Chapter 175: Soaring Phoenix
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 175: Soaring Phoenix
Drip. Drip.
Cold liquid splashed onto her skin, bringing with it a nauseating sensation like a slithering viper.
Before Anna even opened her eyes, she could sense the humidity and sweltering heat in the air. It felt like the den of some cold-blooded reptile.
The weakness from her sealed powers hadn't vanished, and she could still feel the bite of cold shackles around her wrists.
However, this was definitely no longer the dungeon of the Silence Bureau.
In her blurred memories, she only recalled a violent explosion that had blasted a hole through the prison walls.
The sensation of the jailer’s blood splattering against her skin still lingered.
"Oh my, you're finally awake?"
A familiar, loathsome, and coquettish voice rang out beside her ear.
Anna lifted her head, looking at the provocatively dressed, seductive woman standing before her.
The Banshee held a fresh, pulsing heart in her hands, licking it with the rapturous devotion of someone enjoying a gourmet delicacy. Noticing Anna’s gaze, she tilted her head and flashed a glamorous smile.
"We meet again, Anna Kabulin."
Anna didn't speak. She simply stared coldly at the woman.
"Oh, why so unfriendly? You should know that even though the experts stationed at the Silence Bureau branch were called away for some reason, leaving the place empty, we still paid a heavy price to rescue you. We lost nearly a third of our believers. Couldn't you show a little more gratitude?"
"Gratitude? Gratitude for making the charges of me colluding with evil cultists official?" Anna said expressionlessly.
"Colluding? How can you say such a thing?"
The Banshee pouted her crimson lips in dissatisfaction. "We’re family. Between family members, how can you use such an ugly word like 'colluding'?"
"Who is family with you!" Anna’s hands suddenly clenched, her knuckles turning white.
"Oh dear, shouldn't family members show each other tolerance and understanding? Or perhaps..."
The Banshee looked at Anna, a bone-chilling mockery surfacing in the depths of her eyes.
"Do you even have anywhere else to go now, Anna Kabulin?"
"..."
Anna’s expression instantly darkened. Her clear eyes transformed into grim, vertical slits. Her wrists strained against the shackles, creating the harsh sound of clashing metal. A terrifying, blood-chilling killing intent radiated from her seemingly fragile body.
But this display didn't frighten the Banshee; instead, it made her burst into delighted laughter.
"Yes, yes! That’s it! That’s the spirit, Anna Kabulin! The more you act like this, the more impossible it becomes for you to ever turn back!"
"What exactly do you want?" Anna asked, her voice suddenly weak and despondent. "After all this circling around, was it just to turn me into a wanted criminal?"
"It couldn't be helped. The protection of the Academy and that Campbell boy were both troublesome for us. We had to strip everything away from your side first. As for our goal... haven't I said it? I’m inviting you to join us."
"But I’m not the only one with snake transformation disease. Why are you so obsessed with me? Why go so far as to..."
Recalling everything the Banshee had done, Anna’s body began to tremble.
"Why go so far as to attack the Silence Bureau? What benefit does that bring you?"
"Oh, haven't you realized it yet? Anna Kabulin, you are special."
"Special?"
"Yes, special. For a normal patient with snake transformation disease, the incubation period is one to three years. The longer the duration, the higher the degree of adaptation to the Great Moon’s power once they become a snake person. In other words, the longer the incubation, the more blessings they receive from the Moon."
"It’s truly a wonderful thing, isn't it?"
"But you..."
The Banshee suddenly leaned in close, staring at Anna’s increasingly pale face. A flash of jealousy flickered in her eyes.
"You have been a patient since the moment you were born. Let’s do the math—how long has your incubation period lasted?
"Twenty... one. You’re twenty-one this year, aren't you? A full twenty-one years. Do you have any idea what that means? Before you, the longest recorded incubation period for snake transformation disease was only ten years."
"I..."
Anna’s face grew even paler, but she took a deep breath, suppressing the panic and fear in her heart. "I don't know what you're talking about. I only started showing signs of snake transformation two years ago."
"Giggle... two years ago? What a clumsy lie."
