People who unlocked the mid-fourth stage brought out the power from the deepest part of their genetics and began to venture into energy manipulation. Zheng and his clone displayed special control over heat. RuiKong displayed control over the Force of the Soul. YinKong displayed control over energy... absorption.

YinKong’s counterattack arrived so sudden and without any sign. She was subdued the previous second. Neither did RuiKong showed weakness but the tide of the fight turned in an instant. She absorbed the powerful Force of the Soul and struck back.

YinKong grabbed RuiKong’s neck at once. RuiKong could sense a danger coming from her that was unlike the last time. She struggled, in hope of breaking free from YinKong’s hand. Yet, the hand on her neck was as tough as a pair of pliers and didn’t even budge. YinKong smashed her into a boulder.

RuiKong’s whole body crashed into the boulder in a loud blast. Blood bled from all over the body. As she opened her mouth to speak, YinKong let out a wail and smashed RuiKong to the ground with even greater force.

YinKong seemed as though she had gone insane. The wailing never stopped as she smashed RuiKong over and over like a doll. Furthermore, her strength was enormous. She blasted a crater on the ground with every swing of the arm. She crashed straight through any tree or boulder on her way. In just a few seconds, she had ruined a ten meter area around her. RuiKong was still in her hand but she was drenched in blood, looking like she was barely hanging onto life.

“Sis..” RuiKong’s eyes returned to normal again. She pleaded in a low, pitiful voice. “Sis, are you intending to kill me? Let me go, sis. I promise I won’t be naughty again. Let me go...”

There was no response coming from YinKong. She continued smashing RuiKong at the ground. A few more times later, she drew RuiKong close and bit at her shoulder. A piece of flesh was torn from RuiKong’s shoulder in a scream. YinKong then grabbed this arm and pulled it violently. The arm came off from RuiKong’s body.

The other children couldn’t bear to watch the scene. ZhuiKong wanted to stop it but the words stopped at his lips. After YinKong tore off RuiKong’s arm, he let out a sigh and closed his eyes, waiting for the inevitable outcome. However, there was no scream as he had expected. He quickly opened his eyes after a few seconds.

YinKong was still holding the arm in her hand. RuiKong was on the brink of death after the series of fierce attacks. Her close combat strength were much weaker than physical types in the same fourth stage. As YinKong’s hand clawed toward her head, RuiKong closed her eyes and screamed. Several seconds later, she lifted her eyelids ever so slightly. YinKong’s hand halted before her eyes and it was trembling, as if a great force was holding it back. The expressions of her eyes alternated between consciousness and insanity. Their redness faded then deepened. It was clear she was struggling within herself. Should she let go of the demon in front of her or fulfill her promise? Death or live? Was death the true mercy for her friends?

RuiKong’s eyes were fixed at YinKong’s hand. She couldn’t snap her fingers as YinKong was holding her only remaining arm. She bended a finger and flicked it as hard as she could, triggering a light, crisp sound before falling into silence again.

ZhuiKong’s body trembled as his eyes lost their focus. He kicked the ground and dashed toward the two girls.

“No... Don’t... come...” YinKong uttered the sentence in fragments while the saturation in her eyes fluctuated. The words were meant for ZhuiKong but her eyes never once left RuiKong, as though she was waiting to kill her the moment RuiKong moved.

“Sis... you lost.” RuiKong’s murmured in a tender voice. “Sis, you are stronger than I thought but the bonds of your soul are also greater than I thought. These bonds brought your consciousness back from the heart’s devil of the fourth stage... yet, they will only lead you toward defeat and death. I thought you have the most special soul aside from my brother’s, unripe and cute. But deep inside, this apple has rotten. You can’t bring yourself to kill me, right? You can’t kill me, right? When my brother comes... is when you lose.”

YinKong showed no reaction toward her. Her face was showing how intense she was struggling. Her hand was trembling even more violently. But the words that came out of her lips were so light. “Don’t come over. Don’t come over.” ZhuiKong was nearer and nearer to the girls.

“Don’t come over... Don’t kill our little sister. Please. I promised I will have everyone live. I said I will make her smile with happiness. I don’t want to live alone in this world. ZhuiKong, don’t kill her. I will hate you forever...”

To RuiKong’s surprise, YinKong wasn’t begging for mercy nor asking ZhuiKong to end her life. She was begging him not to kill RuiKong instead. RuiKong’s eyes immediately turned to ZhuiKong and she bended her finger. However, ZhuiKong had already arrived. His eyes recovered their consciousness.

Da-! RuiKong flicked her finger. A light, crisp sound stopped ZhuiKong in place. The two were merely a few steps away. The rush only allowed RuiKong enough time to control his feet. Fortunately, they were far enough away that he couldn’t reach her with a dagger. If he were to throw the dagger, the force and accuracy might not be enough to kill her.

RuiKong finally got the chance to speak. “Why? Why aren’t you being controlled? I can control your body but why can I not control your mind? You haven’t reached the third stage...”

“Little sister.” ZhuiKong smiled. He suddenly pushed his dagger into YinKong’s hand. He leaned forward as much as he could and just barely folded YinKong’s hand into a fist, holding onto the dagger. And then with a bump, he fell to the ground because he was leaning forward too much.

“You said it yourself. Our minds are so alike... If I become like you one day, I really wish there’s someone like the me at this moment that will end my life. Maybe my thoughts will have changed when that time comes, but this is my true wish at this moment.”

ZhuiKong smiled. He reached out his hand and grabbed YinKong’s foot. She was frozen with one hand holding RuiKong and the other holding a dagger pointing at RuiKong’s head. As ZhuiKong pulled her foot, the dagger fell toward RuiKong. YinKong shifted her hand as best as she could but the distance between the dagger and RuiKong was too short. The struggle between her consciousness and the heart’s devil was too difficult. The dagger stabbed into RuiKong’s neck, cutting her trachea and into the spine.

YinKong cried at once as her eyes recovered. She covered RuiKong’s neck with her hand but the dagger up to the hilt had stabbed into the neck. She was scared to pull it out. It might signal the end of RuiKong’s life the moment this dagger left her neck. YinKong could only cry while covering the blood that was gushing out. Yet, her action only worsened the bleeding. Her pale face blanched whiter.

“Don’t die. I said I will let everyone live. We found a way to solve the underlying peril in our body. We will live together happily. We will play, work, travel... RuiKong, we promised to travel over the world. We promised to grow up together... I don’t want to be alone. I don’t want to live alone... ZhuiKong! I hate you! I will forever hate you!” YinKong weeped, her hand never moved away from the wound. The hoarseness in her voice only lended to the sorrow.

RuiKong lifted her arm with great difficulty but not to snap her fingers. She gently caressed YinKong’s face. Her lips moved but only blood came out from her mouth. She couldn’t say a word with her trachea damaged.

(Sis. Don’t hate brother. I have told him that a monster lives in the bottom of my consciousness. If this monster were to let loose, everyone that I treasure so much will get killed. If this time really comes, let me fall into a peaceful sleep. I will pray for you in my dream. So don’t hate my brother. He has always loved you the most.

(You are too close to the devil in the mid-fourth stage. I will drain all that violent lust from you and seal your memory of me. I will seal the memory from everyone. Sis... I don’t want to part with you. I want to stay with you forever...)

RuiKong smiled and snapped her fingers one last time. All the children frozen in place without expressions.