Chapter 108: Mirror Image Technique (Ten Thousand Words, Monthly Votes Requested!)

The man in the top hat was deathly pale, as if he were also enduring the agony of the wound on his shoulder, yet he still sneered, "What? Surprised? Then try this!"

As he spoke, he drew his hand back and then thrust it forward, slamming his fist with all his might into the bloody hole in his own shoulder!

The blow was vicious, not a performance in the slightest! With that punch, his body instantly lurched, and he nearly collapsed.

But Chen Xiao suddenly let out a cry of pain. A sharp, searing agony erupted from the wound on his own shoulder, and the pain made the world go black for a moment; he nearly fainted.

"And this!"

The man in the top hat on the right sneered as he looked at Chen Xiao, suddenly picking up a sharp icicle from the ground. A ghastly, infinitely eerie smile played across his face...

A sense of impending doom immediately rose in Chen Xiao's heart.

The man in the top hat on the right grunted, gripped the sharp icicle, and drove it deep into his own thigh!

*Puff!*

The sharp ice instantly pierced through his leg!

Though he was drenched in cold sweat and his body began to topple, he was held steady by his companion.

But Chen Xiao fared even worse!

He let out a scream, and on his own perfectly fine right thigh, a massive wound suddenly appeared! It was as if something had pierced right through it! Blood sprayed out wildly!

The intense pain, combined with the severe injury to his leg, left him unable to stand. His body went limp, his injured leg could no longer support him, and with a dull thud, he sank onto one knee!

His heart was filled with boundless shock!

What—what kind of hellish ability was this?!

Just as Chen Xiao was reeling in horror, a ghostly, cackling laugh echoed from nearby.

Chen Xiao looked down and saw Yacha, who lay on the ground like a dead dog, laughing maniacally. The sound of his laughter was filled with mockery, madness, and malice.

"Hahaha! Kid! Want to interfere? You need the skill for that!" Though Yacha was incredibly weak, he laughed until he was gasping for air, then hissed, "This is called the Mirror Technique. It’s an ability that harms the user to harm the victim—only this freak is capable of it! Hahahaha..."

Harm the user to harm the victim?

The Mirror Technique?!

Yacha laughed like a lunatic, completely oblivious to the fact that Chen Xiao had come to save him—perhaps he truly was just a madman!

But... the man in the top hat on the right had clearly injured himself first, yet while his face was pale, he seemed much better off than Chen Xiao.

Even though the injuries were so severe, and his physique was clearly far inferior to Chen Xiao’s, Chen Xiao had collapsed, yet the man could still manage to stand!

Chen Xiao’s heart stirred, and he looked at the man in the top hat on the left. He noticed that this man also looked exhausted and weak, his face much paler than before, with beads of sweat appearing on his forehead!

His eyes caught sight of the two men's hands, which were held tightly together...

That’s it!

That’s how it is!!!

Perhaps these two had some method to divide the pain between them!

The same injury, split between two people, would be much easier to bear!!

It had to be that!

The man in the top hat on the right continued to force a smile: "Now, for the real deal."

As he spoke, he extended a finger and pressed it gently against his own throat...

A chill shot straight up Chen Xiao’s spine the moment he saw it!

Hell! Is he going to stab his own throat??!

If the Mirror Technique held true, wouldn't my own throat also...

Chen Xiao struggled desperately, attempting to concentrate his mental energy toward his opponent...

Just at that moment, Yacha, who had been lying on the ground laughing uncontrollably, suddenly stopped!

Then, the figure of the man lying on the ground vanished! In the next instant, he flickered, appearing right between the two men in top hats!

As Yacha appeared, a distortion in space suddenly manifested at the point of his arrival!

A sense of spatial tearing, impossible to describe in words, suddenly formed!

A rift!

This was a true rupture! They were still standing together, holding hands, but after that twisted sense of tearing, it was as if the two of them were a photograph: even though they were still holding hands in the picture, an invisible pair of scissors had sliced the photo in two!

The spatial rift had forced the two of them apart!!

"Quick! Now!!"

Yacha let out a weak, desperate roar!

Though Chen Xiao was stunned by Yacha’s sudden move, he could not hesitate! He unleashed his gathered mental energy with all his might toward the two men!

*Whoosh!!*

All his mental energy surged out like a shockwave, a tangle of psychic power tearing through everything in its path!

The man in the top hat on the right changed color. Seeing the psychic wave crashing toward him, he screamed and thrust his finger down toward his own throat...

The man in the top hat on the left waved his hand, a blade of frost instantly solidifying on his palm, and slashed down toward the head of Yacha, who had teleported beside him...

*BOOM!!!!*

The psychic energy, like a dense web, enveloped both men. However, after the frost blade in the left man's hand slashed into Yacha’s neck, a spray of blood erupted, Yacha’s shrill, mocking laughter ceased, and in an instant, the feeling of spatial distortion vanished!