The Banshee laughed so hard her body shook. Her hand brushed against Anna’s flawless cheek, the mockery in her eyes deepening.
"If you only showed signs two years ago, then tell me... why would someone as lovely and pitiable as you be abandoned by your biological parents shortly after birth?"
"There are always scumbags in the world. What does that prove?" Anna’s hands clenched tightly once more.
"Oh, don't be angry, don't be angry. I’m just helping you emphasize a fact."
The Banshee laughed airily, unbothered. "Anna Kabulin, aside from us, you have no home left. Only we are your companions. So, I’ll ask one more time: will you join us?"
"No." The answer came without a moment's hesitation.
"Oh? Won't you reconsider?"
"There is nothing to consider."
Anna lowered her eyes and said softly, "I will never join you. Even if I have to be completely alone again."
I'm already used to being lonely anyway, aren't I?
It's just...
Thinking of a certain figure, Anna sighed regretfully in her heart.
Junior, it looks like I won't have the chance to teach you about potions anymore. I hope you can keep working hard on your own.
"My, what an unexpected answer. I didn't think you'd be so stubborn. Since that's the case, I’ll just have to use a little trick."
"What are you planning now?" Anna’s eyes narrowed as she tensed up.
"Nothing much. I just want to chat with you... about the story of what happened after your parents abandoned you."
The Banshee leaned over Anna, whispering into her ear like a demon’s murmur.
"That orphanage... I heard you haven't been back there in several years. I wonder if that's true?"
"You...!"
The armrest of the chair was instantly crushed. Her eyes turned back into terrifying snake pupils as she glared at the Banshee, losing her composure for a rare moment.
"I’m warning you, don't touch the orphanage!"
"Oh, relax. I won't do anything. After all, we just hijacked a Silence Bureau branch; I don't want to do anything too attention-grabbing during such a tense time. However, if you make me very unhappy, I might just lose my head and do something... unfortunate."
The Banshee giggled, continuing to lick the heart while meeting Anna’s cold gaze without a hint of fear.
"What do you say?"
After a long standoff, Anna slumped back into the chair, defeated.
"...Despicable."
"That is truly the greatest compliment you could give me. But since we’re going to be family, it might not be good to keep pressuring you like this. I’ll be merciful and take a step back."
The Banshee’s fingers moved nimbly, placing a bottle of potion in front of Anna.
"You only need to drink this. I won't interfere with anything else."
"This is..."
"With your expertise in potions, you should recognize what this is."
"..."
Anna reached out and opened the cap. Sniffing the complex aroma, the name and effects of the potion immediately surfaced in her mind.
"Evolution Potion..."
"That’s right, it’s an Evolution Potion. One that can trigger the evolution of a person’s latent bloodline."
"But why... why make me drink this?"
"Because... time is running out. I think you’ve felt it. According to the original trajectory, you should have had a few more years before you fully matured into the most perfect snake person in this world."
The Banshee looked up at the dark ceiling. It was unclear what she saw, but a look of absolute fanaticism appeared on her face.
"But not long ago, the Moon handed down an oracle. The Holy War is coming. The Divine Kingdom is about to descend. His exalted self is about to personally grace this filthy mortal world. So, before that happens, we must have everything ready. And you, Anna Kabulin, are the most critical link."
"The most critical link..."
Hearing this, Anna’s body began to tremble uncontrollably. She finally began to see the massive darkness hidden behind the mists of her fate—a darkness that threatened to swallow everything whole.
I can't let their plan succeed. I have to... I have to resist! Otherwise, many innocent people will be sacrificed.
But...
"What’s wrong?"
The Banshee rested her chin on her hand, tilting her head and staring at Anna with the cute, playful gaze of a young girl.
"Are you still choosing to refuse? Well, as family, I certainly won't force you. It doesn't matter if you don't drink it. At worst..."
The Banshee curled her lips into a silent, snake-like sneer.
"At worst, I can always use 'love' to influence you. Warming the hearts of others with love is my specialty, after all."
The Banshee licked the still-pulsing heart in her hand, smiling seductively.
