"Where are you planning to go?"
In the distance, the Earthly Soul had already started to walk slowly. Given the current situation, it's much better to act together than alone.
"Just looking around. The sight of a world heading toward its end—everything here, all the evidence that once existed, remember it well, before sunrise."
I let out a sound of surprise and turned around, walking slowly. In a daze, I seemed to glimpse a faint smile at the corner of the Earthly Soul's mouth, but when I looked again, he had already gone far away—a distant black dot, gradually disappearing from sight.
Being able to bask in sunlight like this is already a rare thing. I tilted my head, quietly gazing at the massive beam of light pouring down from the sky. The sky looked as if a giant hole had been torn open, surrounded by thick, dark clouds. Strangely, these clouds formed by Curse Power didn’t press down, remaining only within the boundaries of the Devouring Woods.
Following the edge of the forest, I quickly returned to the giant tree where we were camped. Spirit Snake was already waiting for me.
"They're asleep."
I responded with a quiet "Oh" and didn’t plan to climb up. Given the strange events at night here, it’s impossible to sleep at first—only after a brutal struggle does the world gradually calm down.
Spirit Snake and I looked into the distance, still waiting for Agent Seven to arrive. He had gone back to consult with the other Forsaken, and all we could do was keep waiting—in this world, we could barely take a single step forward.
All around us, the lakes formed by Curse Power had probably already become a vast ocean. The tide was surging toward the only patch of forest where we could stand—it wouldn’t be long before the whole world was flooded with Curse Power.
"Have you ever experienced something like this before?"
I asked, and Spirit Snake turned to look at me. He showed no fear at the impending destruction of this world. No matter what happened, he always remained calm, as if he had weathered countless storms.
"I'm used to it. It's been like this for ages—countless cycles of destruction and rebirth, all led by humans. Everything painstakingly built is destroyed by humanity, again and again. Humans are supposed to be intelligent, but they keep making the same mistakes and never learn."
"Is that so!"
I muttered, just as a green glow lit up in the distance, speeding toward us.
With a crash, Agent Seven landed in front of us. I immediately noticed a wound on his arm. It had healed somewhat, but fresh blood still oozed from it.
"Ran into a bit of trouble on the way here. Nothing serious."
"And the result?"
I asked, and Agent Seven nodded.
"Including me, there are six Forsaken left—seven in total: 001, 002, 004, 005, 006, and one I've never met before, 009."
"Have you ever met 002?"
I muttered. Although Qi had '002' marked on her arm, she wasn't one of the Forsaken.
"She's a real beauty, of course I've met her. But she's different from the other Forsaken. You could say she's Forsaken-like."
"Why do you say that?"
Agent Seven squinted and pointed into the distance.
"Everything in this world shares one thing..."
"They're all abandoned things."
I understood immediately. Glancing at the giant tree behind me, I realized Qi had also been abandoned. Though she wasn't a Forsaken, part of her nature was similar to the essence of this world, which is why she bore a number on her arm.
Suddenly, Agent Seven's expression changed. He quickly turned his head, and I followed his gaze.
"I didn't expect it to follow us here."
A dark shadow in the sky was approaching. I swallowed—it was getting closer. The figure wore black armor, radiated black mist, and held a long spear.
His helmet concealed his face, leaving only a slit for his eyes—two crimson points flickered inside.
A furious roar echoed. Agent Seven removed his glasses and tossed them aside, smirking as he rolled up his sleeves. A sizzling sound followed as his body was quickly covered in sticky green fluid.
From the approaching figure, I felt a surge of powerful curse energy. With a whoosh, Agent Seven leapt into the air, dodged a stabbing attack, and pressed both hands onto the armored figure.
"Be careful, Qingyuan."
As soon as Spirit Snake finished speaking, we rolled to the side. With a crash, the giant tree behind us was struck, splitting completely in two as if cleaved by immense force.
I immediately flew up but didn't approach—the tree held Qi. As expected, Qi jumped down with Rachel Lan, landing right beside me.