The two men's hands seemed to reconnect!

The dense web of psychic energy, like countless crisscrossing cutting forces, engulfed them. The man on the left shouted, his entire body instantly covered in a thick layer of ice as he moved to block his companion behind him...

Chen Xiao also felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his throat, his vision went black, and he collapsed...

After a long, long time, Chen Xiao felt a gentle hand caressing his eyelids. Under the soft touch of those fingers, the heavy, strained weight on his eyes seemed to lift, and he opened them slowly...

He was still lying in that filthy sewer space. The surroundings were a ruin of debris, and bloodstains remained on the ground.

The two men in top hats were gone. Yacha lay where he had been, his body stiff like a dead dog, only the slight rise and fall of his chest showing he was still alive. His neck, however, had been slashed open, his throat covered in blood!

Phoenix knelt beside Chen Xiao, holding his head in her lap with one hand, while the other gently stroked his eyelids. Seeing Chen Xiao wake up, a tear suddenly rolled down Phoenix’s cheek—it fell onto Chen Xiao’s face—ice cold!!

Chen Xiao swallowed instinctively, surprised to find that his throat no longer hurt. He let out a sigh of relief, though his voice was hoarse when he spoke: "You... were crying?"

Phoenix’s eyes were red as she shed tears and said, "Chen Xiao... do you resent me?"

"Resent you? Why..." Chen Xiao lay there, looking up into Phoenix’s eyes.

"It was me who made you come... and I let you face them alone while I stayed hidden." Phoenix’s gaze was hesitant as she watched him: "Will you blame me? Will you think I had ulterior motives?"

"I don’t blame you." Chen Xiao closed his eyes, a serene smile appearing on his face: "You told me to do it, so I did... I trust you, and I know you must have had your reasons. Yes, that’s right, I... I just trust you."

Phoenix did not feel any lighter hearing this; instead, her tears flowed even more freely.

Her voice was choked with sobs: "Try to bear the pain... I will make it go away immediately."

As she spoke, she raised her hand, her soft fingers stroking gently down from Chen Xiao’s face, sliding over his shoulder, down his body, and finally to the wound on his thigh...

Her fair, tender hands seemed to possess magic. Where her hand passed, the wounds began to heal automatically and invisibly; the delicate flesh twitched and grew, quickly restoring the skin and muscle to wholeness.

It felt like a cool breeze flowing through his entire body, gradually dispelling the searing pain...

Feeling the injuries vanish so quickly, Chen Xiao’s body felt increasingly light, but his expression grew strange.

Finally, feeling the injuries fully healed, he sat up and touched his shoulder and leg.

"Huh??"

He looked at Phoenix in astonishment: "Is this... also your ability?"

Phoenix lowered her eyes, tears still falling, and nodded gently.

This girl... she could read minds, shapeshift, fly, and heal wounds...

Did that mean she was also a "monster" with multiple abilities??

Yet, looking at such a beautiful person, it was truly difficult to associate her with the word "monster."

Chen Xiao looked into Phoenix’s eyes, then smiled, stood up, and said softly, "I trust you even more now... So you had this up your sleeve. That means you had a reason for letting me charge in alone, and you were confident—that no matter how badly I was hurt, you had the ability to heal me quickly, right?" He paused and smiled: "You’re basically a little nurse."

Phoenix burst into a tearful laugh at this, but then her expression turned solemn. She looked into Chen Xiao’s eyes, appearing somewhat troubled: "Chen Xiao, it wasn't my intention to hide anything from you... It’s just that there are some things I cannot tell you yet. I didn't want to lie to you, so I had to stay silent. I know those two men. For certain reasons, it was inconvenient for me to face them. That is why I let you take the risk—but if I had been by your side, and you had truly been in mortal danger, I would have stepped in, no matter the cost! Do you believe me?"

"Of course I believe you." Chen Xiao nodded, feigning a relaxed laugh: "Even if I were torn to pieces, as long as I wasn't dead, you could bring me back to life, right?"

Phoenix couldn't help but laugh, but her eyes turned red again. She gently covered Chen Xiao’s mouth: "You... you aren't allowed to say things like that anymore! 'Torn to pieces'..."

Chen Xiao nodded.

At this moment, Alice had long since fainted. And Yacha still lay there, holding onto his final breath.

"Those two guys..." Chen Xiao frowned.

"They’re gone." Phoenix shook her head: "They suffered greatly as well and fled. I couldn't stop them, so..."

"Let’s not talk about that." Chen Xiao looked at Yacha lying there, and suddenly felt a pang of pity. After all, in those final moments, if Yacha hadn't struggled with his last bit of strength, Chen Xiao might not have had a chance...

"Can you save him, too?" Chen Xiao pointed to Yacha.