Anyone could tell that the "love" she spoke of was nothing good.
Drip. Drip.
The cold water continued to fall, like the pendulum of fate, counting down the sands of despair.
"...I'll drink it."
After a long silence.
"I'll drink it."
Those few simple words seemed to drain all of Anna’s strength. With a trembling hand, she slowly picked up the Evolution Potion.
It felt incredibly heavy.
"Remember your promise."
"Don't worry. As I said, I won't do anything unnecessary to jeopardize the plan at this stage."
"I hope so."
Anna tilted her head back and downed the potion in one gulp.
A wave of heat flowed down her throat into her stomach and then rapidly diffused.
One of the fundamental characteristics of potions was their terrifyingly high absorption rate. This was so that healing or mana-replenishing potions could take effect instantly in critical moments.
Therefore, from the moment that shimmering liquid entered her body, there was no turning back.
In an instant.
Anna’s body became incredibly stiff.
The potion bottle slipped from her hand, shattering into pieces.
Dark veins throbbed beneath her fair skin. Fine scales began to spread from beneath her sleeves. Her feverish blood gradually turned cold. Anna could feel her heart beating slower and slower, as if it were being encased in a layer of ice.
The world suddenly looked different. Colors faded from her vision, leaving only a gray-white world where boundaries were hard to distinguish. At the edges of every object, lines of red, yellow, and blue skipped and jumped.
And in the center of this gray world, one thing was exceptionally vivid.
It was... the heart.
Anna slowly raised her head, staring blankly at the heart in the Banshee’s hand. Her nostrils flared slightly, as if she had caught a mesmerizing scent.
So fragrant.
So fragrant.
I want... to eat it.
"Oh, do you want it?"
The Banshee giggled, holding the heart out to Anna. "You can have it. Consider it... a gift from your family."
Anna reached out, her hand gradually moving toward the heart.
But just as her fingers were about to touch it, her other hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, forcing it back.
"No..."
Anna’s snake pupils flickered with agitation. She panted heavily as countless whispers echoed in her ears, constantly eroding her will. Yet she gripped her own hand tightly, refusing to let go.
"Absolutely not..."
"You still have the will to resist?"
A hint of surprise appeared in the Banshee’s eyes. "But it doesn't matter. This is only the beginning. Anna Kabulin, enjoy the Great Moon’s favor to your heart's content."
The Banshee straightened up, but just as she was about to leave, she heard a murmur escape Anna’s lips in her state of mental chaos.
"Jun... ior..."
"Junior? Are you hoping he’ll come to save you?"
The Banshee glanced down, mocking her with a sneer. "How naive. You’re already a complete monster in the eyes of everyone. No one is coming to save you. No one..."
*
After Celicia left, the hospital room became very lonely.
Muen got out of bed, put on his coat, and walked out of the room.
This was the familiar St. Maria Academy Hospital. Since most students knew a bit of healing magic, very few people came here.
It was exceptionally desolate.
No one stopped Muen along the way. Only the middle-aged doctor from before gave him a concerned look.
Muen ignored him and walked out of the hospital.
A thin layer of clouds obscured the sun. The autumn wind was blowing, and it was a bit cold.
Muen walked along like a walking corpse with its soul ripped out.
He encountered many students on the way.
It seemed the news had been suppressed; the students didn't know about the major events that had occurred recently and were still enjoying their beautiful campus life.
Muen passed by groups of laughing boys and girls.
No one went out of their way to avoid him anymore. No one looked at him with fear. There were even some bold first-year girls who took the initiative to greet him.
Muen responded with a stiff grin, but he felt that every change, every greeting, was a heartless irony.
Because Senior Anna, the person who had helped him the most on his path to change, no longer even had the right to enter the Academy.
But why are you still here, Muen Campbell?
Muen wandered until he reached the Wutong Forest he often visited.
It was very quiet here. The golden leaves were like a shimmering sea spread across the ground.
He came here often to jog, read, or nap. This place usually helped him calm down.
But this time, sitting under that familiar plane tree, his mind remained a mess.
