army was still shooting arrows, and chains were binding the demon leader.

That guy's body would explode and then grow back, but his movements were getting slower and slower.

"It's not over yet," he whispered, his voice hoarse.

His fingers were trembling, but he still raised his hand to open the Faith Mall.

The interface lit up, but all the icons were gray, still cooling down.

Only 472 faith points remained, not even enough to buy the cheapest hemostatic patch.

He didn't close the page, just held his hand up like that, staring at the numbers.

The wind blew dust over, and footsteps came from afar.

They were orderly and powerful, sounding like many people walking in iron boots.

The fifty-thousand-strong army was still in Formation, the rain of arrows did not stop, and the rune chains tightened more and more.

Aminos walked down from the high platform, not caring that his cloak was covered in dust.

He walked up to Shen Xiaochuan, squatted down, and said in a low voice, "Still alive?"

Shen Xiaochuan looked up at him.

This person had no injuries on his face, his clothes were clean, and his shoes were new.

He didn't look like someone who had been in a battle.

"Won't die," Shen Xiaochuan coughed, blood coming out of his mouth again, "You arrived quite on time."

"Not too early, not too late," Aminos reached out to support his arm, "Can you stand up?"

Shen Xiaochuan didn't let him support him, and tried to stand up by bracing himself against the wall with effort.

His legs were weak, his knees buckled, and he almost fell to his knees.

Aminos grabbed his shoulder and pulled him up forcefully.

"Thanks," Shen Xiaochuan stood steady, panting, "That Six Ren Demon Suppressing Formation earlier, it was well practiced."

"Practiced for three years," Aminos let go and turned to look at the battlefield, "Only used it today."

Shen Xiaochuan squinted at his back.

The System popped up a panel—

[Aminos]

Deity Rank: F

Talent: None

combat power: 187

Status: Ordinary Human (Non-Awakened)

His pupils contracted.

This wasn't right.

Rank F? combat power less than two hundred? This kind of person can lead fifty thousand troops? Can set up that kind of Formation? Can pierce a demon's throat with one halberd?

He quietly slid his finger to scan again.

The result was the same.

He tried three more times, and it didn't change.

"What are you looking at?" Aminos suddenly turned his head.

"Seeing if you are worth trusting," Shen Xiaochuan withdrew his hand and leaned against the wall, "Where did your army come from?"

"Old troops of Yunhai City," Aminos said, "I brought them out."

"Then what about your wife?" Shen Xiaochuan asked, "Yang Lie said you fight for your family."

Aminos didn't answer.

He looked up at the sky, the firelight illuminating half of his face, his eyes a bit vacant.

At this moment, the city gate creaked open.

The commoners rushed out, crying and shouting, circling around the soldiers.

Some knelt and kowtowed, others hugged the soldiers' thighs and wouldn't let go.

Cheers came one after another.

In the crowd, a pregnant woman ran the fastest.

She wore a white dress, her belly was big, and her hair was blown messy by the wind, but she didn't care at all, rushing straight to Aminos.

"Ami!" she shouted, "Ami! I'm here!"

Aminos turned around abruptly, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

The woman threw herself into his arms, clutching his neck tightly, trembling as she cried: "I thought you were dead... I thought I would never see you again..."

Aminos also hugged her tightly, one hand gently patting her back, his voice very soft: "I'm here... I've always been here."

Shen Xiaochuan stood in place, not moving.

He stared at the woman.

She was too clean.

No dust on her face, no wounds on her hands, and her shoes were new.

Yunhai City had been under siege for half a month, with no food or water; how could anyone still be like this?

What was even stranger was that others walked around her, no one touched her, as if they couldn't see her, or as if they didn't dare to get close.

At this moment, the System popped up another prompt:

[Legacy task progress updated: Because of successfully protecting Lola and her child, task completion rate increased to 50%]

Shen Xiaochuan's mind jolted.

Lola? This pregnant woman is named Lola? Is she Aminos's wife?

He remembered Yang Lie's words: "Aminos isn't fighting for the city, he's defending it for his family."

But there was no one left in the city long ago.

The medical team reported yesterday that the death rate of civilians in Yunhai City was 98.6%, and no pregnant women survived.