A painful howl echoed from above. I looked up—the figure's armor seemed to be dissolving, sticky green liquid crawling all over it, black smoke billowing.
A hum sounded, and a streak of black light shot out from the figure. In a blur, I saw Agent Seven strike.
With a thud, Agent Seven crashed to the ground, splattering green liquid like a lump of mud.
A series of furious roars echoed from above. The figure's armor was nearly dissolved; he seemed to be struggling as the green liquid seeped into his body. Suddenly, with a crash, drops of green fluid splattered through the air.
Black substance immediately oozed from the figure's body, gradually repairing his armor. In no time, it looked as good as new. Agent Seven, lying in a pit on the ground, stood up, brushed off the dust, glanced upward, and slowly walked toward us.
(System message skipped)
"Watch out above!"
I shouted, feeling a rush of air beneath my feet. I was about to act but stopped—the black figure plummeting toward Agent Seven suddenly swelled up and, just as it neared him, burst with a crack, dissolving into scattered black liquid that quickly evaporated in the air.
I glanced back at the now-collapsed giant tree behind us. The force of that blow was real, but the figure's sudden death left me puzzled.
"It's evolving."
Agent Seven picked up his dust-covered glasses, dusted them off, and put them back on before sitting down heavily.
"What do you mean?"
Agent Seven quickly explained.
"Yesterday you saw those black curse-energy humanoids, right? This thing is just like them, only more refined—but inside, it's extremely unstable."
At that moment, Rachel Lan's face was pale as she came to my side. I put an arm around her waist and patted her gently.
"It's okay."
"Qingyuan, I felt like there was something in my mind just now, but I can't remember it."
Rachel Lan pressed a hand to her forehead, while Qi looked at her suspiciously from behind.
"If you can't remember, don't force it, Ruoxi. You'll recall it when the time is right."
"It's only been a few days, but they've already evolved this much. They're getting harder to deal with. The wound on my arm was caused by one of them. I ignored it at first, knocked it down, and rushed here. I didn't expect it to follow me."
That black figure's attack was similar to a move from the Immortal Society—using a powerful burst to send a shockwave that destroys distant objects. I've experienced it many times, so I couldn't mistake it. The tree behind us was split by just such a blow.
"Earlier I said this curse energy was chasing you, but maybe I was wrong. The energy gathers here naturally. As far as we know, there's nothing special in this forest—it's just a place where failed Forsaken fight at night. Meaningless battles, devouring each other, repeating endlessly."
"You said before that 001 knows how to leave this world. Is it..."
"It's no longer possible. I checked on 001 yesterday—the root is already dead."
Qi suddenly spoke from behind. I turned my head; Rachel Lan was still lost in thought, completely absorbed.
"Looks like I don't need to explain."
Agent Seven smiled helplessly, then lay down on the ground, looking exhausted.
"What exactly is it, Qi?"
I asked, and Qi stood beside me, her expression grave.
"I've seen 001 in the mortal world before. Where she was, there were incredible dark red thorny vines. This world has them too. The only explanation is that 001 changed the soul quality of the vines she cultivated, making them appear here—things that shouldn't exist in this world. Maybe that's the only thing connecting us to the mortal realm."
I understood roughly, then looked at Agent Seven.
"What about the other Forsaken?"
"They should be coming soon. If they don't, they'll end up like the others. In the days since the mutation began, nearly a hundred intelligent Forsaken have died—not just the weak ones, but even some powerful ones. Earlier, I even sensed 001 hovering on the brink of death."
After Agent Seven finished, he stood up, smiled bitterly at the distant sky, and spoke with a hint of desolation.
"This is no longer the world we knew. Now, it's as if we're just burial offerings here—no way out. Even if we could reach the mortal realm, we wouldn't survive. All we can do is wait to die in this world."
"Wait to die? Heh, Agent Seven, when did you get so melancholic? If you want to wait for death, suit yourself. I have no intention of dying."