Everything that happened last night and today kept spinning in his head. It felt like an invisible giant hand was tearing at his soul.
He had thought that he was the one fate would treat cruelly. He had long been prepared to face that.
But he never expected that the long-awaited fatal blow would land on Senior Anna instead.
He was caught completely off guard.
"No, Muen Campbell, you have to pull yourself together."
Muen suddenly punched the tree. Golden leaves rustled down. The pain in his knuckles finally cleared his head a little.
"Right now, Senior has been labeled an enemy of humanity by the Silence Bureau. They’ve even issued a 'kill on sight' wanted order. If you don't pull yourself together, no one will be able to save her."
But "saving" her was easier said than done.
Even if he ignored the murder charges, the evil cultists, and the Silent Moon—things that were each a massive headache on their own—there was one obstacle to saving Senior that could not be bypassed.
The snake transformation disease.
If the disease couldn't be cured, everything else was moot.
But whether it was from Celicia’s words or Muen’s own memories of the original novel, the snake transformation disease—as a means for the Silent Moon to spread calamity—was incurable.
Even the Black Book was silent right now.
"Damn it... if only I had finished reading the whole original novel."
Muen once again fell into regret for not finishing the book. Although the plot had now veered ten thousand miles off course and couldn't be used as a direct reference, the information would have at least been useful.
"And... thinking about it now, the reason Senior is in this situation is largely... because of me, right?"
"Because of the changes in the fate lines caused by me, the yellow-haired villain..."
"The Silent Moon was an Evil God that only started causing trouble in the middle of the original novel. Senior’s snake transformation disease shouldn't have been exposed so early. After all, later on, she was supposed to have many interactions with the protagonist, Ariel, as the mysterious shopkeeper."
Wait.
Hold on.
Shopkeeper?
Ariel?
A spark of inspiration flashed in Muen’s mind, as if he had suddenly grabbed onto something.
"Muen Campbell? What are you doing here?"
Just as Muen was trying to catch that spark, he heard a familiar voice laced with annoyance.
He turned his head. Speak of the devil—Ariel was holding a large bag of black bread, looking at him with the same disgusted expression one might have when seeing trash on the street.
"Ariel? Why are you here?"
"What do you mean 'why am I here'? Is this your family's road? I’m passing through! You’re in the way, Muen Campbell!"
"Oh, right."
Muen realized he was indeed standing in the middle of the small path.
However, this path usually didn't have many people. Why would Ariel...
Glancing at the black bread in her arms, Muen decided it was better to play dumb.
"Hmph, coming to a place like this in broad daylight to act crazy. How annoying."
Because she hadn't obtained the Ancient Dragon Heart Blood and had spent all her savings on promotion materials, Ariel had to sneak into the cafeteria to get black bread to eat. To then run into the person she least wanted to see... Ariel gave Muen a fierce glare and shouldered past him.
"Wait."
But before she had gone far, Muen called out to her.
"Do you want something, Muen Campbell!"
Ariel turned back irritably, only to find Muen staring at her with eyes that shone like a big bad wolf seeing a little white rabbit.
"Wh... what are you doing?"
Ariel was startled by Muen’s gaze.
The way he looked...
"M... Muen Campbell, have you finally lost control of your long-hidden beastly soul?"
Glancing at the secluded, empty path, Ariel immediately felt a sense of crisis. she whipped out a loaf of black bread from her arms and swung it with a flourish like a sword.
If this beast tries anything, I’ll beat him into a pulp with this bread!
The legendary breadstick that had "slain" countless hunger pangs was no joke!
But Muen didn't do the bad thing she expected. He just looked Ariel up and down with a strange gaze. It was as if he had discovered something, and the light in his eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"Ariel, can I ask you a question?"
"Wh... what question?"
"Suppose a girl you've interacted with many times, but whose true identity you don't know, contracts an incurable disease. What would you do?"
"An incurable disease?"
Ariel paused, then asked seriously, "Is the girl pretty?"
"Pretty."
"How pretty?"
"Well..." Muen thought for a moment. "Prettier than that blonde beauty you met a while ago."
