Chapter Thirty-Three: The Fatal Blow

In the midst of confrontation, I howled like a madman, paying no heed to the gnawing and tearing of the insects. My mind was ablaze, my eyes bloodshot, and my heart fixed on a single target: the "Infernal Fire Sphere" that encased the Lamp King.

Kill the Lamp King within, and everything would be over!

With my mind clear and resolve steady, I shielded my head with both hands and pressed forward recklessly! Though the swarm battered me like wind and tide, I did not retreat or dodge, fighting for my comrades—and for myself.

Eight meters, seven meters, six meters!

Clinging to the last shred of composure, I silently counted my distance, fully aware that every inch I drew closer increased my odds against the Lamp King.

The Lamp King, it seemed, sensed my intent!

What caught me completely off guard was that, as I approached within five or six meters, the beast let out a long howl and unexpectedly charged straight toward me!

This creature, brazen and fearless!

In a blur, the eerie green fireball coalesced and rose, then astonishingly left the ground, whistling through the air like a projectile. Though its speed was less than its own charge, its momentum was unmatched, accompanied by a gust of wind and ghostly wails.

What the Lamp King was thinking then, I cannot know, but I understood one thing: it was utterly unafraid.

The infernal fire shrouding its body could send someone as hefty as Zhao Hong flying five or six meters and consume and destroy the torch that flung A-Si, reducing it to charred fragments. It was impervious to blade or bullet, immune to water and fire.

Yet, it had chosen the wrong moment, the wrong method, and met me.

And I had already devised the perfect way to deal with it.

This was a gamble.

When the Lamp King was within two or three meters, I followed my plan and, emulating A-Si, hurled the burning charcoal at it!

This creature was accustomed to fighting like a man; with its overwhelming presence, it would not evade, but rather face the attack head-on like a gladiator.

I waited for the moment it accepted the challenge.

Sure enough! The light sphere enveloping the Lamp King cracked open as the charcoal collided, and just as before, devoured the red-hot wood.

Seizing this brief opening, I summoned all my strength, bent low, gathered my breath, and leaped, eyes wide with fury, silhouetted against the moon!

Looking down from midair, I saw the Lamp King, wreathed in ghostly energy, inside the gaping light barrier. At the heart of the sphere, the king was clutching the torch I had thrown, tearing the flaming charcoal apart and extinguishing it piece by piece.

I laughed coldly to myself—just as I had anticipated.

The Lamp King extinguished the fire, while the insect swarm protected it; theirs was a complex, symbiotic battle.

But at that moment, what truly occupied my thoughts was not such intricacies…

As the Lamp King and I locked eyes, we understood each other’s intentions almost simultaneously.

Between the flickering lights, the red insect on the Lamp King’s tail flared with crimson glow once more. With its command, the swarm rapidly converged! Some filled the gaps in its defense, others surged forth like writhing dragons, roaring straight for my heart!

In a flash, I had no time to think; at such close quarters, there was no room to dodge.

On the verge of being pierced, I hurled my final strike at the Lamp King!

My military knife, charged with a fierce gust and the last reserves of my battered body, shot straight toward the Lamp King's monstrous red tail!

In that instant, the world fell silent.

I did not know if I had struck true, but everything before me faded swiftly—the infernal swarm, the crimson Lamp King, even the sound of my own heartbeat—vanished utterly…

When I collapsed to the ground, I felt no pain; my eyelids could not twitch, I could see nothing…

My thoughts blanked out for a moment.

As my vision gradually returned from the flickering shadows, I realized I was alive, though barely.

The Lamp King—no, the black cat—was stripped of its power and aura. It wailed incessantly, its tail devoid of light, looking every bit a lost beggar.

The black cat circled, howling around something on the ground—my military knife stuck in it, and at the end of the blade, I did not need to guess what was pierced beneath.

It was the red insect from the Lamp King’s tail, no bigger than a fingernail, now severed and lifeless by my attack.

Just as I had surmised, without the red insect, the Lamp King was merely a common black cat. No longer able to command the swarm, it could no longer threaten us.

Yet, I’d only guessed half right.

The Lamp King, bereft of its "lamp," howled a few times toward its former allies, then cast a luminous, angry gaze upon me.

In its eyes, I saw nothing but fury—so deep and intense, identical to before, only now grown stronger.