Phoenix sighed, looked at Yacha, and shook her head: "It’s not that I don’t want to, but... Chen Xiao, my healing ability has limitations. It can only be used once every so often. Since I only had one chance, I naturally had to save you first. Now... there is nothing I can do."

Only then did Chen Xiao notice that Phoenix’s face was pale and her voice filled with exhaustion.

Chen Xiao and Phoenix walked over to Yacha’s side.

At this moment, the black strips of cloth covering Yacha were in tatters. When Chen Xiao had unleashed his final psychic cutting web, Yacha had happened to be standing with the two men in top hats. The psychic attack was indiscriminate, and Yacha had not been spared.

Most of his wrappings had been torn away, and his body was covered in small, blade-like lacerations, but the most severe wound was undoubtedly his neck!

The man who controlled the cold had dealt a fatal blow with that ice blade! It had nearly severed his throat. It was a testament to Yacha being a monster that his vitality was strong enough to keep him alive until now.

The wrappings on his face had also fallen away, revealing that grotesque, terrifying visage. Sensing Chen Xiao and Phoenix approaching, Yacha struggled to open his eyes. His breathing was weak and ragged, blood bubbling from his throat, yet those eyes—those eyes that seemed like mere slits—stared at the two of them. In those slits, a look reminiscent of a dying beast lingered.

Cold-blooded! Savage!

And deep in his bones, there seemed to be a profound hostility and distrust! It was as if he were a wild animal; especially in his dying state, the approach of any living being triggered the deep-rooted hostility and cruelty in his nature.

Chen Xiao frowned and crouched down. Yacha seemed to want to move instinctively, but his body wouldn't respond; he just kept those narrow, cold eyes fixed on Chen Xiao.

Phoenix stood by Chen Xiao, sighing softly: "He... is beyond saving. A normal person would have died long ago. And... in his current state, he cannot be moved, and we have no medicine or cell-regeneration serum. He will pass at any moment..."

Chen Xiao frowned, looking at the horrific-looking Yacha.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered hearing Yacha’s voice from behind the wall earlier—filled with self-loathing, hatred, and the twisted nature of humanity, that cry of "freak"...

"Actually... I suddenly feel that he’s quite pathetic." Chen Xiao sighed.

Yacha continued to stare at Chen Xiao, though the vitality in his eyes was fading bit by bit.

Chen Xiao looked into Yacha’s eyes and said in a low voice: "I don’t know if you can still hear me... I didn't want to hurt you. But we cannot save you. So..."

He sighed, thought for a moment, and said slowly: "Regardless of everything... thank you for what you did at the very end!"

When the words "thank you" left his lips, a strange light suddenly flickered in the dying Yacha’s eyes, as if they had brightened for a brief moment.

His fingers, which lay on the ground, twitched slightly, and his lips trembled.

Chen Xiao leaned in, placing his ear near Yacha’s mouth: "What do you want to say?"

Yacha’s mouth was full of blood and bloody foam. As he struggled to exhale, his lips trembled, trying to speak, and bloody bubbles spurted out.

Finally, Chen Xiao understood what Yacha was saying.

He said:

"My ability... take it! Just like... you, handled, Qiu Yun!"

Chen Xiao was stunned!

Was this Yacha’s final request?

This creature, full of distortion, inferiority, hatred, and selfishness to the extreme!

Before dying, he had actually... offered this kind of "gift"?

As Chen Xiao stood there, dumbfounded, a spark of light erupted in Yacha’s eyes. He summoned his final ounce of strength, opened his mouth, and bit down hard near Chen Xiao’s ear!!

He poured every last bit of his remaining strength into that bite, biting so hard that his teeth broke the skin near Chen Xiao’s ear, drawing blood!

But at the same time, Yacha’s own blood stained Chen Xiao’s wound!!

Chen Xiao felt the sting, instinctively straightened up, touched the wound near his ear, and looked at Yacha in shock.

A glow lingered in Yacha’s eyes as he began to laugh. As he cracked his mouth open, his torn nose and lips contorted, but in that moment, to Chen Xiao, it felt like an illusion—beneath that horrific exterior, he somehow sensed...

A glimmer of sincere happiness?!

"Haha... haha... Who would have thought... I, Yacha... before I die... in this world, there would still be, still be someone, who said, said... thank..."

Finally, the word "you" remained unspoken.

The shrill laughter and the wheezing breath like a broken bellows came to an abrupt halt.

Chen Xiao watched the lifeless Yacha, then held up the hand that had been covering the wound by his ear. His palm was stained crimson.

It was blood.

His own, and Yacha’s.

His gaze was complex, deep.

Finally, after a while, he turned to Phoenix and asked: "Do you think this person... can be considered a bad man?"

Phoenix sighed softly: "I think he was a pathetic man."

Chen Xiao looked down, pondered for a moment, and then looked up and smiled.

He smiled very earnestly, his tone even more sincere.

"At the very least, he was human! Not some freak! He was human!"