"Then we cure her! We have to cure her even if we have to sell everything we own!" Ariel slapped her thigh. "Who cares about 'incurable'? There are so many powerful spells in this world; there must be a way!"
"But the disease is related to an Evil God..."
"So what if it's an Evil God!"
Ariel’s eyebrows shot up, and she said sharply, "If they dare interfere with me picking up girls—wait, no... if they dare interfere with my 'conquest'—no, that's not it... if they dare interfere with me building a crystal palace... also wrong! If they dare interfere with me bringing equal happiness to beautiful girls, even if it's an Evil God, I’ll cut them down for you to see!"
Ariel’s domineering words echoed, startling the birds in the forest.
"..."
Muen’s mouth hung open. He stared at Ariel, the light in his eyes becoming blinding.
It was as if something had suddenly become crystal clear.
"Of course! Why didn't I think of that?"
"Wh... what?"
"You’re Ariel!"
Muen walked toward Ariel step by step, suddenly grabbing her shoulders and shaking her with excitement.
"You’re the ultimate yuri harem king! You’re the invincible Soaring Phoenix! You’re the woman destined to build a crystal palace! You’re the true protagonist, Ariel Bugard, the one who embodies both cheats and Heaven's Mandate!"
Although he didn't know the later plot, since Senior was connected to Ariel as the shopkeeper, how could she die so easily?
Or rather, how could she become a puppet of an Evil God so easily?
In a "Soaring Phoenix" yuri novel, killing off a beautiful female character would get the author flayed by the readers!
He believed the original author wasn't that stupid!
It was even possible that Senior was a key figure in the Silent Moon plotline of the original book, which was why those cultists didn't hesitate to attack the Silence Bureau to take her.
In other words... the snake transformation disease might not be incurable!
"Haha! Senior is saved! Ariel, I love you to death—ow! That hurts!"
In his peak excitement, Muen hugged Ariel and almost kissed her.
The result, naturally, was a taste of Ariel’s iron fist. He immediately curled up on the ground clutching his stomach like a cooked shrimp.
"Muen Campbell, what the hell is wrong with you!"
A blush crept onto Ariel’s face as she said in embarrassment and anger, "I’m warning you, don't you dare have any crooked thoughts about me! I’m only interested in pretty ladies!"
"Haha, right! Interested in pretty ladies... that’s right! I’m also only interested in pretty ladies..."
Despite taking a punch, Muen was even more excited. He did a kip-up and started running toward the club building.
But after a few steps, he suddenly turned back, walked up to the bewildered Ariel, snatched the black bread from her hand, and threw it on the ground.
"How can you keep eating this? Your chest will get smaller."
"M... Muen Campbell! What are you—"
Ariel stared blankly at her lost dinner, but before she could explode in rage, she felt a stack of something being slapped into her hand.
It was dark green, neat... a stack of cash!
The scent of fresh ink on the new bills snapped Ariel out of her daze. She was furious. "Muen Campbell, are you trying to humiliate me with money? I’m warning you, I’m not that kind of person—"
Before she could finish.
A second stack.
A third stack.
...
The hundredth stack.
Muen pulled out all the cash he had on him—a full million—and dumped it all on Ariel.
"Go! Take it all! Go buy some good food. I suggest papaya and milk with every meal. Ariel, don't give up! Believe me, you can still be saved!"
Muen slapped Ariel hard on the shoulder and gave her a thumbs-up.
"No need to pay me back! This is my thanks to you!"
"..."
Ariel’s mouth hung open as she stared blankly at Muen, who ran off after dumping the money. She was once again plunged into utter confusion.
Wh... what just happened?
Ariel looked down dumbly at the small mountain of cash beside her, her mind a complete blank.
...
Drowning in money, she didn't know what to do.
...
...
The breeze blew through the forest, rustling the leaves.
The sun eventually broke through the clouds, casting a gentle twilight glow.
At the end of this golden path, Muen walked with light steps toward the unknown future.
"Please hold on a little longer, Senior."
This time, Muen’s eyes were firm, without a trace of hesitation.
"I’m coming to save you."