117: Chapter 117 Stories in the "Revolving Lantern" (Part Two)

The upper part of the severed building and the few people opposite all turned into sand and grit amidst the collapse and decay. In the "Main Hall," which had its roof opened, only Mia remained, along with Kukai Numoku sleeping soundly in the corner and Fujiwara Chiyo, who had been bisected by her, on the opposite side.

The body, cut in two, fell to the ground, letting out a scream that was not human.

A faint blue figure rose from the corpse, looking gentle and sweet. She bowed to Mia, "Thank you, warrior from the Summer Kingdom, for helping me escape this nightmare that was meant to entangle me forever." This appeared to be Fujiwara Chiyo's spirit body, who handed over a paper slip with a translucent hand, "This is a quest item for the Priestess class change. I hope this gratitude helps you..."

The spirit body's hand remained extended, but Mia neither took nor refused it, simply staring at her. The two stared wide-eyed at each other.

Eventually, Mia felt that just staring was a bit insulting to the Yin Ghost, so she turned to Kukai Numoku, who was lying on the floor, and said, "Hmm, the enemy left you with this last bit of power. I think you can fight her. What do you say, Kukai, or should I call you Kukai's Obsession?"

"I thought you'd fall for her trick, and I'd be the one who needed to be slain in the end?" Kukai grinned as he got up from the ground. The chance for revenge brought a long-lost smile to his face, and fierce flames burned on his Blood-Stained Bandages.

"There was a guy who once transformed into all my loved ones in front of me, wanting to take me out of a hellish prison, only to be killed by an evil priest on the escape route. He made me have several mental breakdowns. Later, I found out that both the one who saved me and the one who killed him were transformations of the evil priest," Mia said with a sneer, looking at Kukai.

Kukai showed a hint of surprise. In his world, evil was inescapable like a maggot in the bone, but he had truly never encountered such a twisted form of evil.

"You! You've gone too far!" Fujiwara Chiyo's spirit body transformed into the Yin Ghost that had been devouring the Priestess's soul earlier. It bared its fangs and claws and lunged at Mia.

Kukai's punch, burning with the fire of revenge, landed squarely on the Yin Ghost's shoulder, nearly scattering it.

Mia sat back down on her Blood Rose stool. "I really admire you, Yin Ghost. This last quest item of yours shouldn't be called [Priestess's Resentment]; [Yin Ghost's Dying Struggle] would be more fitting."

"What do you know? Only a fresh Priestess body can house a great demon like me!"

As it spoke, Kukai occasionally landed a punch on its illusory face, blowing its head apart.

The Yin Ghost staggered back a few steps and then reassembled its spirit body, though it looked much paler.

Kukai also became a bit more ethereal than before.

He tossed Mia a small, somewhat frayed sachet. Mia caught it steadily in her hand. The feedback from the bone armor on her glove made her feel as if there was something inside the sachet.

"Aren't you afraid I'm as bad as it is? Inside is Mai's relic. You probably won't be interested in this class, but it can help your friend change into an Apprentice Priestess. However, if you get her camera that can attack ghosts and want to use it normally, you'll really have to go through the instance called 'Zero.'"

Kukai didn't look back. "We are facing the last bit of true spirit of the Yin Ghost residing in the kagura bell."

"Killing it will not only fulfill your long-cherished wish but also somewhat atone for your sins of all these years," Mia's sexy, hoarse voice was full of killing intent. "Or let me do it. If you don't want to dissipate here..."

The flames on Kukai's fists burned even more fiercely. He looked back at Mia, "I really envy that guy Ryan. If you were my teammate, Mai wouldn't have died, and I might not have lost to him..."

With that, he flew forward, a simple punch of [Thunderbolt - Triple Force] carrying his soul-burning flames, crushing the Yin Ghost's last ambition...

Amidst the ruins, Mia looked at the [Blood-Stained Bandages] floating in the air and the seemingly unadorned kagura bell, her gaze growing somewhat dim...

She picked up the two items, Kukai's final warning still echoing in her ears, "Be careful of those instances named 'Zero'; there seems to be something strange about them..."

[Special Item triggered instance completion. Return to Paradise Lost?]

"Yes!!"

...In the Nightmare Cathedral, Luo Yu looked helplessly at the church filled with birdsong and flowers, muttering to himself about Mia's feminized aesthetics. He then looked up at the boundless mist and said, "Well done!"

The Come Back Next Time bar had already closed. But at the table closest to the bartender, four unlucky souls were still sprawled, patiently waiting for Mia's return. Tuaner's toes were stuck in Ryan's nostrils, and the group, either sitting or lying, was sound asleep. Firing Pin was wiping glasses nearby, preparing for tomorrow's business.

As starlight converged, Mia's figure appeared in the bar. Tuaner, still asleep, sniffed her out like a dog smelling a bone. With a forceful kick of her toes, still in Ryan's nose, she knocked Ryan over, using the momentum to pounce on Mia. She clung to Mia like a koala and then planted a French kiss on her red lips. While nibbling, she mumbled indistinctly, "I need to check to see if Mia has been swapped out by a Priestess or a Yin Ghost..."

Mia was startled by Tuaner. At the moment she was tackled, she used her core strength to stand up. Tuaner's soft, sweet lips kissed her mouth, carrying the sweet scent of cherry wine. For a moment, it seemed to drain all the strength from her body. The succubus physique, truly lives up to its name.

Everyone, including Ryan who had been kicked to the floor, watched in stunned silence. After a while, Xiaoya developed a 'I can do that too' attitude and wanted to join Tuaner's wicked faction. However, Sister Loran dragged her away by the ear. Ryan also wisely left the bar. Firing Pin simply hid in the back kitchen and locked the door.

"Enough! You're kissing me so hard my soul is almost leaving my body!" Mia, flushed, attempted a final, futile resistance.

Tuaner, however, chuckled "Hehehe~" and continued to grope Mia. She knew that Mia's final resistance had completely crumbled, and she was finally about to...

Just as Tuaner thought she was finally going to succeed, an ancient bronze bell slipped from the chain at Mia's waist and fell to the ground, emitting a crisp sound.

Because her Priestess physique might be similar to a Priestess's, the accidental activation of the kagura bell froze Tuaner in place...

Mia, her desires aroused, took a while to recover before she painstakingly pulled herself out from under Tuaner's motionless body.

She stared at the bell for a long time, then looked at Tuaner, and burst out laughing. No matter what, she had escaped her clutches once again. What a cause for celebration...