The woman in front of him... shouldn't exist.

He watched Aminos holding her, stroking her hair, his movements so gentle that it didn't look like a general.

But his hands were trembling, his fingertips white, as if he were grabbing onto the last straw.

Shen Xiaochuan felt very uncomfortable in his heart.

He sympathized with Aminos, but also felt this scene was fake and very bleak.

He didn't understand why Aminos wanted to live in such an illusion.

"You've lost weight," Aminos said in a low voice, "Don't be afraid, this time I won't let anyone hurt you again."

Lola looked up at him, teary-eyed: "You have to stay with me forever, promise me."

"I promise you," he said, "I will never leave."

Shen Xiaochuan closed his eyes for a moment.

He understood.

This person had died long ago.

Not just her, maybe his whole family had died.

Aminos was not the commander of the reinforcements at all; he was a madman trapped by obsession.

He used Divine Power to maintain the illusion of his wife, used the army to fill the void in his memory, and under the banner of guarding Yunhai, he was actually just guarding a grave.

That's why his combat power was so low.

Because his original body was already ruined; his power came from resentment, not a true divinity.

That's why he could set up the Six Ren Demon Suppressing Formation.

That was the last Formation he set up before he died, wanting to protect his family, but it failed.

Now he was repeating it over and over, wanting to rewrite the ending.

"So you didn't come to save the city..." Shen Xiaochuan thought, "You came to die with them."

In the firelight, the demon leader finally couldn't hold on anymore.

The chains tightened, the runes erupted with strong light, and with a boom, the body exploded into black smoke, falling to the ground and turning into ashes.

The battlefield was quiet for a moment.

Then, the soldiers shouted in unison: "Victory!"

The commoners knelt and cried out Aminos's name.

Some lit torches, others rang bells.

The sounds of celebration grew louder and louder.

Aminos didn't turn back.

He held Lola, looking down at her, as if only the two of them were left in the whole world.

"We are going home," he said.

"Mm," Lola nodded, leaning against his chest, "Let's go home."

Shen Xiaochuan leaned against the wall, not speaking.

He saw Lola's figure a bit faint in the firelight, like a swaying shadow, her feet half an inch off the ground.

It was indeed fake.

But did Aminos not know, or was he pretending not to know?

Maybe he knew. But he preferred to deceive himself.

"Hey," Shen Xiaochuan spoke up.

Aminos looked up.

"The demon is dead, the task is half complete," Shen Xiaochuan said, "What do you plan to do next? Keep guarding here? Wait for the next enemy?"

Aminos was silent for a few seconds and said, "I will rebuild Yunhai City."

"Everyone is dead."

"I will make them come back."

"How? Can the dead be resurrected?"

"Yes," Aminos looked at the woman in his arms, "As long as I still remember them, they haven't truly disappeared."

Shen Xiaochuan listened and didn't speak.

He understood Aminos's determination to rebuild Yunhai, and also knew it was very difficult.

He just sighed softly.

He didn't ask anymore.

He knew this kind of thing couldn't be persuaded.

If a person lives on memories, telling them about reality is useless.

He would rather live in the fake one.

Then, the System popped up the final prompt:

[S-Rank Legacy task "Investigate the Cause of the Evil God's Fall" current progress: 50%]

[Rewards pending collection: faith points + 5000, Skill Book "Soul Seal Reshaping" x 1]

He didn't click to collect.

He just stood there, looking at the tightly closed city gate.

The city was brightly lit, just like the New Year.

Some people were singing, some were dancing.

Aminos stood in the center of the square holding Lola, surrounded by smiling faces.

Shen Xiaochuan suddenly felt tired.

Not physically tired, but mentally tired.

He defeated the demon and saved the city, but the greatest tragedy had just begun.

He turned around and dragged his injured leg toward the camp.

With every step, his ribs felt like they were being sawed.

A medic ran over to support him.

"Lord Shen, you must treat your wounds immediately!"

"Wait," Shen Xiaochuan stopped, looked back at Yunhai City, "Don't send anyone in tonight."

"Why?"

"It's... not very clean inside."

The medic was stunned.

Shen Xiaochuan didn't explain and continued walking forward.