Suddenly, I despaired—without its lamp, the Lamp King was still a king!

It turned, pacing silently toward me, stopping when it reached my head.

The king tilted its head, peered down at me lying face upward.

I remained motionless, dazed beneath the starry sky, staring into its luminous eyes, the white mark on its forehead, and its blurred silhouette.

The firefly venom had invaded every part of me.

The cat let out a soft, low cry, its voice stripped of the earlier menace and soul-stirring force.

Yet, it was still enraged.

After its hiss, the cat extended its blood-stained forepaw, revealing a pale, gleaming claw.

Under the moonlight, its eyes shone with vengeful delight, inching its claw ever closer to my throat.

As it drew nearer, despair twisted into a bitter smile within me.

My body was paralyzed by the firefly venom; I could not even close my eyelids, let alone dodge.

I had weathered storms and trials, yet now, in this gutter, I was about to perish.

In truth, if I could roll over and strike it, I might drive this now ordinary old cat away, perhaps even kill it.

I could sense from its breath that the creature was also gravely wounded—its energy weak, the loss of the lamp on its tail had drained it deeply.

But I could do nothing. Perhaps this was fate.

Quietly, I awaited the end.

Then, a sinister laugh shattered the stillness!

Just as the cat’s claw was about to graze my neck, a woman’s sweet chuckle and playful moan, borne on a chill breeze, drifted from the woods.

The sound was steeped in mockery.

At first, I thought it was an illusion; after all, the firefly venom had numbed my entire body, and any sound I heard could easily be distorted wind or hallucination.

But the black cat’s reaction proved otherwise.

With eyes wide open, I saw the cat’s claw freeze at the moment it heard the woman’s laughter. Its agile head no longer focused on me, but lifted alertly toward the tangled woods, ears upright, bracing for danger.

As the cat raised its head, the laughter rang out again, closer and clearer this time. To my ears, it was as if a young woman were flirting with her beloved.

The sound was soft and gentle in my heart.

But the black cat’s expression was anything but relaxed.

Upon hearing the laughter a second time, its fur bristled, and it twisted, growling low toward a spot in the woods—a threat, though it lacked conviction.

Yet the laughter continued, shifting from coyness to infatuation, from infatuation to wild amusement, seductive to sinister.

The laughter was triumphant and unrestrained, ghostly and alluring, like a demon bride at her wedding.

The sound echoed and wandered through the woods, leaving me baffled and striking terror into the black cat.

Moments later, the cat abandoned its intent to kill me and fled. Out of the corner of my eye, I watched it vanish from sight, lost among the trees.

The black cat had fled, clearly frightened by whatever new presence lurked among the woods and by the abnormal laughter.

Afterward, a sudden calm descended beside me.

The laughter faded, the cat’s howls ceased, even the sound of my own breathing disappeared.

I knew the firefly venom was spreading mercilessly through my body, devouring my nerves and senses. I could not even blink, and as time passed, I continued to lose what little hearing and touch remained. I could not tell if I was lying or standing.

Utterly helpless!

Thus I lay, unsure for how long… until a pair of delicate arms returned my consciousness.

My eyes remained open, yet I saw nothing. But in that half-dream, half-illusion, my senses were astonishingly clear.

It was a pair of slender, feminine hands.

Where the hands touched, it felt like drifting clouds and floating grass—indescribably delicate and smooth, stirring a ticklish sensation in my heart. In my vision, I imagined a teenage "beauty," with phoenix eyes and a veiled smile, enchanting and irresistible.

The feeling was exquisite, and what followed was even more so.

To my surprise, the woman’s hands soon tore away my tattered clothing, roaming and exploring across my body.

At last, a fragrant mouth descended, replacing her hands, softly kissing my arms and shoulders…

In a haze, my face flushed, heart pounding.

Though it was likely just a hallucination, the vividness was overwhelming—especially the small lips that ceaselessly kissed and teased, so real I could feel cool traces of saliva seeping into my skin.

All in all, the embarrassing sensation was oddly pleasant, so pleasant it was addictive, and I nearly lost myself entirely in this strikingly lifelike illusion.

It was soothing and tranquil.

Soon, in this rare serenity, I relaxed and drifted into sleep.

Even as I slept, only one question filled my heart: Was this woman real or imaginary? If real, who was she?

I longed to know the truth.