Chapter 41: The World in Dreams (Eleven)
Evann's eyes turned a deep shade of crimson, as if blood could drip from them at any moment. His back gradually straightened, his gaze sharp and cold. Occurring simultaneously with this transformation, the beastmen around him seemed to fall under some kind of control, letting out tearing screams from their mouths involuntarily.
Hoarse and unpleasant, like stone being dragged across the floor.
Their skin turned to a fleshy color, and this shade kept intensifying. Sparse fur began growing on their bodies. Like the beastmen who had fainted earlier, they were all beginning to transform into their beast forms. The only difference, and what made it terrifying, was that the speed at which they transformed into beast forms had accelerated beyond imagination.
In merely an instant, they had completely become beast forms.
Beasts of different species crowded the area. The humans who hadn't yet transformed watched this scene in shock, but in the next second, cries of pain and struggle burst from their mouths.
Some kind of tissue within them was undergoing earth-shaking changes, yet they couldn't suppress this heart-wrenching pain at all. They could only be forced to accept this transformation they didn't want.
"This is..." Gao Lijun's pupils contracted. "Evann really isn't simple."
"It's chaos here." Wang Ziyi's gaze lingered on Evann for a moment.
"...We should retreat first. The situation is very unfavorable right now. If these beastmen completely transform into irrational beasts, we won't stand a chance." Gao Lijun lowered her eyes.
"Then... what about Qi An?" Wang Ziyi glanced at the young man at the eye of the storm, her tone flat and devoid of any inflection.
"Do you think he could possibly leave?" Gao Lijun paused before speaking in a tone that revealed nothing.
The moment she finished speaking, Zhang Zhaoqi's expression shifted.
"Didn't you say... you liked me?" Evann, who had caused this upheaval, seemed to be murmuring to himself. His lowered head gradually lifted, allowing Qi An to see the black specks beginning to swirl in his blood-red eyes.
The moment he spoke, the ferocious expressions of the surrounding beasts suddenly收敛. Their heads turned toward Evann in unison, letting out submissive roars as if acknowledging their ruler.
[What do I do, what do I do? I definitely provoked Evann!]
Qi An didn't rush to respond to the system. His hand was being held by Moor. This sudden change didn't alter the priest's expression, but his grip tightened.
[Of course I'll do whatever it takes to complete the mission.] Qi An's voice when answering the system was soft, showing not a trace of panic, but the hand held by the priest began to tremble.
Again and again, as if afraid.
Moor lowered his head to look at the young man. Sure enough, the other's eyelashes were quivering at a rapid frequency, like a butterfly caught in a net. The delicate, silky sensation traveled from Moor's palm toward the cerebral cortex. His hand tightened once more, beyond his control.
Crimson marks immediately appeared on the other's tender skin.
"I will protect you."
Moor's expression shifted slightly as he repeated the words he had said before.
"Zhang Zhaoqi, what are you standing there for? Do you really think you can turn the tide alone?" Gao Lijun watched Evann's muscles continuously bulge and retract, seeing the dangerous glint in his eyes grow increasingly intense. She couldn't help but tug at the motionless Zhang Zhaoqi.
"You all go. I'm staying here." After a moment, Zhang Zhaoqi's words drifted over coldly.
"You!"
Before she could finish speaking, she saw the other's eyes beginning to turn red as well, an exceptionally piercing shade of red. Gao Lijun's expression suddenly froze. It wasn't until Wang Ziyi pulled her away that she came back to her senses.
"Why did you pull me away just now? Did you see Zhang Zhaoqi's eyes suddenly... change?"
"I saw. He's very strange."
Although all the beastmen within sight had transformed into beasts, perhaps because Evann hadn't made any moves, they showed no intention of bothering them. They simply swarmed madly toward where Evann was.
"What do you mean?"
"Our elven race possesses purification abilities, and because of this, we are particularly sensitive to evil aura. There was nothing unusual when I met him before." An extremely beautiful expression appeared on Wang Ziyi's face, one of gravity. "But just now, I sensed this aura on him."
"And it was exceptionally potent, even stronger than the aura Evann just erupted with."
"I've traveled through so many worlds, and I've never encountered anyone who could reach this level." By the end, even her typically flat voice had rippled slightly.
The once lively and peaceful tribe had finally lost its dreamlike beauty. Every single beastman had transformed into a beast. The only one capable of saving them, the priest, turned a blind eye to it all, simply pulling Qi An toward the direction of the temple. Evann's transformation hadn't stopped. For some unknown reason, he let out a roar, and countless beasts turned and ran toward where Qi An was.
But not a single one managed to touch even the hem of the young man's clothing.
There seemed to be an invisible protective barrier surrounding the priest and Qi An. Whenever a beast rushed over excitedly, they were blocked by some mysterious force.
Evann watched the young man being pulled away, his blood-red eyes burning. Veins bulged on his forehead.
"There is a formation inside this temple that can block those things from entering." After arriving at the temple, the priest loosened his grip slightly.
He saw the red marks on Qi An's wrist that he had pressed out. His gaze darkened suddenly, but this unexpected color was quickly suppressed. He lifted the young man's hand and said gently, with apology, "I'm sorry. I may have been a bit too anxious just now, so I hurt you."
He reached out and gently pressed on it, then, as if suddenly remembering something polite, withdrew his hand.
Qi An raised his eyes to look at the densely packed beasts outside the temple's perimeter and said quietly, "It's not your fault."
[An'an, he definitely did that on purpose. Couldn't he just use a little divine power to heal such a minor wound? He actually let these marks remain there!]
[...Am I really that fragile?] Qi An felt somewhat helpless at the system's sudden outburst.
[That's because An'an you don't yet understand the dark thoughts in these guys' hearts.]
[I know.] Qi An's tone became somewhat flat.
No matter what this is, this is something I've given you.
This is a mark that belongs to me alone, on you.
This can excite me, can thrill me, can make me lose control and feel satisfied.
You and I are connected by some kind of subtle relationship this way.
You... and me.
Qi An looked at the red marks on his own wrist, then looked at the gentle, unruffled priest. An uncontrollable hint of complexity surfaced in the depths of his eyes, then quickly turned to a misty color.
"It's too chaotic outside." Moor walked toward the depths of the temple. "Let's go inside first."
"Um, what about the tribe members?" Qi An's hand trembled again.
Looking at the slightly downcast young man, the gentleness in Moor's eyes faded, revealing a coldness that disregards everything. But his voice remained soft. "I'll think of something."
"That..." Qi An's stepping foot paused. "Is Evann really related to the evil god?"
A subtle curve formed at the corner of Moor's mouth. "Of course."
"Then..." Qi An seemed about to say something more.
"Trust me. I'll think of something. Everything here will get better." Moor's tone was firm. "But right now, you need to stay inside the temple. I don't want you to get hurt too."
"Only if you stay inside can they... not get in." The moment Moor said this, his speech pace suddenly slowed. He seemed to have associated it with something.
Qi An nodded obediently. But when night came, he discovered there was actually a flaw in this arrangement.
They indeed couldn't get in, but they could enter his dreams.
He had just lain down, before drowsiness could even arise, when he was pulled into a dream.
In the darkness, the beasts that had been tribe members in the morning surrounded him. Amidst the crazed gazes, Qi An saw Evann standing in the very center.