Chapter 77: The Demonic Blade
"Hua Mi?"
"This sounds like a human naming style."
The blacksmith continued hammering the metal ingot, the reverberations causing discomfort in Hua Mi's ears.
"It does sound like a human style," Hua Mi nodded, "but who is she?"
"I don't know."
"...," Hua Mi was left puzzled.
The blacksmith continued, "At some point, this name suddenly appeared in my memory. She has never come, yet feels as though she has."
Did she or didn't she?
Hua Mi was thoroughly confused.
"I also have an impression of this name," Tin Can interjected, "In fact, most residents of Brass City have this name mysteriously appear in their memories at some point."
"And when we mention this name, we can imagine a human figure."
"She has long golden hair, a smile that seems magical, sometimes warm, sometimes indifferent, sometimes mischievous... She's lively, yet serene, at times melancholic... We adore her but also feel a bit fearful..."
"...," Hua Mi's CPU almost overheated.
"Also, she should be wearing a black robe like yours," Tin Can added, "We believe she's a revelation from the Mother Goddess, but until today, we haven't deciphered the true intent of the Mother Goddess."
The Mother Goddess sending a human to enlighten them?
Even imagining it was impossible!
Hua Mi couldn't extract any useful information from this, only accumulating more confusion.
Was it possible that she had come but, due to some magical effect, erased the memories of the entire city?
Thinking about it made that explanation seem too crude, far from simple lip service.
"There's a monument nearby that records the names of humans and spirits who died in the Brass City battles. Do you want to visit?"
"No need."
"During the Abyss invasion, only humans and spirits came to support us, so..."
Tin Can suddenly fell silent.
Hua Mi turned around to see him staring intensely down an alley, his flames trembling violently.
"What's wrong?"
"The Abyss...," he pointed to the alley, "It's a corrupted Fire Spirit!"
In the alley, a Fire Spirit was convulsing oddly.
Its internal flames turned pitch black.
With a strange cry, the blackened Fire Spirit's flames burst forth, forming wings behind it, flying into the air, charging at them.
Tin Can sat frozen on the ground, unable to move.
Hua Mi didn't have time to ponder. He clenched his right hand, and the Iron Fist Bees surged out from his sleeve, covering his fist in a multi-layered armor, forming an indestructible gauntlet.
The Power Bees also emerged, gathering behind the gauntlet, providing propulsion.
The blackened Fire Spirit charged closer.
A fist as large as a sandbag... Have you ever seen one!
The Iron Fist, like a cannonball, pounded out.
Clang!
The punch solidly struck the target.
The blackened Fire Spirit's metallic body instantly caved in, chest touching its back as it flew backward, crashing to the ground with a clang, limbs separating, and its black flame flickered a few times before extinguishing entirely.
Hua Mi walked over to the stunned Tin Can, patting his head, "Are you sure it was influenced by the Abyss?"
Tin Can snapped out of it, "Absolutely! Just like the records... the black flames..."
Hua Mi immediately decided, "Let's go, inform the Fire Spirit King."
As they took a few steps, a loud noise interrupted.
Hua Mi looked towards the source, only to see the soaring white light disappearing.
The celestial flames in the sky dimmed instantly.
"The temple..."
Hua Mi summoned the bees and flew towards the direction of the temple.
From a distance, the temple had collapsed, and the Fire Seed was exposed.
A dark mist rapidly swirled around the Fire Seed, shooting a laser that tore open space.
The rift was expanding, emitting a chilling aura. Even from afar, one could sense the coldness.
Hua Mi saw Alyss riding a flying carpet, arriving from another direction.
"Your friend has gone mad!"
"I told you, he's not... forget it. We need to stop him, or the whole city will... Ugh!"
Before she could finish, she showed a strange expression, dropping to her knees on the carpet, clutching half of her face, emitting a low groan of pain.
"What's wrong with you?"
Hua Mi saw her right eye, which had turned a horrifying crimson color.
Unbelievable, neither of the two teammates was in a normal state on this adventure.
The air carried rumbling sounds, like the beating heart of a colossal entity, causing ripples in the atmosphere.
Each ripple brought palpitations.
The rift grew larger.
Despite the efforts of the Fire Spirits and the Fire Spirit soldiers, they couldn't stop the rift from expanding.
It was utterly out of reach.
Hua Mi glanced at Alyss, who was in agony on the carpet, clearly no longer reliable.
"What do we do?"
Hua Mi's mind raced, surveying the scene until he spotted something.
The Demonic Blade!
Forged from anti-magic gold, capable of severing all magical effects.
Perhaps it would work.
Hua Mi landed near the Demonic Blade.
The sword was too large for a human, impossible to grip with just one hand.
In proportion, two-thirds of its length was embedded underground.
The sword's above-ground body was entirely black, emanating a chilling light despite the millennia that had passed.
"Hoo—"
Hua Mi covered the Iron Fist Bees with both hands, grasping the hilt. The Power Bees swarmed around it, pushing and pulling, transferring force between each bee, ultimately converging onto the hilt, generating an upward force.
The sword loosened!
Accompanied by a hum, the Demonic Blade, dormant for millennia, was unsheathed once more.
Boom!
The tip hit the ground, shattering stones and creating a crater.
With the assistance of the Power Bees, Hua Mi dragged the Demonic Blade towards the rift.
The nearby Fire Spirits stopped their futile efforts, making way for him.
Hua Mi stopped about two meters away from the rift, feeling the intense fluctuations in the air. His heart and mind felt as if they were about to explode.
He resisted discomfort, focusing on the target, exerting all his strength.
But suddenly, his pupils contracted.
Immense fear enveloped him.
The rift resembled a profound, staring abyss, instantly draining all his fighting spirit.
He wanted to flee, but muscles refused to obey due to fear.
The Power Bees slowly slipped from his control, his hands growing heavier...
"!!"
At the critical moment, the usual rigorous training kicked in. Hua Mi forced his will, controlling a few Pain Sting Bees to land on his hand.
Stingers pierced.
A surge of intense pain flooded his brain, instantly pulling him out of the fearful state, restoring his ability to act.
No more hesitation, holding his breath, he swung the massive sword.
Whoosh—
The heavy blade sliced through the air, angling upward.
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